Why is my keyboard/trackpad not working?

"maffoo



Rep: 961




2


1


1"

"Macbook Air 13"" Frozen keyboard and trackpad

My mothers MacBook Air 13"" suddenly became unresponsive with both the keyboard and trackpad.

I could get them to work momentarily after a SMC Reset. Then resetting PRAM made it a bit better, to the degree for less than a minute. Obviously not acceptable!

The best tools for the whole job were a wired external keyboard and a USB wired or wireless mouse, because they allowed me repair and to orchestrate the process without freezing. Mostly it allowed me to narrow down the problem and the capability of troubleshooting it.

As a side note is that this whole problem seemed to clearly be that the MacBook Air was thinking it had Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad peripherals nearby.

It's never even been near one in it's life. When I'd look at trackpad in preferences, the onboard settings were gone! and replaced with the bluetooth trackpad hunting window. This was also the case for the keyboard. I used my wireless bluetooth Apple keyboard to see if it would even see it. NOPE! That's when I knew something was up. Usually I try everything before performing an OS restore but nothing would clean it not even an OS restore! But an upgrade and Presto!

After all I went through I would recommend a possible fix that could save you lots of time. It's the reverse engineering of my fix. I didn't try it because the machine is working perfectly after all I did.

JUST TRY THE Mountain Lion Upgrade. There's nothing to lose if it works and the process below will likely work if it does not. Personally I think Apple is avoiding admitting to a fix due to a Mud on the Face reaction. I was furious that a 1.5 year old MacBook Air in perfect condition came up with a false repair that cost more than it did! Shame on APPLE for not addressing this properly!!! The fix was clearly built into Mountain Lion (OS-X 10.8.5) and they have not told us! Everybody should get the free Mountain Lion (OS-X 10.8.5) upgrade!

NOTE: The Power key actually should be working when none of there other keys do. This allows you to run the SMC and PRAM functions. Details for doing so below.

Here we go..... First off, obviously back up all your important files externally using the functionality allowed by the connected keyboard and mouse.

Then...

Using external keyboard and mouse, run a full OS restore. (This was LION 10.7.5)After doing so I still found the same glitch. I then figured the last option was to update to Mountain Lion 10.8.5. It's only 19.95, and I did it as a last resort instead of throwing it out, as I had seen many comments regarding a $1300 repair for the same exact symptoms.After running the full update she now has her wonderful baby back and it's even running faster.

So Apple owes me a couple six packs of beer after making me pay them 20 bucks to fix their fault. Not holding my breath!

I don't believe for one second that it's a hardware issue as APPLE has told so many. Personally I think it's a firmware glitch somewhere on that particular hardware that is referred to as the Top Case. If it were a hardware issue I would presume that SMC & PRAM resets would have ZERO results, as opposed to working for ten to twenty seconds.

Glad I know the fix so when mine packs up I won't be so terrified! Her's came VERY close to finding the recycling bin. Darn lucky they don't sell cars!!! RECALL?'''

HOPE THIS MAKES YOU A HAPPY CAMPER!!!'''

Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).

Resetting SMC:

Shut down the computer.Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.Press the power button to turn on the computer.

Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

'Resetting NVRAM / PRAM

*Shut down your Mac.

Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.Turn on the computer.Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.Release the keys."