Keyboard Randomly Changes Letters Into Characters

[bert123]

Yesterday I was having some problems getting 10.6.8 to load up and function properly. Today when I'm typing in firefox or openoffice or text app barely after a few words typing the keys randomly go into 'special character mode' so instead of normal letters I get √¬∈∪₰₦⊕ etc. I don't know a way to stop this happening, so every time it happens I have to restart the macbook, which is getting extremely frustrating every 2 mins. (In addition to this, the 0 key brings up the right mouse button when pressed, the 'fn' key is working as the shift key, and the left shift key doesn't do anything). Very bizarre. Help required please. Thanks.

 

[RadDave]

Yesterday I was having some problems getting 10.6.8 to load up and function properly. Today when I'm typing in firefox or openoffice or text app barely after a few words typing the keys randomly go into 'special character mode' so instead of normal letters I get √¬∈∪₰₦⊕ etc. I don't know a way to stop this happening, so every time it happens I have to restart the macbook, which is getting extremely frustrating every 2 mins. (In addition to this, the 0 key brings up the right mouse button when pressed, the 'fn' key is working as the shift key, and the left shift key doesn't do anything). Very bizarre. Help required please. Thanks.

Hello - cannot provide much help @ the moment but please provide: 1) model/year of your Macbook; 2) are you having just KB problems or is booting also an issue; and 3) has there been any liquid damage to the KB recently? Dave

 

[bert123]

Hi. I have a mid-2010 macbook white, 4gb ram, 2.4ghz intel core 2 duo, 160gb hdd, 10.6.8 snow leopard. I'm not having the same boot up issue as yesterday, not since I set it to automatic login; however boot up is very slow, 90 seconds at least (it wasn't that slow not so long along). The keyboard issue is the main one. The keys do feel less "spring back-y" than normal when I press them, but there is no visual sign of liquid damage, but it's possible I guess (even when using my usb keyboard it still randomly goes into characters mode, and I bought it brand new yesterday so the usb keyboard can't be faulty too).

 

[chscag]

Was anything spilled on your MacBook? An external USB keyboard is not going to work right if something spilled on your MacBook and got down on to the logic board.

 

[bert123]

I don't know, it's possible. Typing on the keyboard feels a little different than usual in the physical responsiveness of the keys when pressed. System does seem a lot slower too and some buttons seem to have swapped functions for some reason. If something had been spilled on the logic board what can I do for that? (I was thinking about doing a full clean install of Snow Leopard again, if I can find the discs).

 

[chscag]

If something had been spilled on the logic board what can I do for that?

Not much you can do now if the spill occurred some time ago or if you're not sure. When a spill occurs and the machine is brought to Apple, their first recommendation is to change out the logic board. That can be very expensive and for older Macs is generally not worth doing.

 

[bert123]

I've only had this problem since switching the macbook on yesterday morning, so not even 48 hours. Think I'll have to try a re-install of the OSX or take it to an apple store, see what they say. (There can be times when I can type perfectly normally without the letters changing to symbols, but the fn/cmd/alt/shift keys doing different functions is ever present).

 

[RadDave]

I don't know, it's possible. Typing on the keyboard feels a little different than usual in the physical responsiveness of the keys when pressed. System does seem a lot slower too and some buttons seem to have swapped functions for some reason. If something had been spilled on the logic board what can I do for that? (I was thinking about doing a full clean install of Snow Leopard again, if I can find the discs).

Well, I posed that same question in my first post - just wondering how you do not know if a liquid spill occurred, unless you lent your computer to someone else who cause a spill - please 'spill the beans' so we do not have to keep guessing. Dave

 

[bert123]

i have not spilled anything on it, but I am only 1 of 3 people who have use of the macbook. The other two say they haven't done anything to it, so I can only go off what they tell me. If a re-install of the osx doesn't fix it, I'll have to take it to a repair center and see what they say.

 

[johnodd4]

yes you have to but i have some bad news about that model.

That model of Macbook was known for mouse failure and keyboard failure a lot the only way you can tell if its just the keyboard or both have to be replaced use the built in mouse on the macbook does it allow you to right click and left click and open up a application if so its the keyboard if not you have to replace the entire case top section of the laptop because the keyboard and mouse are permanently attached to it.

And there attached to the same controller on that model

 

[RadDave]

i have not spilled anything on it, but I am only 1 of 3 people who have use of the macbook. The other two say they haven't done anything to it, so I can only go off what they tell me. If a re-install of the osx doesn't fix it, I'll have to take it to a repair center and see what they say.

Well, from the subsequent post and not knowing if there was a liquid spill despite the others saying that no spill occurred - you probably have to take the computer into an Apple service center for evaluation - hope that you may still be under warranty - Dave

 

[bert123]

I normally use a usb mouse instead of the trackpad anyway, and the usb mouse still works fine for L R buttons, otherwise the 0 key on my keyboard acts as the right mouse button.

The keys definitely don't feel the same as normal, although I figured out by quickly pressing the 0 key twice (or right mouse button) my typing reverts from random characters to normal letters. Stopping it doing it in the first place is another issue. The macbook is a couple of years old so no warranty, hopefully the price of a repair wont be too high if a re-install of osx doesn't help. Thanks.