MBP Keyboard Problems

Hi All,
I got my MBP a few months ago and for the most part it has been great. The one problem that I have though has been pretty annoying. For what seems like no reason, the keys in the 4 R F V line seem to work intermittently. I will be typing and everything will be fine, then any time I hit those keys, the letter will either not show up, or be replaced by others in the same row.
For example, I was typing an IM and all of a sudden instead of saying "great", I got gQWEUIeat.
It's not like that all the time, so I have no idea what can be causing it. I reformatted it and that seemed to help for a while, but the problem has been popping up again. I haven't installed any strange software or anything, and I figure if it was a hardware problem, it wouldn't come and go. I have never dropped or damaged the computer in any way. A friend suggested that I get a can of air and try to blast the keys in case there is something in there. I'll try it and hope it works, but I wanted to see if anyone had a similar problem? And if you have, what did you do to correct it?
Thanks!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Hardware problems can be intermittent, so it could actually be a hardware problem. If it does this consistently enough that you could show it to a genius, it would be worth a trip to the Apple Store. Since these keys are on a diagonal line, there could well be some sort of problem with the keyboard matrix.
If this is a hardware problem, it may come and go, but it won't ever go away by itself and will likely get worse over time. Be sure to get it evaluated while you are still under warranty.
Good luck!

Similar Messages

  • Anyone NOT having Keyboard problems with newer MBP!

    After reading about all the keyboard problems on the newer MBPs, is there anyone NOT having keyboard lockups or dropping letter problems? Looking to purchase a MBP soon but after reading about the many keyboard problems I will probably postpone or decide to get a different machine.

    There might be a couple of things to try. You could borrow an external keyboard to use for a while--or even buy a cheap one used, and see if you still have problems or not. If you don't, there's likely a problem with the MBP keyboard itself.
    Also, if you have access to an Apple Store, you might be able to make an appointment with the genius bar and get a definite diagnosis. It may be possible to arrange to get in a replacement keyboard at the Apple Store and have them fix it while you wait. Don't know for sure if that would be possible, but it's worth asking. Same with an Apple authorized repair shop--it might be possible to get it fixed without having to send it off.
    Good luck!

  • MBP Keyboard

    Well, I am typing this up on a stupid Dell laptop, and I have a few questions about the MBP keyboard.
    Are the keys easy to hit, and not all "blah" like this keyboard.
    And exactly what is it like. This keyboards space bar doesn't hardly work.
    Any answers?

    I have been a mac user for a long time. The best mac keyboard was definitly the original ADB pro keyboard that they stopped making like 10 years ago.
    When I was in the market to buy a laptop a few years ago, I looked into the two options at the time: The ibook and the Powerbook. Believe it or not, I put a lot of weight on the feel and action of the keyboard and ended up spending the extra money ont he Powerbook. During my two year stint in powerbook land, I was continually impressed with the action.
    Now I am on my next laptop, a macbook pro and I have say the action is still fantastic. The only problem that I notice with te keyboard is that they keys appear to bend at angles over time. I admit, I'm a hard typist, and so part of the warping could my typing, but I've only had the machine for a short while and at home I mostly use my external Pro keyboard (which is amazing).
    Still, I think the keyboard is good, and dispite the slight warping I am still very happy with the keyboard.
    Macbook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

  • Mbp keyboard nonresponsive, screen freezes, ideas?

    My MBP keyboard and screen freezes; any ideas on a fix?

    Reset the SMC (may take 2-3 attempts) and also do a PRAM reset. Instructions are in Intel iMac SMC and PRAM resets. If that does not fix the problem then please post an EtreCheck report of your computer in your reply.

  • Windows installation keyboard problem

    I have a macbook that I purchased at the store in Ginza. It has a Japanese keyboard.
    I just tried to install Windows XP, but when I git to the screen that said "Choose Return to Install, F3, R, etc," and hit "return," I got no response. It was as if the keyboard was completely dead.
    Any ideas what's going on?

    Hello,
    try hooking up an external usb keyboard.
    I'm having the same problem with a German MBP/keyboard. Using an external keyboard doesn't work either -- but this could be because it's actually a PS2 keyboard using a PS2-to-USB adapter.
    On Boot Camp 1.1.2 the installation worked with my built-in keyboard, the problem seems to be new to 1.2. Are there any more things I could try?
    MBP2,2   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   German keyboard

  • 2008 MBP Keyboard Issues + Kernel Panics?

    The issue I am having basically boils down to this: the caps lock light begins flickering, and then the whole keyboard goes wonky (phantom strokes, repeated strokes, etc).  Often this ends in a kernel panic (I will post a log later) .  D:
    Now the history behind all of this (and I can't say which parts are entirely relevant, so some of this may be unrelated computer bizarre-ness):
    Got my MBP in August 2008, having never owned a mac before.  The first tissue I recall having was within a month of getting the computer--the entire screen got blocky and jumbled, like tv static, and the computer froze.  Called tech support, and they had me reset the PRAM, which resolved the issue.  A couple of months after that, my keyboard/trackpad started failing to work--my cursor would outright disappear off the screen, and the computer would not respond to keyboard presses or trackpad use.  A USB tablet still functioned properly.  The condition would be fixed by a restart, but would re-occur fairly often.  I saw the genius bar several times over the issue, and each time they sort of ignored the issue (maybe they didn't believe me?  I don't know).  Finally after a little over a year of this I finally got the problem to reproduce in-store--and immediately they recommended hardware repairs.  This also, incidentally, is when I found out that my Applecare had not been registered correctly, so I was showing up out of warranty.  Awesome. 
    At the same time, I was having really bizarro crashes--the computer (plugged in) would wake itself up from sleep, eject a cd, and then completely shut down ALL ON ITS OWN.  Then it wouldn't start up again unless I reset the PRAM.  No idea what that's about. 
    So I fight with them for a couple months about the Applecare thing, and finally they agree that they'll do the repair if I bring in the box.  So at this point they replace the keyboard, top case assembly, and the entire top screen part (since I had a couple of dead pixels).  Everthing works great...  for a couple months.  Then the issue of the flickery caps lock/screwy keyboard/kernel panics start.  I never had a kernel panic before the repair.  So I take it in again, and they replace the keyboard again.  And again, it works fine...  for a couple of months.  Then the weirdness starts again. 
    So this last time, I take it in, describle all the crashes and the keyboard problem and show the kernel logs, and the genius bar suggests that it may be the logic board.  I'm still showing up out of warranty, so she takes the box, and in roughly 60 seconds, gets my warranty to show up.  You could probably hear my jaw hit the floor--why hadn't anyone done this the last umpteen times I'd brought the darn thing in??  But anywho, she does a hardware test on my computer, and concludes that something IS up with the logic board--whenever she tries to test it, it just hangs indefinitely.  She was also worried about bad ram, so we replace that too.  And for good measure, the keyboard/top case again.  In addition, they wipe the computer and do a clean install. 
    This was 4 weeks ago.  I haven't put any of my applications and whatnot back on, and suddenly about a week ago the problems started again.  What in the world could be causing this???  My Applecare expires in August, and honestly, I feel like if they can't get this fixed before then, My computer should be replaced under warranty (I don't doubt that they are doing their best to fix it, but I can tell they are playing pin the tail on the donkey here, and the thing's been abnormal since day one).  Thoughts, anyone?

    o.jens wrote:
    I'm still lost as to why the monitor is causing panics. Any ideas on that.
    No.  You might contact the technical staff of the monitors manufacturer for assistance.
    Ciao.

  • Migrated User Account Keyboard Problem AFTER Login

    I have a brand-new MacBookPro (with multi-touch trackpad) that came with Leopard preinstalled. When I first started up the new computer, I set up a new administrator user account first. Then I used Migration Assistant to migrate my primary user account from my PowerBook G4, which is running the latest version of Tiger. I can log into my old user account with the same password I have always used, and everything looks fine--my old desktop is there, my Mail, iCal and iTunes settings all look great, etc.--but I can't use the keyboard. I can use the mouse to click on menus; the keys for the volume and backlight controls work, and some of the keys on the right side of the keyboard work (which seems particularly weird), but I can't do anything else with the keyboard. When I log out of the account and try to go back to the new admin account, the keyboard no longer works at all until I reboot. If I go directly into the new admin account, the keyboard is fine; it only starts locking up AFTER I log into my old user account. I have not had any keyboard problems with any other user accounts that I have created from scratch on the MacBookPro, nor have I had problems with the other user accounts I migrated from the PowerBook. After consulting with an Apple rep on the phone, I have tried the following things:
    1. deleting my migrated keychain file on the problem user account and letting it make a new login keychain;
    2. deleting the original default keychain on the PowerBook and re-running the Migration Assistant;
    3. deleting the problem user on the MacBookPro using the option of creating a disk image, and then creating an empty file in the Users folder with the same name as the problem user account and then dragging the files from the disk image into the folder, and then creating a new version of the user account with the same name, password, etc.;
    4. running Disk Utility to fix permissions (multiple times);
    5. I have completely erased and reinstalled the system on the MacBookPro using the install DVDs twice. The first time, I ran Migration Assistant immediately after the "Welcome," and the second time I set up a new administrator account first and then ran Migration Assistant.
    6. I have also tried the steps outlined in this article: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306840.
    7. I have tried moving my user files over by hand but then I have a ton of permission problems and I was having trouble getting my Mail settings/mailboxes to move over properly. I've spent hours and hours on this.
    I have NEVER had so much trouble upgrading to a new computer or a new OS in all the years I've owned Macs! What am I missing???

    Well...I'm not sure which of the following fixed my problem, but once I realized it was something to do with the numeric keypad keys, I went into both the Keyboard & Mouse preferences and the Universal Access preferences and I made sure that I set everything back to the default settings. I suspect that going to Keyboard&Mouse-->Keyboard Shortcuts and clicking on "Restore Defaults" is what did the trick. So far, so good. I hope this helps somebody else; I couldn't find anything else anywhere about this somewhat quirky problem.

  • Keyboard problems out of the box with iPhone 3g

    My iPhone 3g is showing strange keyboard behavior, typically starts when launching the SMS app.
    The "P" and Backspace keys, the keys on the rightmost part of the touch area, are non-responsive. The issue will correct itself after 15 mins or so, but it's become very annoying.
    I've made sure I'm not touching any other part of the screen as a possible cause. Showed it to and had three other iPhone users see what I see and they all agree it seems like a bug, just to confirm it's not me.
    Took it to the Apple Store and of course the iPhone behaves when showing it to the Genius.
    Anyone else experienced keyboard problems with 2.0 firmware?

    Well, I took my 16GB iPhone 3g (white) back to the Apple Store today and the Genius looked it over -- said that's the first keyboard problem he's seen come in and mentioned that it was strange the "dead zone" on the touch screen was vertical since, according to him, most "dead zones" tend to be horizontal areas. He said the touch screen matrix is laid out in three horizontal bands on the screens.
    Bottom line: he gave me a new working iPhone 3g.
    He did mention that all returned iPhone 3g's are being sent directly back to the iPhone 3g engineering team for full "autopsies", not just sent back to factory for refurb. He said they want to fully diagnose and understand what defects are out there so as to solve the root cause moving forward.

  • HELP! Keyboard problems

    HELP!
    I have tried all sorts of things, like:
    - removed syst prefs to desktop then restarted
    - un-done, re-done, re-booted various options in International and Keyboard & Mouse
    - run disk utility, both from startup CD AND in target disk mode
    - ran permission smasher
    - swapped out different keyboards and/or mice
    ...but these are my keyboard problem symptoms:
    - numeric keypad not working
    - the shift key (for caps & shift characters) not working&
    - commands (i.e., "Select All") not working
    ...the keyboard does not work in any native Mac appl (e.g., Mail, Safari, TextEdit).
    The only time my keyboard will work correctly is when I create a test new user and log-in. So it's just for me as user.
    Also, oddly enough, keyboard prefs do not show up anywhere.
    Anyplace where I should see something, such as
    Library>preferences - there should be a file com.apple.keyboardtype.plist --- there is no file in any of the folders anywhere.
    All of a sudden the keyboard stopped working, but the mouse attached to it still works. I have no clue what to do to fix it and my AppleCare has ran out.
    Other things I have noticed and tried:
    - running tech tool
    - repairing permissions
    - switching usb ports for the keyboard from the back of the display
    - removing the mouse from the back of the keyboard
    - unplugging everything but the keyboard and mouse
    ...any ideas???

    Hi, DR -
    The numeric keypad not working sounds like MouseKeys became enabled in the Universal Access part of System Preferences.
    The Shift key and Command keys not working sounds like Sticky Keys became enabled in the Universal Access part of System Preferences.
    Check the Universal Access control pane in System Preferences - if those features are checkmarked, try unchecking them.

  • Keyboard problem typing random letters and symbols

    I'm having a keyboard problem, the g key, t key, and 5 key type random letters and symbols.  i just spent $700 a few monoths ago to a genius [at getting my money] for a logic board after spillin somethin on it.  didnt spill anyqthing time.  shoot.  is this goin to be another major expenditure?  downloaded os x 9.4, hoping that might somehow cure it.  yeah right

    Hi Rob,
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
    It sounds like your running into an issue with the keyboard on your MacBook Pro. The article linked below provides suggestions that will resolve most keyboard issues like the one you described.
    OS X Mavericks: If keys on your keyboard don’t work
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13809
    If other keys don’t work
    You may have accidentally set an option that changes how your keyboard operates.
    Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Dictation & Speech, then click “Text to Speech.” If “Speak selected text when the key is pressed” is selected, deselect it or click Change Key to select another key.
    Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, then click Keyboard. Make sure Slow Keys is turned off. If Slow Keys is on, you must hold down a key longer than usual before it’s recognized.
    Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, then click Mouse & Trackpad. Make sure Mouse Keys is off. If Mouse Keys is on, pressing keys in the numeric keypad moves the pointer instead of entering numbers.
    Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Input Sources. Select “Show Input menu in menu bar.” Open the Input menu and make sure the correct keyboard layout is selected. To see the keyboard layout, click Keyboard, then choose “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in menu bar.”
    I hope this helps.
    -Jason

  • Small Liquid Spill on MBP Keyboard... Now not working. Any Help?

    I recently spilled a very small amount of liquid on my MBP keyboard (~3 drops), and now the keyboard does not work at all. Any diagnoses or solutions?? I really can't seem to believe that such a small amount of liquid could damage it so much, but maybe I'm missing something! Thanks in advance!

    What you are seeing happens when the ambient light level is bright enough so the Mac judges that you don't need keyboard backlighting. If you don't agree and want backlighting anyway, download and install [Lab Tick|http://labtick.proculo.de> to gain full manual control over it.

  • Keyboard problems with Enter, delete, backspace, and right/left arrows

    In some applications, such as Yahoo and this message block right now !!, when composing a message, the arrow keys and delete, backspace keys become non responsive. Various ones will work on a random basis.
    I am getting double "carriage returns" also. Maybe this is why in Omegle when I press ENTER, it will not post a chat message; it will bring up a scroll box and for me to post the comment, I have to use the mouse to click ENTER.
    I have changed batteries in my keyboard, uninstalled /reinstalled Firefox. I have checked the above websites in Chrome and other browsers, and there are no problems.
    This has happened before, I don't recall what the solution was or if it just went away.'''
    Affected sites -- at least these
    http://us.mg6.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?ncrumb=Fx5R4O7ccqb&.rand=1041364415&nmig=yes#
    http://omegle.com/
    https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/new?product=beta&category=b2&search=Keyboard+problems+with+Enter%2C+delete%2C+backspace%2C+and+right%2Fleft+arrows&showform=1

    PROBLEM SOLVED: http://forum.archlinux-br.org/viewtopic.php?id=1257
    Solution posted on Brazilian Archlinux forum. Credits to user "920608".
    [cache]
    /etc/xorg.conf
    Section "Files"
             #RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
    EndSection
    Section "ServerFlags"
               Option "AutoAddDevices" "False"
    EndSection
    C'ya

  • Separate settings for MBP keyboard and aluminium keyboard?

    I just bought myself a Apple aluminium keyboard (USB) and have to say I'm loving it. However, there is one small hang-up.
    Basically, whatever key-commands I apply to the keyboard are taking from my MacBook Pro's keyboard settings and seem to have none of their own. I had gotten the impression that there was a stand-alone software to manage the keyboard but that does not seem to be the case as far as I can tell after about 30 minutes of searching the net and Apple's website.
    Does anyone know a way in which I can have one set of settings for my laptop's keyboard and another set for my aluminium keyboard?
    All relevant software updates, OS X 10.5.2.

    MBP keyboard mapping in Windows http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1220
    Usage of Microsofts Keyboard Layout Creator http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2587
    Multi Trackpad support in Windows http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4273
    Some gestures are simply not supported in Windows.
    Stefan

  • MBP Keyboard equivalents for PC Keys?

    Not sure where to post this question (OSX or here) so here goes for starters.
    Are there standard MBP keyboard combinations that perform the functions of certain 101-key dedicated keys? Such as PageUp/Down, Home/End, (PC) CTRL+Home, CTRL+End, etc? I feel like I've stumbled onto a few, yet there are times (in Safari or some Mac apps) where I can't seem to move as efficiently, using the keyboard, as I was accustomed to on my PC. (I realize key combos could vary by software applications---just looking for any "typical" or fairly standard Mac key combos for easier page/screen/spreadsheet navigation.)
    Thanks!

    Thanks for the link, RK... lots to absorb, and hopefully some of those might be applicable in other applications. Perhaps it really comes down to which software programs I'm using, and what the developers of those programs created as shortcut commands, since it seems that some don't handle the same keyboard combinations the same way as other programs...
    (As an aside, I'm baffled why the various menus (such as Safari) still give keyboard shortcuts by symbol such as \-, for the Option Key, when in fact the MBP no longer prints all the Mac symbols on the keys themselves! (Just the cloverleaf on Command.) So you need a cheatsheet to remind you which Apple symbol belongs to fn, control, option, in order to then try and memorize the shortcut! Still, don't get me wrong---I'm thrilled with my year-old switch to Mac!)

  • MBP keyboard - similar to the aluminum 2007 keyboard sold separately?

    I love the MBP keyboard.
    Does anyone know if the "feel" is the same as for the USB (wired) aluminum keyboard sold separately (which I'm considering getting for my G4)? see: http://www.apple.com/keyboard/
    I wish the wired one had a lighted keyboard, but I can't find that info.
    Mrs H

    I have the USB keyboard, and the feel of pressing down on the buttons is soft, similar to on the MBP, if that's what you're asking. The buttons are spaced a little further apart than on the MBP keyboard, and you get more keys (plus the fn key is on the right instead of the bottom left). A bit heavier than you'd expect, considering it's thinness. Overall, considering that I find laptop keyboards to be too cramped, causing me to mistype a lot, I'm really glad I bought the thing.
    Oh, and sorry, but no backlight.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Urgent::: AP Check Printing

    Hi I have this urgent requirement: 1) In AP if number of invoices > Invoices/Stub (in Payables steup), void checks get generated. This is the seeded Oracle functionality. My client does not wanna waste check numbers. So, he doesnt want any check numb

  • Officejet 6700 print booklet

    I am trying to print a Word document in booklet form.  It prints fine on a Ricoh printer.  But it won't print correctly on the HP OfficeJet 6700.  When I go into the Properties of the 6700 I click on the "booklet" box.  Also Print on both sides - Lon

  • Missed calls notification in Jelly Bean

    Hi all. I've noticed that since the Jelly Bean update, I sometimes am able to call someone back directly from the missed call notification in the notification panel. However, it does not give me that option all the time. Any idea why?

  • Displaying sub table columns in main tablecolumn

    HI, Please let me know the procedure of creating two sub table columns under a main table column. Example, I have a tablecolumn say MainColumn. Under this MainColumn, I want two sub table columns say SubCol1 and SubCol2. How to do this? thanks, anil.

  • Dynamic Text can't be masked or blurred?

    Hi I have a dynamic textbox that has a scroller. I'm trying to tween it with some blur effect or put a mask on top of it but when I do it the text will not show at all. After changing the text type to static and the effect all worked fine. Is this th