How can we get Apple to correct this issue?

Question

I have been a supporter and user of Apple since the IIe days.  I still have a G4 on my desktop that works just fine with the software that was useful for those times.  I have worked with a laptop Mac Pro since the fall of 2007 without any real major issues.  However, I am now having all types of problems with the new Maverick OS which I installed about two months ago.  In fact, I actually went to an apple support store and actually paid significant money to have them correct the problems which they said had to do with my keyboard.  I did mention that I wasn't having the problems until I installed Maverick, but they didn't mention that many people were having any problems with that OS.  I'm so used to everything working smoothly with Macs that I didn't even suspect an OS upgrade would create such havoc.  I'm very disappointed with what is happening. It all started when I received a message that some software package would no longer be supported for my Snow Leopard, and I needed to upgrade to Maverick. Since doing so, my computer has done all kinds of goofy things.  The worst issue is on startup.  My sign in screen comes up and I can't move my cursor.  If I hook up a wireless mouse, the cursor will move and I can get into the password position, but I can't get it to take a typed password or react to anything.  I finally started taking the battery out of the laptop for 30 seconds and re-installing it and that process would seem to get results, but it seems to be getting less successful. I like some of the features of the new OS, but it is giving me so much trouble with startup that I'm very frustrated. I also noticed that my power light does not stay lit when the computer is on. The battery shows a full charge, so I don't think it is a battery issue. Has anyone else had this problem.

Answer 1

Given your description, at least some of the problems you're experiencing are probably due to woefully outdated software on a seven year old MBP.
It's also possible that more memory would alleviate the symptoms, since Mavericks will run in 2 GB, but 4 GB is a more realistic minimum. You can install as much a 6 GB in your MBP, but without additional information it is impossible to conclude more RAM alone is going to solve what's wrong.
If you don't know where to start consider running EtreCheck and posting its results as explained below. It will provide a quick summary of your system configuration, to preclude the need for a dozen time-consuming questions. None of what follows is intended to fix anything, but it will provide the additional information required to advance troubleshooting.
There are five separate parts to it; please consider everything and reply with your results. The prerequisite (Part 0) is labeled that way because it is more important than anything else.
Part 0
The first task you must do is to satisfy yourself that you have adequate, reliable backups, since what you describe may presage an impending disk failure. If you value the data on your Mac, you should have backups even if everything is working normally.
Part 1
Boot OS X Recovery by holding ⌘ and r (two fingers) while you start your Mac. At the Mac OS X Utilities screen, select Disk Utility. Select your startup volume (usually named "Macintosh HD") and click the Repair Disk button. Describe any errors it reports in red. If Disk Utility reports "The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK" in green then you can be reasonably (though not completely) assured your hard disk is in good working order.
When it finishes restart your Mac and test again for operation. If it's still not behaving as you expect it should, please post the results of EtreCheck in accordance with the next step.
Part 2
Apple Support Communities contributor etresoft wrote a very useful app to quickly gather certain system information that may help point to a cause of this problem. Read about it here. It contains a link to download EtreCheck. Don't download it from anywhere else (such as may be found by following the results of an Internet search).
Copy and paste its output in a reply.
Do not be concerned about anything that says "Problem" or “failed” or anything else that may appear in red.
EtreCheck was designed to remove any personal information (such as your computer's name and serial numbers) but if you see anything that looks like an email address or any other personal information that should not be divulged to others, please delete or obscure that information when you post the reply.
When you are finished with EtreCheck, quit the program. It occupies very little space, and you can keep it or drag it to the Trash as you wish.
Part 3
Please determine if the problems also occur in "Safe Mode":
Safe Mode or "Safe Boot" is a troubleshooting mode that bypasses all third party system extensions and loads only required system components. Read about it: Starting up in Safe Mode
You must disable FileVault before you can start your Mac in Safe Mode.
Starting your Mac in Safe Mode will take longer than usual, graphics will not render smoothly, audio is disabled on some Macs, and some programs (iTunes for example) may not work at all.
Merely starting your Mac in Safe Mode is not intended to resolve the problem, it's to observe its performance without certain additional components.
To end Safe Mode restart your Mac normally. Shutdown will take longer as well.
Part 4
System performance problems for reasons that cannot be isolated to any other cause justify an SMC reset. Be sure to read the procedure carefully and follow all the steps exactly as written, even if they seem inapplicable or trivial.