Virus?

[edhchoe]

My mac started acting up this month. It is 2011 model 21”. When it acts up, i cannot use the mouse or keyboard because it acts like a key is stuck. But it is not. And installing new batteries didn't help.
if it is virus, what program or service do you recommend?
Thanks.

 

[cmaier]

My mac started acting up this month. It is 2011 model 21”. When it acts up, i cannot use the mouse or keyboard because it acts like a key is stuck. But it is not. And installing new batteries didn't help.
if it is virus, what program or service do you recommend?
Thanks.

It is almost certainly not a virus, and is much more likely to be a stuck key. Just because it doesn’t appear stuck doesn’t mean there isn’t an electrical problem that makes the computer think It’s being pressed. It could also be a swollen battery pressing up on the keyboard and causing problems.

 

[Taz Mangus]

My mac started acting up this month. It is 2011 model 21”. When it acts up, i cannot use the mouse or keyboard because it acts like a key is stuck. But it is not. And installing new batteries didn't help.
if it is virus, what program or service do you recommend?
Thanks.

Try resetting SMC and PRAM.

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

The SMC manages power and hardware behavior on your Mac. This troubleshooting article explains when you should reset it, what issues it can fix, and how to perform an SMC reset depending on your Mac model (Apple Silicon, Intel with T2 chip, or older Macs)

support.apple.com

Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

If one or more settings stored in NVRAM don't work as expected on an Intel-based Mac, resetting NVRAM might help.

support.apple.com

 

[LuisN]

My mac started acting up this month. It is 2011 model 21”. When it acts up, i cannot use the mouse or keyboard because it acts like a key is stuck. But it is not. And installing new batteries didn't help.
if it is virus, what program or service do you recommend?
Thanks.

Did I understand well? iMac 2011? Try with a usb keyboard.

 

[edhchoe]

Yes. iMac 2011. with oem original wireless keyboard which works fine right now.
It was doing it again when I just powered up the computer.
I have tried resetting stuff like Taz suggested above yesterday.
For now, hitting the esc button rapidly many times fixes the issue.

It is very weird.

 

[Taz Mangus]

Yes. iMac 2011. with oem original wireless keyboard which works fine right now.
It was doing it again when I just powered up the computer.
I have tried resetting stuff like Taz suggested above yesterday.
For now, hitting the esc button rapidly many times fixes the issue.

It is very weird.

Few things to try:

• Boot into Diagnostics Mode and run diagnostics and see if that points out any issues.
• Boot into Recovery Mode (command-key R-key) and download and install the OS again. This won't remove any user data just refresh all the OS system files.
• If none of the above helps, try creating a new partition on your internal drive and clean install MacOS to the new partition. Restart the computer to the new partition, leave the system clean (don't install any third party software) and see if the issue still happens. This will give you an idea if the issue is related to any third party software you have installed. Reboot back to your old partition and delete the new partition.

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

You can use macOS Recovery, your computer's built-in recovery system, to reinstall the Mac operating system. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove your personal data.

support.apple.com

 

[CAScading]

deleted

 

[Gregg2]

What does post #7 have to do with this topic? It's far better to start one specifically about your question,