Help with the keyboard backlighting?!

I have a problem with my keyboard backlighting, i found that a guy posted the exact same question but didnt really get a clear answer a long time ago, now that I've encountered the same problem, I'd thought I'd post it again.

My backlighting keyboard doesn't work, it used to! the F8-F10 keys dont do anything for me. The suggestion from the Apple site askes me to look in both display and keyboard in preferences. But there simply IS NO "Automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes" or "Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions" option to tick?!

Is there something wrong with my OS? I'm running 10.3.9, the latest as I know it?!!

Thanks for any help!

ok i dont have a powerbook but in my ibook if you go to system prefernces and then to keboard and mice. Under the tab keyboard if there is nothing there then go to the keyboard short cuts tab and look in there maybe some how it was unchecked

thanks for your reply!

sorry man, but there's nothing to uncheck... thats the weird thing! there's supposed to be, otherwise apple wouldn't give that tip... thats the strange thing?!

This is what i have under system prefs> keyboard and mice> keyboard!
Look near the bottom! Hope this helps.

try turning it to 5 mins

and did you try logging out then back in

and goto energy saver and set processor performance to highest

I think the problem must be that I've gotten some messed up version of OS X when I first bought the powerbook, see I have the exact same preferences but without the minute toggle... and I know my PB has keyboard backlighting, It worked fine for a month... the whole thing is MESSED UP!!! Now, I'm gonna have it serviced... but I know that I only have hardware warranty, this seems to be hardware and software or?!

Repair disc permissions, reset pram. Those are the first things I do when i have a problem. If those don't work, you can always just try reinstalling OS X.

rs2sensen said:

Repair disc permissions, reset pram. Those are the first things I do when i have a problem. If those don't work, you can always just try reinstalling OS X.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply mate! By repairing disc permissions, do you mean changing all the user permissions? What do you mean by pram? Preferences? Hehe I need to get better with the mac-lingo!

Resetting the pram: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238

To repair disk permissions, go to your applications folder, then utilities, then "disk utility." Select your hard drive, click on "repair disk permissions"

Is it a 12" PowerBook by any chance? I don't really see the point in the backlight anyway, sure they are quite cool and I would have it turned on if I had it but its just not good for your eyes to stare at an LCD in complete darkness.

I think it's fine, I prefer working in the dark when I'm doing design work, I get to see the real thing I'm working on better than how the lighting of my room might effect it.

Tel said:

Is it a 12" PowerBook by any chance?

Click to expand...

Was backlit keyboards an option on 12" PB's?

I didn't think the backlight came with the 12" PowerBook. I wasn't giving my opinion about working in the dark either, the fact is it is bad for your eyes, just the same as watching TV in the dark (unless its a Phillips Ambilight, as they're designed for that) you're supposed to have some form of back light so that your iris' don't have to work over time at every colour change, and a fairly dim backlight isn't going to effect the colour of an LCD monitor.

Nope its a 15" PB. I'll live without the backlight, its just annoying when stuff thats supposed to work doesnt, and it could be an indication that something else is messed up as well... Repairing disc permissions and reseting prams, does that affect my files at all?

No, they only affect system stuff... (basically).
It does sound as though the powerbook specific part of the system prefs has been messed up...

You could try opening your system disks in pacifier (check versiontracker.com) and searching for keyboard & Mouse .prefpane (or something similar...)
If you find it drag it to your desktop, doubleclick it and see if it'll open in system preferences.