MacMini Apple Keyboard crazy at startup

I Have Mac mini Intel 10.6.8, 2.53 dual core 4g ram. Apple keyboard USB and wireless apple mouse.
At First it seemed like a broken keyboard... with keys not responding and some keys activating sporadically without my pressing.
got a new keyboard and reinstalled a clean operating system on an Erased HD, tried other usb ports.
I did all the rests for cpu and pram.
What Happens now is.
Computer boots normally and upon complete boot the number 5 presses automatically without me pressing any keys. its stops only when I press any key on the key board.
I found this out by accident. not touching anything but using the mouse and launching text editor. once text editor launched the number 5 is continuously pressed and looks like this (555555555555) non stop until i press another key. it stops until it decides to start again without warning or rational reason i could think of later on doing the same thing.
Please let me know what you think it might be and how I could fix the problem.

I did more research and as it turns out I have been Microsofted by Apple. Yes the reason I hated Microsoft has happened to me by apple. My Keyboard problems happened with the newest update of 10.6.8 and update of firmware 1.1
This really blows. ARRRGH!

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I have a macmini on order, I wonder if I can pair the wireless apple keyboard and magic touchpad without using any other input devices, especially, since everything is brand new and not yet paired.

I have a macmini on order, I wonder if I can pair the wireless apple keyboard and magic touchpad without using any other input devices, especially, since everything is brand new and not yet paired.

You may just want to save yourself any possible issues
by just hooking up a wired keyboard and mouse on first
start up. Any USB keyboard and mouse should work.
There have been many that have had problems on first boot
using the Bluetooth devices.

Startup keys with new Apple Keyboard and MacBook Pro

Upon powering up my Rev. A MBP, I hold down the OPTION key on the new Apple Keyboard to select my startup disk. Strangely, the startup went straight into the default startup disk that I have chosen previously. I didn't get to selection stage.
I tried with the old/white Apple Keyboard and my MBP keyboard and startup disk selector is A-Okay.
I hooked up the new keyboard to my new Mac mini and did the same thing and no problem.
Haven't tried with the rest of the startup keys like C or X yet with the MBP. Wonder is this a software bug between the MBP and keyboard.
Anyone with similar experience?

Actually, startup keys sequences do work with the Apple Wireless Keyboard (the old white one). I know because I have been using it that way with my Macs, PPC and Intel ones.
I tried Command-V, Command-S, Option, T, C and Shift on the new keyboard with my Rev. A MBP and it goes go straight into the Apple logo.
Swapped back to the old Apple Keyboard with my MBP and tried the keys above and no problems whatever so.
Hooked up the new Apple Keyboard to my new Mac mini and did the same keys without problems.
So, my conclusion is there something between the new keyboard and Rev. A MBP. Maybe someone with similar setup should try wha I did and see if they face the same issues.

My imac won't startup past the spinning gear and my apple keyboard is wireless but it won't connect, how do I fix the problem so I can get into safe mode?

My imac won't startup past the spinning gear and my apple keyboard is wireless but it won't connect, how do I fix the problem so I can get into safe mode?
Can anybody help me on this issue? I have already tried to replace the batteries but since the computer won't get past the spinning wheel of death then the keyboard won't connect.

Please follow Apple's advice in http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570. If you need to get your hands on a wired USB keyboard, even a PC one will work fine.
Do not follow the previous poster's advice, that option is a "last chance" option. OS X is stable and in most cases a reinstall is never needed. Follow the directions in Apple's letter.

My apple keyboard layout went crazy, how can I repair ?

Hey people
So, I have a little problem here. This weekend my apple keyboard stopped working out of nowhere, I use the keyboard together with my mabook pro. after a long battle i finaly got them to synchronized after change the battery, 3 reboots, and a whole mambo-jambo that i cant explain... The problem is that somehow the whole layout was changed. I'm using the U.S. international, but the U.S. layout is showing me a Japanese one, there's a picture attached that shows how things are going. Anyone have a clue ? I wanna go back to the normal U.S international again.
Thank
Ps. I am using OS X Lion in portuguese

See if this offers any help:
http://m10lmac.blogspot.com/2009/12/fixing-keyboard-type-problems.html

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I'm having the same issues here.
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Hi, s2loco -
Eww is correct.
For many things there are keyboard workarounds. For example, if you are looking at the desktop, press the up-arrow key - that should highlight the upper-leftmost icon on the desktop; you can then use the arrow keys to navigate from icon to icon on the desktop. Note though that you can only travel that way in a straight line, laterally or vertically.
You can also press the initial letter of the filename of the item - even the first two if you're fast enough - and the alphabetical-earliest item whose filename starts with that lerr(s) will be selected. You can then press Command-O as before.
You can also press 1 to select an item that starts with 1, or the earliest item alphanumerically, and then use the Tab key to move from one item to the next in alphanumerical order.
These methods will also work in a folder set to List view as well as one set to Icon view.
Once the icon of an item you want to activate (open if it is a folder, start if it is a program, open with its creator program if it is a document) is selected, pressing Command-O (that's the letter "O", lower case) will initiate that action.
However - although the Enter key can be used in most windows to activate the default button, there is no keyboard solution to using pulldown menus, or to select items in a radio-button array (like in control panels), or (in most windows) to click a button other than the default one. For those a mouse is needed.
Just as important is using a keyboard which is compatible with Apple command keys. Although there are many non-Apple keyboards which are Mac-compatible, many, if not most, PC keyboards are not - it is iffy whether the Window, Alt, or whatever-they-use keys on such will behave like the keys on Mac-compatible keyboards.
If you have a working mouse, then you can sidestep the absence of keyboard command compatibility on such keyboards - except at startup. No matter how well we maintain our Macs, at some point or another we will need to use one or more startup commands - to zap the PRAM or rebuild the desktop; or to select an alternate boot volume; or to access Extensions Manager before the OS loads; or for some other crisis-based reason. For that reason it is wise to have a Mac-compatible keyboard available.

Apple Logo Freeze at Startup

I'm on an older iMac (15" flatscreen) running 10.4.9. I shutdown to go on vacation and upon return cannot startup my Mac. It has no startup chime and merely goes to the screen with the Apple logo and no further. I've been on forum pages now for over 4 hours and have tried all suggestions from starting up from my install disk and running disk and permission repairs to complete Archive and Installs.......... Nothing. Right now I'm experiencing the blue screen of death with the spinning circle going on forever. Any help out there available?

There isn't a lot you can do from this point and you may have tried it all. I'll run through a quick list and if none of it works you'll want to see about backing up your data and then doing an erase and install. Here's the list:
1. Disconnect all peripheral devices (including things like ethernet cables), except for the Apple keyboard and mouse, and display (if it's not a built in). Does it work? If so then it may be some conflict with the one of the devices that were connected. Try them all one by one and see if the issue repeats itself when one is connected.
2. Remove any extra RAM that may be installed and try running it with different combinations of RAM (if you have more than one RAM stick). If you find it only happens when a certain RAM stick is installed, then replace that RAM stick.
3. Boot the install disk and run disk utility. You said you've done this but check out this article in case you missed a step or something. It never hurts to double-check.
4. Reset your PMU. I think this is the article for your iMac. If not search the Apple Support pages for reset PMU.
That's about all I can think of that may solve the issue. If you do need to do an erase and install then start up the computer while holding down the Option key. This takes you to the Startup Manager. If you see your hard drive in here then you should be able to use Target Disk Mode to back up your computer. If not then you'll probably want to take it in and have someone do it for you.
And here's the instructions for an Erase and Install.

Apple Keyboard in XP -- Freezes

Keyboard and mouse work great in mac os, in XP ran under bootcamp the keyboard freezes often, the caplock light stays on solid and I have to unplug and plug it back in. Happens about every 30 mins. Pretty annoying.
I have searched the forums, and and only one solution was found, they keyboard update #1, unfortunately this is for os 10.4.6 not 10.4.7 which is what I have.
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I have a question: I have a custom-built Windows 7 machine with a Gigabyte Motherboard. I bought an Apple Compact Wired Aluminum USB keyboard (the one without the Numeric Pad). I can press Function keys to choose startup OS etc.. but in order to enter the BIOS settings, Gigabyte requires a DEL key press. Pressing the "delete" key on the Apple keyboard is not generating the correct DEL key press. Anyone know if there is a key combination I can press at startup to generate the DEL code and enter BIOS settings when using a Gigabyte Motherboard My only work-around now is to keep a PC keyboard around for when I need to enter the BIOS (and that is quite annoying as you can imagine). Thank you for any help you can provide.

MacMini & PC keyboard?

Hi, my daughter loves her PC k/b..we are giving her a new Macmini on the 28th for her b/day..should ask her to move over to a mac k/b? ...L

Any standard USB keyboard will work fine.
You'll only need to move over to an Apple keyboard if you want the volume controls / Eject key (you can do this with the volume control in the menu bar / eject from Finder), and if you want the correct markings on the Command / Option keys. Everything else should be fine.
If the existing keyboard has a PS/2 connector, you'll need to get a USB keyboard anyway - so you might as well make it the Apple if that's the case.

PRAM reset with non-Apple keyboard??

Hi,
I have a generic USB keyboard connected to my G4 Mac Mini, no windows key, no apple option key. I need to reset the PRAM - is there any way I can do this with a non-Apple keyboard?
Thanks,

It is indeed strange that it doesn't work, unless...
Firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMD+Option+p+r, CMD +v, Option boot will show a lock, and Shift, as well as booting from anything but the Hard Drive.

Apple Keyboard in XP Install on a PC

I am trying to use my iMac's apple keyboard on a Dell that only has USB ports during an installation. The PC apparently doesnt recognize anything because no keys work. Is there a trick around this? Thanks.

I have a question: I have a custom-built Windows 7 machine with a Gigabyte Motherboard. I bought an Apple Compact Wired Aluminum USB keyboard (the one without the Numeric Pad). I can press Function keys to choose startup OS etc.. but in order to enter the BIOS settings, Gigabyte requires a DEL key press. Pressing the "delete" key on the Apple keyboard is not generating the correct DEL key press. Anyone know if there is a key combination I can press at startup to generate the DEL code and enter BIOS settings when using a Gigabyte Motherboard My only work-around now is to keep a PC keyboard around for when I need to enter the BIOS (and that is quite annoying as you can imagine). Thank you for any help you can provide.

Mac mini will not recognize boot key sequences from new Apple keyboard

Just in case anyone else is in the same boat as me - be forewarned. My mini died on me all of a sudden last week. My initial thought was that it was a hard drive failure. It wouldn't boot up at all. I was just stuck at the grey apple, cranking gear screen.
I tried the usual stuff at first. Tried to boot from CD. Booting from an external FireWire drive. Nothing worked. Reset SMC, etc. Nothing worked.
So I brought in the machine to my local Apple store and talked to the Genius. He said I had a bad logic board, and that replacing it would cost almost as much as the computer. I contemplated the idea, but couldn't afford to pay for this.
So, instead, I just went without my mini for a couple of days - opting to use my Macbook instead. Then I decided that maybe it was the keyboard that was the issue. And yes, indeed, that was the problem. Using any other keyboard (even non-Apple keyboards) allowed me to boot from external devices, which then allowed me to identify that the issue was, in fact, a bad hard drive.
Long story short. 1) This issue needs to be remedied by Apple in some way, shape, or form. There must be others with a potential dying hard drive in the waiting with new aluminum keyboards. 2) The Genius should have known about this issue as well.

Any workarounds apart from the obvious? (I'd hate to stop using my otherwise awesome keyboard).
The new aluminium keyboard is not fully compatible with the Mac mini. It works perfectly well in general use, except that it cannot be used with modifier keys at startup for such things as booting into safe mode, to access the boot loader screen or to boot to the optical drive.
While this is a bizarre issue which it is hard to understand has not been resolved, it has been a long standing issue and well reported here. The workaround is the obvious one, to use almost any other USB-connected keyboard if the system needs to be booted with a modifier key. There's no need to stop using your aluminium keyboard if you like it - just not for situations where you need to modify the boot process.

Apple keyboard driver for Windows XP without running Bootcamp constantly

I just reinstalled Bootcamp/WindowsXP and wanted to know if there was a way I can get a driver for JUST the keyboard working. I don't use any of the MBP F key functions like backlighting and volume so don't like having the bootcamp processes always running, especially because I hate the backlight on keyboards that you can't fully turn off without a slightly annoying thing each startup. I use an external keyboard which has all the extra F key functions, but again never use them. I just need a way that I can keep functionality of the F keys without running Bootcamp proccesses in the background and the <Use F1,F2, F3, keys as normal function"
TL;DR
Apple keyboard driver for WindowsXP so I can properly use F# keys w/out

From what I know, the BootCamp Driver installer program install all the Windows required drivers and it does not offer any customization options of which drivers the user wants to install on their Windows partition.
Now you can recover normal F-key functionality by doing the following:
Go to the Bootcamp Control Panel in the desktop task bar.
Click Allow if the Windows asks permission.
The Bootcamp Control Panel will open.
Look in the tabs at the top of the Windows and click the "Keyboard" header.
There you should see an option that says "Use F/Keys..." or something similar. There you will be able to use the keys normally as in a Windows PC.
Hope this helps!

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I seem to be unable to perform any "Startup key" sequences (resetting PRAM, boot into recovery mode, boot from CD etcetera).
I'm using a Logitech USB (model Y-BF37) keyboard directly connected to the computer but no startup key commands works. (The keyboard is designed for use with apple and has apples command-key symbols on the key nearest the spacebar).
I have tried searching but the general opinion seem to be that any USB keyboard should work.
I have this otherwise well working keyboard and I didn't want to spend money on an Apple keyboard.
Do I have to buy an Apple keyboard to use boot key commands??? I don't think I can borrow an apple keyboard from anywhere and I need to be able to boot into recovery mode...

It is indeed strange that it doesn't work, unless...
Firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMD+Option+p+r, CMD +v, Option boot will show a lock, and Shift, as well as booting from anything but the Hard Drive.

MacMini Apple Keyboard crazy at startup

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