Caps lock flashing momentarily while keyboard freezes

Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Just the past few days I have been typing in Mail and found that the letters being typed have stopped appearing on the screen and the caps lock button light has been flashing. This only lasts a few seconds and I have to go back and retype what is missing. All is well for some time before it does it again. It has only happened in Mail but then I haven't been using Word or anything else the past couple of days to know if it does it in everything. I did a Google search and failed to find anything relating to this problem. I have a G5 iMac PPC. I have never seen the caps lock button flash on and off before and I wasn't even using it during any of the occurances. Any ideas?
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
25
Reaction score
2
Points
3
Location
Georgia, USA
Your Mac's Specs
c. 2003 PowerMac G5 1.6 GHz; 3GB RAM; NVIDIA FX 5200 Ultra w/Apple 20" Display
Just the past few days I have been typing in Mail and found that the letters being typed have stopped appearing on the screen and the caps lock button light has been flashing. This only lasts a few seconds and I have to go back and retype what is missing. All is well for some time before it does it again. It has only happened in Mail but then I haven't been using Word or anything else the past couple of days to know if it does it in everything. I did a Google search and failed to find anything relating to this problem. I have a G5 iMac PPC. I have never seen the caps lock button flash on and off before and I wasn't even using it during any of the occurances. Any ideas?

Not to be like Chicken Little, hill1866, but due to recent OS-X exploits — some patched, some not — I have to wonder if perhaps your machine may not be housing an unwanted guest?

I know; shame on me for daring to touch upon hallowed ground. . . especially with my boots on. But even Macs can be exploited if the user is careless (or not).

Maybe you have a defective keyboard; it happens. Try checking the USB port to make sure everything's plugged in tight. Check all your interim connections, too. If that doesn't solve it, try switching keyboards to see if the glitch goes away.

If not, then go the usual litany of routes in finding a cure.

DiskWarrior would be a good thing to use, if you own a license for it.

Do you have the "Open safe files after downloading" tab UN-ticked in Safari/Preferences?

Do you permit email to enter your Mac?

Do you have the OS-X firewall turned on?

Have you downloaded any recent software from the WWW that doesn't seem to work quite the way it should?

Have you taken a peek in Activity Monitor to see if anything's pulling down mega-cycles from your proc.? Most spyware/trojans are named after system services to throw you off. Don't expect to find any poignant clues there. DUPES may offer a clue; such as having two kernel_tas (in Terminal type "top" and press return) running at the same time, etc.

Try taking a peek at "login items" in your standard account(s) [in 10.4; in admin account(s) in 10.3] to see if anything's been added without your permission. These items start at login, and may include some or other component that is being used to monitor your system.

There was a lot of that going on in 10.2. . .

If all fails and the problem persists consider backing up your must-haves and running the OS-X multi-pass random overwrite from DVD; you choose the security level. Then reinstall OS-X from scratch.

Although mass-spammer worms are unheard of in the Macintosh platform, there ARE some 33-odd made-for-Mac trojans that apparently will run in OS-X 10.4. In the near total absence of spyware scanners for the Macintosh platform, the Mac Community is a sitting duck.

Our sole prerogative is to use the recommended security protocols and trust in Apple's punctual delivery of patches.

Even so, I would choose OS-X over Windows any time.

Twenty + years of the CommonName parasite have given Microsoft and William Gates a reputation for the kind of software we can all live [better] without.
 
OP
H
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thank you for your lengthy reply. I am hoping the problem is just my keyboard and so have connected the keyboard from my very first iMac and so far it has behaved perfectly. I will observe it over the next few days and see what happens before trying any of the other suggestions you made.

Cheers,

Mark
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
25
Reaction score
2
Points
3
Location
Georgia, USA
Your Mac's Specs
c. 2003 PowerMac G5 1.6 GHz; 3GB RAM; NVIDIA FX 5200 Ultra w/Apple 20" Display
Lengthy-Schmengthy

hill1866,

You're welcome, although for me that was not a lengthy reply at all, haha.

Don't get me started on 'lengthy.'
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top