iMac won't recognize the keyboard, ext. hard drive, etc.

Had a similar problem. Turned on my iMac and the keyboard will not function, no light on the mouse. This happened in both USB ports. I tried the keyboard and mouse on another computer, and they worked fine. The tower and flat panel seem to be functioning as well, so it appears to be the USB ports that are not working.

Still trying to find out what to do.

Came home and my computer was off after leaving it
on. Rebooted and now the keyboard won't do anything,
the ext. hard drive won't start. I can't insert the
repair disk because the keyboard won't operate.
Hmmm, what do you think I should try?
hanks,
Bill

imac flat panel
Mac OS X (10.4)

If one of you finds a solution for this problem, please let me know. I have exactly the same problem

Hans

iMac intel Mac OS X (10.4.10) Boot Camp

MacBookPro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I connected the keyboard directly to a USB port in the tower rather than one on the flat screen. This worked, so clearly the problem lies with the USB ports on the back of the flat screen. Why both of them would fail at the same time is beyond me.

My problem with the keyboard is: It will work just fine after I turn the mac on and remove it from the usb and than put it back in the usb. It will work great until it goes to sleep or turned back on and then I have to do this again.

Hello Billch, et. al.,
I had a similar experience and what fixed it for me was actually unplugging the machine (not just powering off or restarting) and leaving it unplugged overnight. This seems to force the USB hub to reset itself.
You might also try pressing the the RESET button which is located under the base (you'll need to remove 4 screws), if you're not sure how to access the reset button just look it up in the support section and they will walk you through it with pictures and everything.

Good Luck!

Lincoln

Try resetting the PRAM...worked great for me...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238