blinker23

Q: Cannot access Boot Camp Windows after keyboard and trackpad stopped working

Hi,

 

I was running Boot Camp Windows 7 on my Macbook Air (late 2010) fine, but yesterday all of a sudden the trackpad and keyboard suddenly stopped working on Windows.

 

I panicked and restarted my laptop using the power button. The trackpad and keyboard were still not working so I connected my external mouse and keyboard, which worked. However, I was unable to access Boot Camp Windows 7 any longer as I've got a completely black screen after rEFIt/rEFInd page and there were no Boot Camp disk to load when I pressed the option(alt) button either.

 

I searched online and found that perhaps Windows 7 Installer disk (either on USB/CD/DVD) could go into repair the situation. This did not work.

 

I was still able to access Mac OS X, so I backed up important files in Boot Camp and tried another go at reinstalling Windows 7, but I still get a black screen with no cursor dot. i eventually even tried reinstalling Mac OS X and update to El Capitan, but it didn't work.

 

I noticed that whenever I access Mac OS X, the mouse/trackpad cursor is positioned at the same position that I was last in as the trackpad/keyboard stopped working (as in even though I moved my mouse "arrow" cursor, if I reboot, that cursor would be positioned at the same spot that I was at when trackpad and keyboard stopped working in Boot Camp Windows 7).

 

I have tried SMC and PRAM reset (it's strange that doing these reset on the internal keyboard of the laptop works by the way), but the problem is still there.

 

Is this a software or hardware issue? Lastly, I dropped this laptop about 2 weeks ago, but it was not a severe drop and the laptop continued to work.

 

Any suggestions and help are welcome. Please help me out here friends!

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Apr 7, 2016 10:15 PM

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Q: Cannot access Boot Camp Windows after keyboard and trackpad stopped working

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Andrea Rimicci,

    Andrea Rimicci Andrea Rimicci Apr 8, 2016 3:58 AM in response to blinker23
    Level 1 (128 points)
    Apr 8, 2016 3:58 AM in response to blinker23

    Hard reboots on windows are known to left, in rare cases, damage to the partition table.

     

    As you said you still can boot on Mac, I'd suggest to use Bootcamp assistant to remove the Windows partition first, then reboot (it forces a reload of the partition table and makes you sure old inconsistent data there hadn't been loaded by the Mac), then reinstall Windows using Bootcamp assistant.

     

    If both trackpad and keyboard stopped working at same time, it hints to me you were using an USB hub, if that the case or not, I anyway suggest you to make operations with only the keyboard and mouse attached to the Mac, and keep all other peripherals (printer and so on) disconnected while doing the install operations.

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Apr 8, 2016 9:46 AM in response to blinker23
    Level 7 (24,012 points)
    Safari
    Apr 8, 2016 9:46 AM in response to blinker23

    Did your internal Keyboard/Trackpad stop working or is this an external Bluetooth Keyboard/Mouse that stopped working?

     

    Look at the surface of the trackpad and ensure it is flat. If it is bulging even slightly, you may need to have your battery serviced. How old is your battery?

  • by blinker23,

    blinker23 blinker23 Apr 8, 2016 1:39 PM in response to Andrea Rimicci
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Windows Software
    Apr 8, 2016 1:39 PM in response to Andrea Rimicci

    I have already tried removing then reinstalling several times, but whenever I attempt to boot into Windows/Windows Install environment (BIOS? not sure), I get a completely black screen. I think this is unfortunately some sort of hardware failure(?).

     

    Should I still attempt to try installing Boot Camp Windows in some way?

  • by blinker23,

    blinker23 blinker23 Apr 8, 2016 1:38 PM in response to Loner T
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Windows Software
    Apr 8, 2016 1:38 PM in response to Loner T

    It's the internal keyboard/trackpad that stopped working. Weird thing is that the power button, shift, control and command keys work while in the booting stage on boot manager environment (rEFIT/rEFInd), but the arrow keys are not working.

     

    The trackpad is still completely flat.

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Apr 8, 2016 1:53 PM in response to blinker23
    Level 7 (24,012 points)
    Safari
    Apr 8, 2016 1:53 PM in response to blinker23

    If the keyboard/trackpad works properly in OSX, a hardware failure is very unlikely. You can boot your Mac and hold the D key to run diagnostics. Your Keyboard/Trackpad connect via an internal USB bus. You can see this connection in OSX under System Report -> USB.

     

    I do not use rEFIt/rEFInd. Is there a specific need in your environment to use it?

  • by Andrea Rimicci,

    Andrea Rimicci Andrea Rimicci Apr 10, 2016 2:48 PM in response to blinker23
    Level 1 (128 points)
    Apr 10, 2016 2:48 PM in response to blinker23

    Another possible cause is a damaged Windows install image or a defective support.