HT204621: Troubleshooting wireless mouse and keyboard issues

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MitchellWiggs
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: Apple keyboard acting strange when Apple mouse is on and in use

Lately, when I've tried to unlock my iMac after it's been asleep, I'll enter my password and only the first character will appear. Shortly after, the keyboard will type a bunch of characters (they all show up as dots since it's a password), and I'll hear the 'enter' tone being pressed over and over again. The best way I could describe it is that it looks like a ghost is typing a bunch of keys in and holding down 'enter'.

 

Now I've noticed that when I'm trying to use iChat, sometimes my keyboard will start lagging severely, and opening the option to enter special keys when I type a character. For example, while trying to type the sentence: "Yeah, me too", what will appear is the letter Y, and the little box opens up allowing me to select ¥ or Ÿ, etc., and then when I type the 'e' the little menu will pop up for me to select ê, ë, or è, etc., and it will do that for every letter I try to type, making it impossible to use iChat or type anywhere on my computer.

 

The only thing that stops this bizarre behavior is when I turn off the Apple mouse, and the "connection lost" message appears on the screen. Once it's off, the keyboard will type as normal. The only thing I can think of is that the mouse is somehow interfering with the keyboard, causing it to act up. I tried searching the forum for a similar sounding situation, but can't find anything like this. It's hard for me to believe that two Apple products would be interfering with each other, but that's what seems to be happening here. Has anyone ever heard of or experienced this, and if so, how did you fix it? I'd hate to have to get a different mouse, but I'm not sure what else will fix it.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), null

Posted on May 25, 2016 7:28 PM

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MitchellWiggs

Q: Apple keyboard acting strange when Apple mouse is on and in use

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  • by RebekkahRoseRyan,

    RebekkahRoseRyan RebekkahRoseRyan May 26, 2016 5:53 AM in response to MitchellWiggs
    Level 1 (31 points)
    iPhone
    May 26, 2016 5:53 AM in response to MitchellWiggs

    Hi MitchellWiggs. This has happened to me also. Here's a way to test out what is misbehaving before you go resetting  your SMC (I believe this is a radical step that should not be the first thing you try).  If you have access to a wired keyboard and wired mouse, you should plug those into your iMac.  If it is a PC keyboard and mouse, it will work.  It doesn't have to be a wired Apple keyboard and mouse.  If the problem doesn't continue, then try adding back one device at a time to see when the problem begins to occur again.  I had an Apple Support person decide without doing this test, that my logic board needed replaced. The tech they sent to my home broke my computer, and Apple had to pay for two more logic boards and a new set of speakers to restore my iMac to it's appropriate computer behavior.  It was later determined that my Apple Magic Mouse was defective.  Apple sent me a third Magic Mouse, and that mouse has behaved mostly appropriately.  I totally know what you mean when you say you cannot do iChat when every character you type requires you to choose from a menu of multiple characters from many alphabets.  Try the USB keyboard and mouse for a day or so, and see what happens.  Looking forward to see what happens here. RRR

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio May 26, 2016 6:05 AM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan
    Level 6 (17,201 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 26, 2016 6:05 AM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan

    Maybe you can explain why you feel that resetting the SMC is a radical step?

  • by RebekkahRoseRyan,

    RebekkahRoseRyan RebekkahRoseRyan May 26, 2016 6:17 AM in response to Mike Sombrio
    Level 1 (31 points)
    iPhone
    May 26, 2016 6:17 AM in response to Mike Sombrio

    This is what Apple says about resetting the SMC.

     

    Before resetting the SMC

    Reset the SMC only after you've tried all other standard troubleshooting. Try each of the following steps in this order before you reset the SMC. Test the issue after completing each troubleshooting step to see if the issue still occurs.

    1. Press Command-Option-Escape to force quit any application that is not responding.
    2. Put your Mac to sleep by choosing Sleep from the Apple menu. Wake the computer after it has gone to sleep.
    3. Restart your Mac by choosing Restart from the Apple menu.
    4. Shut down your Mac by choosing Shut Down from the Apple menu.
    5. If your Mac isn't responding, force the Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds. You'll lose any unsaved work in any open applications.

    If you're using a Mac notebook computer that is having issues related to power or the battery:

    1. Unplug the power adapter from your Mac and the electrical outlet for several seconds, then plug it back in.
    2. Shut down your Mac.
    3. Remove and re-insert the battery, if it's removable battery.
    4. Restart your Mac.

    If the issue still isn't resolved, you might need to reset the SMC. See the indicators and steps below.

    Indicators that your SMC might need to be reset

    After you perform normal troubleshooting, these symptoms may indicate that an SMC reset could be necessary:

    • The computer fans run at high speed, though the computer is not experiencing heavy usage and is properly ventilated.
    • The keyboard backlight behaves incorrectly on Mac computers that have this feature.
    • The status indicator light (SIL) behaves incorrectly on Mac computers that have this feature.
    • Battery indicator lights, if present, behave incorrectly on Mac notebooks that have a non-removable battery.
    • The display backlight doesn't respond correctly to ambient light changes on Mac computers that have this feature.
    • The computer doesn't respond to the power button when pressed.
    • A Mac notebook computer doesn't respond properly when you close or open the lid.
    • The computer sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly.
    • The battery doesn't charge properly.
    • The MagSafe power adapter LED doesn't indicate the correct activity.
    • The computer is performing unusually slowly, though it isn't experiencing abnormally high CPU utilization.
    • Application icons may bounce in the Dock for an extended amount of time when opened.
    • Applications may not function correctly, or they may stop responding after being opened.
    • A computer that supports target display mode does not switch into or out of target display mode as expected, or it switches into or out of target display mode at unexpected times.
    • The illumination around the I/O ports on a Mac Pro (Late 2013) does not activate when you move the computer.

    MitchellWiggs DID NOT mention any of the above problems. This is why I believe resetting the SMC at this point to be a radical step.

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio May 26, 2016 7:21 AM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan
    Level 6 (17,201 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 26, 2016 7:21 AM in response to RebekkahRoseRyan

    I know what Apple says, I posted the link. I also posted Apple's steps to troubleshoot a bluetooth mouse and keyboard and I didn't see it it your advice to try a wired keyboard and mouse which the OP may not have....does that make your advice a radical step? .

    I'm still wondering why you think resetting the SMC is a radical step?