Odd glitch causing shift key to be randomly activated

Hi... I seem to be having some sort of glitch with my keyboard. On various programs (IM, Word, various Internet browsers) I will have times where my letters are being randomly capitalized (aNd wiLl apPeaR lIke ThIs). This is a great annoyance, and earlier an instance such as this prevented me from starting up my computer because I could not enter my password correctly with the randomly capitalized characters. It appears that when this happens, it is as if my shift key is randomly being activated (numbers will appear as symbols, such as @ instead of 2, and Internet pages will open in new windows when I do not want them to). Hopefully someone can help me out here- Thanks!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
It's hard to say what the cause is here, but I'm wondering if the unwanted shift is associated with one or both shift keys. You can go to Systems Preferences>International>Input Menu and check the box that says "Keyboard Viewer". This will install a little flag in the menu bar. You can click on it and get the keyboard viewer, which will highlight the keys as you type. It should also highlight the random shift that occurs when you don't strike a key. If this turns out to be confined to just one shift key, it might be that something has gotten into it or under the keycap that is making it malfunction. You can pull the keyboard out and look at the shift keys from the edges. You can look for foreign objects and also check the action of both to see if they are equally crisp or if one seems to be sticky. Has anything ever been spilled on the keyboard? If so, that could be related to this problem. If so, it's possible that cleaning that shift key will help:
http://mij.oltrelinux.com/ibook/cleaning_keyboard/
This looks like lot of trouble, but it might be worth trying for one or two keys.
At the moment, I am assuming some sort of physical glitch that has a physical fix. But I don't know if it could possibly be a software glitch. But it's probably worth trying to find something simple first.
Good luck!

Similar Messages

Xorg - SHIFT key bugs out randomly after TV-hardware is connected

I'm on Xfce4. When I hold down left SHIFT key and press some other keys, after a while the SHIFT key may "unregister" itself. What I mean is, it stops working as if I had released it, although I'm still pressing it down. Ie I'm suddenly writing lower-case again and stuff. This behaviour is application-independant apparently.
I tried running 'showkey' and it correctly reported pressing+releasing of the SHIFT key (keycode 42) when I actually physically pressed and released it. It did NOT report release of the SHIFT key when it in fact stopped working. So it doesn't seem to be a keyboard hardware problem or something.
The right SHIFT key (showkey says keycore 54 for this one) seems to work correctly though (but it's not really a comfortable work-around..).
Is there maybe a trick that could be used as a workaround, to somehow switch the right and left shiftkey's key codes? Maybe that could "fix" it. >:)
I had a look at xmodmap, but that shows entirely different "keycodes" for SHIFT keys so I'm a bit stumped:
$ xmodmap -pk
..for "keycode 42" it had this line:
42 0x0067 (g) 0x0047 (G) 0x0067 (g) 0x0047 (G) 0x03bf (eng) 0x03bd (ENG) 0x03bf (eng) 0x03bd (ENG)
..and for left shift key it had "50" in the "keycode" column:
50 0xffe1 (Shift_L) 0x0000 (NoSymbol) 0xffe1 (Shift_L) 0x0000 (NoSymbol) 0xffe1 (Shift_L)
Anyway, I tried out https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xmodmap:
xmodmap -pke > ~/.Xmodmap
..then edited that file and changed the Shift_L (50) and Shift_R (62) lines, and did
xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap
..and my X froze up completely, not even registering mouse clicks, might wanna correct the Wiki there^^.
After a reboot, my xmodmap -pke showed the two lines swapped as intended though - but 'showkey' still shows keycode 42 for left and 54 for right, so swapping didn't work here.
Funny thing is, now after a fresh reboot I seem unable to reproduce the bug, so I'll wait and see what happens I guess.
Now I have read about people getting a bug where SHIFT key is suddenly _pressed_ on its own, unlike my prob where it is released, and those people always write that it happens when a TV card is connected, and that it is detected as "keyboard" according to X0.log.
So I just connected my usual bunch of USB stuff that I had disconnected earlier just while that reboot happened after which my problem didn't surface.
My X0.log:
[ 647.676] (II) config/udev: Adding input device UVC Camera (eb1a:2571) (/dev/input/event13)
[ 647.676] (**) UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall"
[ 647.676] (II) Using input driver 'evdev' for 'UVC Camera (eb1a:2571)'
[ 647.676] (**) UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): always reports core events
[ 647.676] (**) evdev: UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): Device: "/dev/input/event13"
[ 647.676] (--) evdev: UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): Vendor 0xeb1a Product 0x2571
[ 647.677] (--) evdev: UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): Found keys
[ 647.677] (II) evdev: UVC Camera (eb1a:2571): Configuring as keyboard
[ 647.677] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-5/1-5.1/1-5.1:1.0/input/input13/event13"
[ 647.677] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "UVC Camera (eb1a:2571)" (type: KEYBOARD, id 14)
[ 647.677] (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev"
[ 647.677] (**) Option "xkb_model" "evdev"
[ 647.677] (**) Option "xkb_layout" "de"
[ 654.995] (II) config/udev: Adding input device Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo (/dev/input/event14)
[ 654.995] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Applying InputClass "evdev pointer catchall"
[ 654.995] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall"
[ 654.995] (II) Using input driver 'evdev' for 'Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo'
[ 654.995] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: always reports core events
[ 654.995] (**) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Device: "/dev/input/event14"
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Vendor 0x2341 Product 0x8036
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Found 3 mouse buttons
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Found scroll wheel(s)
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Found relative axes
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Found x and y relative axes
[ 654.996] (--) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Found keys
[ 654.996] (II) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Configuring as mouse
[ 654.996] (II) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Configuring as keyboard
[ 654.996] (II) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: Adding scrollwheel support
[ 654.996] (**) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: YAxisMapping: buttons 4 and 5
[ 654.996] (**) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: EmulateWheelButton: 4, EmulateWheelInertia: 10, EmulateWheelTimeout: 200
[ 654.996] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-5/1-5.4/1-5.4:1.2/input/input14/event14"
[ 654.996] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo" (type: KEYBOARD, id 15)
[ 654.996] (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev"
[ 654.996] (**) Option "xkb_model" "evdev"
[ 654.996] (**) Option "xkb_layout" "de"
[ 654.998] (II) evdev: Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: initialized for relative axes.
[ 655.001] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: (accel) keeping acceleration scheme 1
[ 655.001] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: (accel) acceleration profile 0
[ 655.001] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: (accel) acceleration factor: 2.000
[ 655.001] (**) Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo: (accel) acceleration threshold: 4
[ 655.005] (II) config/udev: Adding input device Arduino LLC Arduino Leonardo (/dev/input/mouse3)
[ 655.005] (II) No input driver specified, ignoring this device.
[ 655.005] (II) This device may have been added with another device file.
Now I'm wondering, my webcam gets detected as "keyboard" (id 14) ^^' well and so does my Arduino, but that's natural for Leonardo models.
I started up the webcam, so the uvc modules are now loaded, but still I'm now unable to reproduce the bug for some reason. With either SHIFT key. Well that's good sort of, but then again, not so good to track what causes it when it happens And why does X think that webcams and tv cards are keyboards?
Will post again when the bug surfaces again I guess.
Ok, after plugging in a usb-tv box, the bug started happening again, except this time it's the rigth shift key that doesnt work correctly, while the left shift key seems fine.
So it seems the xmodmap change worked, although showkey still shows 42 for left and 54 for right.
This might do as a workaround for now, although someone should figure out why tv cards (and tv usb boxes in my case) mess up the shift key in Xorg.
Apparently the IR-receiver part of my tv-box was recognized as "keyboard":
[ 17549.633] (II) config/udev: Adding input device IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver (/dev/input/event15)
[ 17549.633] (**) IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall"
[ 17549.633] (II) Using input driver 'evdev' for 'IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver'
[ 17549.634] (**) IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: always reports core events
[ 17549.634] (**) evdev: IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: Device: "/dev/input/event15"
[ 17549.634] (--) evdev: IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: Vendor 0xccd Product 0x38
[ 17549.634] (--) evdev: IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: Found keys
[ 17549.634] (II) evdev: IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver: Configuring as keyboard
[ 17549.634] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-1/input/input15/event15"
[ 17549.634] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "IR-receiver inside an USB DVB receiver" (type: KEYBOARD, id 16)
[ 17549.634] (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev"
[ 17549.634] (**) Option "xkb_model" "evdev"
[ 17549.635] (**) Option "xkb_layout" "de"
Can I somehow find out which modules were loaded when I plugged it in so I can unload those?
Also, I tried
$ lsmod |grep dvb
dvb_usb_cinergyT2 6645 2147483647
dvb_usb 15171 1 dvb_usb_cinergyT2
dvb_core 79241 1 dvb_usb
rc_core 11081 1 dvb_usb
usbcore 126764 7 uhci_hcd,uvcvideo,dvb_usb,ehci_hcd,dvb_usb_cinergyT2,usbhid,cdc_acm
i2c_core 16944 7 drm,i915,i2c_i801,dvb_usb,drm_kms_helper,i2c_algo_bit,videodev
$ rmmod dvb_usb_cinergyT2
rmmod: ERROR: Module dvb_usb_cinergyT2 is in use
but I don't have any media player running anymore, so why is the module in use and how do I see by what it is in use? Forced removal via rmmod -f worked by the way. Then I was able to remove the other two dvb_usb_ modules, and usbcore and i2c_core disappeared automatically.. but the bug still occurs! Any way to find out which other modules were possibly loaded, or what was done by the system, when I plugged in the tv box?
Last edited by Jindur (2013-01-06 05:08:51)

Do you have the 3 year Applecare? If so, you could try calling Applecare and see if they can help you resolve this over the phone. If not, be sure to get this problem documented with a case number before your 1 year warranty is up. If this has just been a constant hassle, you could ask to talk to Customer Relations.
It sounds like you may have some hardware problems with the keyboard and the trackpad, which could be causing at least some of the problems. Any chance of getting to an Apple store to have it looked at, or would you have to send it in?
Good luck!

Shift Key Brings up scratchpad. Also search firefox at bottom of the screen appears randomly HELP Started after the latest update

Ever since Firefox automatically updated I have 2 VERY annoying problems. 1) Just touching the Shift Key Brings up scratchpad. 2) search firefox at bottom of the screen appears and defaults without me doing anything, randomly. Please help

'''[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode Start Firefox in Safe Mode]''' {web link}
While you are in safe mode;
Type '''about:preferences#advanced'''<Enter> in the address bar.
Under '''Advanced,''' Select '''General.'''
Look for and turn off '''Use Hardware Acceleration'''.
Poke around safe web sites. Are there any problems?
Then restart.

Shift key randomly gets locked without being pressed (mbp 13" retina, late 2012)

I've been looking everywhere for answers for this problem, with no success (although many people raise similar questions on older models).
My MBP 13" retina 10.8.2 is new, clean, nothing spilled on it.
Ocassionally I connect it to external keyboard and mouse (USB or BT).
Regardless of that, sometimes the SHIFT key gets randomly locked - Without being pressed (whether the native keyboard, or when connected to external).
I could just be browsing the internet or be viewing a document in Word or GDocs, and suddenly - while mouse-scrolling - things will get selected, and the mouse-click becomes SHIFT-Click only.
When it happens, disconnecting/reconnecting the external keyboard or mouse has no effect - the problem persists.
The only workaround I found is to put it to SLEEP when it happens, and immediately wake it up.
The problem started a few weeks ago, and the behavior is completely random (it can happen twice in 10 minutes, or once a week).
Any ideas anyone?
PS - Apple Discussion Board - How come you forgot to put "Keyboard" as a Category for posts?

I've been looking everywhere for answers for this problem, with no success (although many people raise similar questions on older models).
My MBP 13" retina 10.8.2 is new, clean, nothing spilled on it.
Ocassionally I connect it to external keyboard and mouse (USB or BT).
Regardless of that, sometimes the SHIFT key gets randomly locked - Without being pressed (whether the native keyboard, or when connected to external).
I could just be browsing the internet or be viewing a document in Word or GDocs, and suddenly - while mouse-scrolling - things will get selected, and the mouse-click becomes SHIFT-Click only.
When it happens, disconnecting/reconnecting the external keyboard or mouse has no effect - the problem persists.
The only workaround I found is to put it to SLEEP when it happens, and immediately wake it up.
The problem started a few weeks ago, and the behavior is completely random (it can happen twice in 10 minutes, or once a week).
Any ideas anyone?
PS - Apple Discussion Board - How come you forgot to put "Keyboard" as a Category for posts?

Spill has caused right shift key to be stuck on

A few months ago I spilled juice on my MBP keyboard (out of warranty - purchased June 2012). I removed all the keys effected and cleaned them. The result of this was that the right shift key was stuck on and it would only start in safe mode + I couldn't log in because I could only type in caps. This is what I did:
I plugged in a usb keyboard - was able to log in
I downloaded keyremapper4mac and disabled the right shift key so I could type in NOT CAPS
Switched to automatic login so I wouldn't be prompted to enter my password anymore
Removed the usb keyboard
Again, MBP would only start in safe mode. Then I found out that the key remapper would only work when the computer wasn't in safe mode. I did some googling and found a key combination that would stop the MBP from starting in safe mode. I have left my computer on for awhile now (not shutting it down) and yesterday I shut it down. I started it up holding down the cmd/shift and my login screen came up.
My problem is that I think I may have forgotten the key combination to bypass the safe mode boot up and I don't know why my login screen came up - maybe because of the key combo I used temporarily turned off the automatic login.
Does anyone know the combination of keys to press to get past the safe boot so my computer will start up normally? I am running 10.7.5.
Thanks!!

Someone else said to try and reboot by holding down the menu and play button on the remote for several seconds and then try again. It worked for several people and seems to be working for me now.

Shift key 'hangs' randomly

Hi!
For a few weeks my keyboard shows some strange behaviour: When using the shift key, it sometimes doesn't get released again. Then I can write caps only, which is very annoying... After a few seconds up to one minute, everything works fine again.
I used showkey to have a look at the keycodes, sent by my keyboard. Result: My keyboard works perfectly, pressing shift does the following: "keycode 42 press, keycode 42 release". It seems that X doesn't respect the key release.
Does anyone have an idea what the problem could be?
I'm using Gnome 2.30.0 with xorg-server 1.7.6-3 on x86_64. xorg.conf only contains configuration for my nvidia-card, so keyboard should be configured automatically. It's configured as evdev-device in gnome.
Thanks,
Michael
Last edited by Bevan (2010-05-18 21:52:24)

No, it's not a Gnome's bug, I have expirienced this problem too (check that out: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=87880 ) with just wmii window manager, plus with kde and having two different keyboards tested (USB Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000, Logitech Access PS/2 kbd) I've now installed Ubuntu 10 TLS, and the problem remains, but I don't remember having it with Ubuntu 9 (I think it's... karmic koala? ). So, it's not a distrubution problem, neither a keyboard problem, neither a Desktop Manager/Window manager problem...
What could it be?!
Last edited by thetrojan01 (2010-05-27 21:15:57)

Closing lid to suspend and then resuming causes capslock and shift key failures

When I close the lid of my NB205, the computer enters hibernate. When I open the lid and press the power key to resume, the computer starts back up but the caps lock key light is on. The keyboard responds the same as if the caps lock were on and the shift key were depressed at the same time. Typing any letter results in a lower case. Typing on the upper row of numbers produces the symbols (same as when shift key is depressed). Also, my bluetooth mouse is not functional but the cursor can be moved using the keypad.
By pressing the caps lock key a couple of times I can get the caps lock key light to go off. Then the keyboard still functions like the shift key is depressed - producing capital letters plus symbols for the upper row. I have to press the shift key a couple of times to fix that and then press Fn+F8 to restore bluetooth to get the computer to work correctly. I tried changing the lid suspend action to Standby in lieu of Hibernate but the result was the same. I do not have these problems when resuming from hibernate or standby if I enter them using the start/shutdown commands.
The computer worked fine for the first two months before this began. I have tried scanning with McAfee virus scanner and have restored the system to a restore point well before the problems began but nothing helps. Does anyone have any ideas I can try before I return this under the warranty?

VPN-User,
Ok - I see the list of issues and will ensure our X300 specialist takes a look at it.
Please do understand that while you have put together a very coherent list, I try to ensure priority to threads in which multiple customers are focused on a single issue, as we deliver the most benefit to the community in working on those. This forum is primarly a peer to peer discussion forum rather than a Lenovo chat / tech support where we try to solve each and every issue put forth.
Individuals with a long list of issues on a particular machine may find benefit from either contacting technical support and working through their list, or publishing it as you have done and wait for other users of the same system to share their experiences.
Thanks for your patience
Mark
ThinkPads: S30, T43, X60t, X1, W700ds, IdeaPad Y710, IdeaCentre: A300, IdeaPad K1
Mark Hopkins
Program Manager, Lenovo Social Media (Services)
twitter @lenovoforums
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WIreless keyboard shift key problem

I have an Apple wireless keyboard which was working fine for the past 10 months, until this morning. Now, when I press the shift key, it types an "I" and whatever other key I hit. Also, there are occasional random capital letters when I type without pressing the shift key. I've tried things like resetting the PRAM, going into keyboard preferences and resetting to the defaults, and unpairing/repairing the keyboard to my iMac. It is definitely the keyboard, as I plugged in the USB keyboard from my daughter's iMac, and that works fine. Also, I've tried to get support, but can't get past Apple telling me my serial number is invalid (Thanks so much to srodney for a VERY clear explanation of how to find that miniscule serial number!)
Thanks for any help you can give!

Keyboard: lower case letter or letters stop working.
Friends, I have solved this problem and used it several times successfully. In my case, it was the lower case “a”, the only letter that would not register and because my password contains an “a” I could not even restart and log in without a work-around. Tried numerous keyboards, cables, and all the rest. A safe boot fixed the problem so I knew it was a corruption glitch. Short version: I just did this two hours ago - July 18, 2009 - only the second or so time in a year, although it took me a lot of preference experimentation the first time to sniff it out.
In my case, went to my “user/library/preferences” folder and dragged onto the desktop the preference “loginwindow.plist” (not the one that starts "com.apple", at least in my case I didn’t need to get rid of that one). Restart and voila! Problem solved. Trash the old "loginwindow.plist" as a new one is created when you restart and you lose no data. To their credit, Apple was very helpful back when it happened the first time, and it was a real conundrum to them as well. I got lucky that it was not too obscure a problem so I didn't have to go through all the preferences and remove them one by one for hours. I found the guilty party fast. Now ya know! Maybe it'll work for you. And a general thanks to all the good people who write these notes and have saved my sanity many, many times. Finally a chance to pay it forward.

Shift key just stopped working...

both of my shift keys have stopped working. they are working sporadically, and i'm not sure what happened. i was typing and suddenly my shift button would not work. i know i didn't hit some sort of hot key to disable the shift function, and it seems that the buttons will randomly work or not work, without hitting anything. is it possible that i have disabled them, or that there is a bug in my computer that is causing this to happen [i hope not, as the guy taht sold me my computer told me not to buy virus protection]. any help would be greatly appreciated, and i'm sorry for the all-lowercase post.
rob
ps. i have reset my computer several times to no avail.

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
One of the issues outlined in the User Tip I wrote may be affecting you:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607533&#607533

MacBook Shutdown On Boot w/Shift Key

I just found out that I can reproduce a (not so) random shutdown 100% of the time on my MacBook. For some reason if I hold the shift key down durring boot, the MacBook shuts off every time on the screen with the apple and the spinning wheel...
I've already sent in my MacBook for repair of the random shutdown issue, and the firmware update that was also supposed to fix it is also installed... All be it since both the hardware repair and the firmware update I've had a small handful of the regular type random shutdown issues...
I filmed the pattern occuring & posted it online. It's interesting to note that it's specifically the holding of the Shift Key that's causing it, as it will boot normally otherwise...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idmEU8pRFs8
2.0 GHz MacBook (Black) w/512 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.7)

hi,
regarding the external drive question
i would ask the question in the boot camp forum.
regarding space issues on a mbp:
i solved my space problems using the "printer repair utility" and the additional delete of some files/apps like garageband including the sounds files.
maybe "Disk Inventory X" will help you getting an overview about your disk-usage.
i hope this hints offer a small first help for you.
best regards
fidel

My keyboard has gone haywire, shift keys and scroll Lock keeps turning on by themselves!

Hello, recently I have a problem typing with my laptop. Mutliple times a day, both of the shift keys, and the scroll lock key turns on by themselves. These are the problems I face when typing: 1. Unwanted text is highlighted2. Letters are capital although caps lock is not on.3. When I try to browse in Google Chrome, text gets deleted and random windows start to pop up4. For some reason the word "QWEPRUIO" starts appearing sometimes when I type.
5. Someimes while I type, suddenly the text gone missing and an asterik * appears.6. Also when this happens, my wi-fi gets turned off automatically. IT guys at my work place tried fixing it but we can't seem to find the problem source.Please help me, this is getting rather annoying especially I am using the laptoo for work!It took me more than half an hour to type a decent email to my client Thanks!

By any chance did something get spilled onto the keyboard (even a small amount)? Liquids can definitely cause this type of issue (Trust me, I know from experience, I have kids.). If you rule that out then open the System Preferences and click on the Keyboard settings, put a check in the 'Show Input menu in menu bar' box. This will add a menu bar pull down menu that will allow you to 'Show Keyboard Viewer.' If you select the 'Show Keyboard Viewer' option does the keyboard layout match the keyboard you are using? When you press the keys you are having issue with does the corresponding key light up on the keyboard viewer? Please post your results.

HELP! Keyboard -lowercase 'stuck'-no caps, no Shift key-Can't 'select all'

HELP!
I have tried all sorts of things, like:
- removed syst prefs to desktop then restarted
- un-done, re-done, re-booted
- tried various options in International and Keyboard & Mouse
- run disk utility, both from startup CD AND in target disk mode
- ran Smasher
- swapped out different keyboards and/or mice
...but these are my keyboard problem symptoms that persist:
- 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 am using Firefox or Word, etc., or when I create a new account as a test new user and I log-in. Keyboard works fine. So it must just be 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, no warning. But my mouse attached to it still works fine. I have no clue what to do to fix 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???

I did test with a spare keyboard, and it performed the same way: does not work for my user account, is fine for the test account I set up as an additional log-in.
I also did this to try and solve my issue, but still nothin':
- ran OnyX AND Cache Cleaner
- ran & configured PrefEdit
- ran AppleJack twice, once on AUTO for deep cleaning (in single-user mode, of course...)
- ran MacJanitor
- tried again to re-set my system prefs
- reset PRAM again
Sigh.
All I want is to be able to type capital letters in Mail & Safari. Seems like I'm asking for too much!
Sigh again.
Thanks for any other advice or things you think I should try.

Opening an application while pressing the shift key

Recently, Microsoft Word 2011 failed to open and showed the message, "Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close." I followed troubleshooting instructions on the Microsoft website. Nothing cured the problem, but creating a new user account did enable Word 2011 to open normally. That seemed to imply that "a corrupt user account" was causing the problem. I could not find any instructions about how to repair that, but at some point I came across the suggestion to "hold the shift key down and click on the Word icon in the dock." I did this and Word opened normally in my account. After this, Word opened normally without holding down the shift key. Apparently this fixed the problem.
My question is, what does pressing the shift key do while you open an application? What's different? Why did it work? What's special about the shift key in this situation?
Thanks.

It may be something specific to Word/Office. Individual applications may accept different launch arguments passed to them via key combinations, such as holding the Option key when launching iTunes to invoke the option for choosing the library to use.

HT1338 My MacBook Pro (running Leopard 10.5.8) won't allow keyboard to type an upper case 'C' using the shift key...works fine with caps lock, or, with my Typinator workaround using double-typed lower case c (not always best). Any ideas?

My MacBook Pro keyboard won't type an upper case 'C' using the shift key... only with caps lock. Workaround has been to use Typinator by typing a double lower case c, not always the best solution. Mac is a refurbished model, which initially was fine. Apple tech helped me correct the quirk when it first appeared, but now it has returned and refuses fixes. Any ideas?

I'm willing to bet that this has something to do with iCloud. I've been facing a frozen computer nearly every time I go into it.
In Activity Monitor I have seen two programs associate with iCloud that take up about 2.5 GB of memory (I only have 4 in the computer) -- causing everything to freeze. One of these is called "iCloud Helper" and the other one is something like "Address Book Sync helper" -- I see parts of these names in the stuff you have posted.
I am at my wits' end with these and have written to Apple asking them to do away with these or fix them. To get rid of the Address book sync thing I have gone into system preferences for iCloud and unchecked Contacts -- but then spontaneously it gets rechecked. And oftentimes after I Force Quit the iCloud helper, it spontaneously turns on again. My conclusion --- the iCloud is basically unusable. It turns a Mac into the most useless, clogged, sluggish PC. If this is happening to a lot of people's computers -- and I see no reason why yours or mine should be an exception -- these programs just might destroy Apple itself.
So -- I'm about to completely give up on iCloud, and I suspect that others will too unless this gets fixed.
Cheers,
Bob

Left shift key doesn't work on some characters

In some applications, such as Excel and AOL, my left shift key doesn't work on some letters. Consequently, when I'm typing I get lower case letters when I've typed shift plus the letter to get a cap. Right shift works OK, but I'm not used to using it. It happens on i, t, and p, I've noticed so far. I don't know if it's the keyboard or the application. Word seems to work fine.
Would welcome any ideas on what is causing this and how to fix it.
Powermac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Is it possible that you have inadvertently switched to a different keyboard layout? Open System Preferences, then click on the Language & Text preferences. Within the Language & Text preferences click on the 'Input Sources'. You should see a long list of languages representing the various keyboard layouts that are available. Make sure that only the keyboard language you use is selected. If there are multiple languages selected then de-select the extras.
If you continue to have problems then check the 'Show input menu in menu bar' checkbox in the lower section of the preference pane. This will place an icon in the upper right menu bar (it looks like a flag representing the language you have chosen for your input device) that provides additional options. I suggest selecing the 'Show Keyboard Viewer' option and then try pressing the keys that you are having problems with to see how they show up on the keyboard viewer graphic. If you've set the correct language for your keyboard and the key sequences still don't match, then you may need to take your keyboard in for service. Better yet, borrow another keyboard to confirm that the keyboard is the issue.

Odd glitch causing shift key to be randomly activated

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