Help - G4 17" MacBook Keyboard Problem

[graylocks]

i've borrowed my brother's G4 17" MacBook for a conference i'm working tomorrow. yesterday i created my own user account, installed the Logitech control center for the mouse i want to use, and repaired permissions.

just now i went to play with it a bit and only the middle row of keys on the keyboard (a - ') are working. WTF!!! i'm thinking maybe the Logitech CC is messing things up but how do i uninstall it? the installer doesn't have an uninstaller. the LCC is in the system prefs.

i'd like to log out and see if the same thing is happening on my brothers account but i'm afraid that if the problem is systemic, i won't be able to enter a password to log in to either account.

any thoughts?

[rgG]

Could you boot into safe mode and see if that cures it? That doesn't require a PW, does it?

Edit:
In case you need the instructions:


To start up into Safe Mode (to Safe Boot), do this:

1. Be sure the computer is shut down.
2. Press the power button.
3. Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before.
4. Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).

During startup in Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you will see "Safe Boot" on the login window, which appears even if you normally log in automatically.

During startup in Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.3.9, you will see "Safe Boot" on the Mac OS X startup screen.

To leave Safe Mode in any version of Mac OS X, restart the computer normally, without holding any keys during startup.

[graylocks]

i'm holding the shift key down for that now. one finger posting...

[graylocks]

dang - after holding the shift key for a very long time safe mode is asking for a password and the keys are NOT working!

this is Tiger, btw.

i've been doing restarts. since i'm now out, maybe i'll try it from shut down.

[rgG]

graylocks wrote:
dang - after holding the shift key for a very long time safe mode is asking for a password and the keys are NOT working!

this is Tiger, btw.

i've been doing restarts. since i'm now out, maybe i'll try it from shut down.

Good idea. The shut down may cure it, at least let's hope so.

[GGD]

Do you have a USB keyboard you could plug in? That might help when booted from that drive, especially if this happens to be a keyboard failure (symptoms did sound a little like when something spilled on a keyboard).

Do you have an install DVD for Tiger or Leopard that you could boot from? If the internal keyboard works when booted from that then the hardware is probably fine and it's something you installed.

You could also try to boot into Open Firmware (cmd-option-O-F) and see if you can type from the keyboard when you get the prompt, that would also tell you if the hardware is working.

[graylocks]

GGD wrote:
Do you have a USB keyboard you could plug in? That might help when booted from that drive, especially if this happens to be a keyboard failure (symptoms did sound a little like when something spilled on a keyboard).

ok, i borrowed the keyboard from my son's iMac and i'm in. this computer was sitting on the kitchen counter CLOSED for most of the day. no liquids have gone near it.

now i'll try deleting the LCC pref panel.

[graylocks]

GGD wrote:
You could also try to boot into Open Firmware (cmd-option-O-F) and see if you can type from the keyboard when you get the prompt, that would also tell you if the hardware is working.

just tried this. no go. so does this mean the keyboard has suddenly died?

[GGD]

graylocks wrote:
[quote=GGD]
You could also try to boot into Open Firmware (cmd-option-O-F) and see if you can type from the keyboard when you get the prompt, that would also tell you if the hardware is working.

just tried this. no go. so does this mean the keyboard has suddenly died?
Well, Open Firmware is before anything is loaded from the hard drive, so if typing isn't working there, it does sounds like it might be hardware.

But in order to even get to Open Firmware those 4 keys have to be working on the keyboard, so exactly what happened? Did you get to Open Firmware, but typing didn't work (or just some keys work), or you never even got there.

Sounds like at least some keys work, like the Shift key got you to Safe Boot.

Does using the USB keyboard work to get you into Open Firmware and to type there? (I'm not totally sure if that should work or not under normal conditions)

[GGD]

This also might be one of those rare situations where a PRAM or PMU reset might be a solution.