humfreybear
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: 2007 Macbook keyboard issues

For the past year or so my keyboard on my Macbook has been acting strangely.  Here are some of the problems I've been experiencing:

 

(1) I'll be writing an email or working on a Word document & all of a sudden the paragraph I'm writing will be highlighted & then disappear.  Fortunately, I'm able to click Edit then Undo & retrieve it.

(2) I'll be writing something & all of a sudden the cursor will jump to another part of the page.

(3) When it's really screwed up everything on the page (regardless of what I'm doing) will be highlighted & I can't do anything with the wireless mouse or the trackpad.  I try clicking both mouse buttons & nothing happens.  After a few minutes I'm able to resume what I'm doing.

(4) Sometimes the cursor completely disappears from the page.

(5) When trying to go back to edit a mistake I made, I'll click on what needs to be corrected & all of a sudden the previous page will appear making me lose everything I just typed.

 

I don't live close enough to an Apple Store so I can't take it there & the nearest place that works on Macs is 90 miles away.  I really hope that someone will be able to help me correct this problem (if possible).  I've thought about buying a wireless keyboard, but would that correct the problem?

 

Thanks in advance!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Aug 26, 2015 2:00 PM

by Drew Reece,Solvedanswer
Drew Reece Drew Reece
Level 5 (7,547 points)
Notebooks
A:

What model of Macbook do you have? Apple menu > About this Mac > More info will say.

 

Some modes have a removable battery, remove & inspect it if that is the case. They can expand with age and impinge on the trackpad causing false touches. Test without the battery installed to see if it stops misbehaving.

NOTE: some models may perform slowly without a battery installed.

 

If you have a model that has an non removable internal battery you can't really test, but inspect the case to see if it looks like the trackpad is being pressed from inside. Press on each corner of the trackpad to see if clicking is working as expected.

 

A safe boot can help you rule out third party applications & extensions…

Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up - Apple Support

NOTE: It is normal for some features to be disabled in safe mode & performance can be slower…
Limited graphics performance in OS X recovery or safe mode - Apple Support

 

Test as much as possible & reboot to go back to a normal boot.

 

Try a wireless or wired keyboard if you have one, but I doubt it will alter any false touches sent by the trackpad. Also remove all USB & third party devices when testing. Move other radio devices away too, like Bluetooth or WiFi devices when you have the issue in case it is caused by some kind of interference.

Posted on Aug 26, 2015 2:24 PM

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humfreybear

Q: 2007 Macbook keyboard issues

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Drew Reece,Solvedanswer

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Aug 26, 2015 2:24 PM in response to humfreybear
    Level 5 (7,547 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 26, 2015 2:24 PM in response to humfreybear

    What model of Macbook do you have? Apple menu > About this Mac > More info will say.

     

    Some modes have a removable battery, remove & inspect it if that is the case. They can expand with age and impinge on the trackpad causing false touches. Test without the battery installed to see if it stops misbehaving.

    NOTE: some models may perform slowly without a battery installed.

     

    If you have a model that has an non removable internal battery you can't really test, but inspect the case to see if it looks like the trackpad is being pressed from inside. Press on each corner of the trackpad to see if clicking is working as expected.

     

    A safe boot can help you rule out third party applications & extensions…

    Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up - Apple Support

    NOTE: It is normal for some features to be disabled in safe mode & performance can be slower…
    Limited graphics performance in OS X recovery or safe mode - Apple Support

     

    Test as much as possible & reboot to go back to a normal boot.

     

    Try a wireless or wired keyboard if you have one, but I doubt it will alter any false touches sent by the trackpad. Also remove all USB & third party devices when testing. Move other radio devices away too, like Bluetooth or WiFi devices when you have the issue in case it is caused by some kind of interference.

  • by humfreybear,

    humfreybear humfreybear Aug 26, 2015 4:20 PM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 26, 2015 4:20 PM in response to Drew Reece

    Thanks for the reply Drew. 

     

    The model of my Macbook is 1,1.  I was able to remove the battery & it did feel like it had expanded just a little bit.  Before I removed it, I checked the battery icon at the top of the computer & it said "Service Battery".  I'm not sure if that could've been causing the problem or not.  I'll leave the battery out for a couple of days to see if that corrected the problem.

     

    I'll also try the safe boot in a couple of days.  When you said I needed to remove all USB & third-party devices, do I also have to remove my cooling mat since it's USB too?

     

    Thanks again!

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Aug 26, 2015 4:49 PM in response to humfreybear
    Level 5 (7,547 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 26, 2015 4:49 PM in response to humfreybear

    If you have the issue again disconnect the USB device too. You can probably prop the Mac up with books to allow air to circulate

     

    You can power the USB mat from an iPod, iPhone USB charger or similar if you have any USB chargers & USB a extension lead. It could still cause interference, but the expanding battery has been an issue for other users so focus on that unless it reappears.

     

    If you need to see what the keyboard is doing try opening the 'Keyboard viewer'. In the language section of System Preferences there is an option to show the keyboard layouts in the menu bar (a flag appears). Enable that option & enable the Keyboard viewer too (it may be listed with the character viewer). Then open the Keyboard viewer via the menu, you can see what keys are being pressed. If the keyboard is causing the issue it should show the keys as they are pressed. Sorry this may not be totally accurate, I don't have access to a 10.4 Mac at the moment to outline the exact steps.

     

    You can find many non-Apple batteries on the net, but I'd suggest you get a Apple one. I have seen several laptop batteries die early, they all were non Apple copies. Try to find an Apple one if you can afford to do so.

  • by humfreybear,

    humfreybear humfreybear Aug 27, 2015 8:16 AM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2015 8:16 AM in response to Drew Reece

    I haven't had any issues since I removed the battery yesterday.  Hopefully that corrected the problem.  I'll put the battery back in later today to see if I experience the same problems.

     

    The battery that I have in it now I purchased from macsales.com (NuPower).  The original battery overheated, came apart & started leaking.  If I have to purchase an Apple battery I will, but right now I really can't afford even non-Apple battery.

     

    Thanks again for all your suggestions & help.  I really appreciate it.  I was to the point of wanting to beat my computer to death because of all these problems.