Imac G4 freezing, but with weird fix. What does it mean?

Question

My 5 year old IMAC (10.3.9) has been freezing more and more over the past few months. I use it almost exclusively for the internet. It varies, but the freeze happens after anywhere from 20 to 50 min. of internet use.
After trying to fix the problem by getting rid of some old files, etc. (to no result), I finally found that unplugging and plugging back in my keyboard to the base fixes the problem every time. What does this indicate? A faulty connection, or some arcane disease i've picked up somehow? Has anyone heard of a similar problem?
I guess the obvious solution would be to pick up a new keyboard and see if that is the problem, but thought i'd post here in case it was a common problem with a different solution. TIA.

Answer 1

First try using Disk Utility to do a Disk Repair, as shown in this link, while booted up on your install disk.
You could have some directory corruption. Let us know what errors Disk Utility reports and if DU was able to repair them.
If that doesn't do it, try the following;
The original Apple Pro mouse cable frays in the chord just as it exits the mouse, over time, and shorts out causing symtoms similar to yours. You can't see the fray by looking at it thru the exterior covering. This can happen to third party mice over time too.
Mine did it. I plugged it into a different port, so the chord exited the mouse in a different direction, and had very few freezes after that. Once I got over my frugalness (cheapness!) I bought a new one. Eventually it got to where I couldn't even work for more then a few minutes without a freeze.
So, try a known good mouse to see if that's the problem.
Don Archibald, a Level 5 here, said the USB ports on the keyboard (for you desktop users) are underpowered and can cause this problem also if the mouse is plugged in there. This can even fry the keyboard sometimes (happened to him). Try plugging your mouse into a port on your monitor or tower.
If you still have trouble post back!
Cheers!
DALE