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Steve Eugene Author

Level 1

11 points

Unresponsive Keyboard and Trackpad problem FIXED/RESOLVED

I've been dealing with this issue since early December myself.
I purchased the MBP in November and had nearly a month with out any issues.

I spent nearly two hours on the phone with Apple Care via a specialist trying to diagnose the problem yesterday.
He did mention that they believe neither the 10.5.1 update or the MBP 1.1 update were to blame for occurrence of this issue. (I remain slightly skeptical)

Let me give you a short rundown of my problems and what I've done to help resolve the issue. Hopefully it'll help some of you.. or help me (with some of everyone else insight) if it happens again.

The symptoms:
keyboard and trackpad become unresponsive.
The problem is intermittent but often is completely unresponsive at start up.
USB mouse and keyboards have full functionality.

Kernel panics often occur as well. Usually this occurs just after the keyboard and track pad experience extreme intermittent "on and off" periods.
The only option is to do a hard-restart which my or may not resolve the unresponsiveness.

Things I've addressed in my particular case:

1. The battery recall issue - my battery (6N745288YFTA) is OK.
2. Resetting the PMU - no change.
3. Re-installing both the 10.5.1 and MBP 1.1 updates - no effect.
4. pressing the Function + S key at start up and running /sbin/fsck -fy The HD is said to be OK
5. I just finished an Archive and reinstall of Leopard = this seems to have fixed the issue for the moment. I have not run the Updater to bring the OS back to it's fully updated form yet.

The Archive and Re-install DID NOT WORK.
Even upon downloading and installing the 10.5.1 and 1.1 update, I'm still back at square one.

I've also been experiencing these phantom keystrokes to the eject key and backlight myself lately.

I've resolved to wait for the 10.5.2 official release to see of that helps... If not then I'll break down and send my machine in for service.

_____________________________________
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B05
SMC Version: 1.16f10
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

THE SOLUTION:

This is a HARDWARE problem!

After playing around with removing the battery and noticing that this often returned functionality to the keyboard I surmised that this had some sort of physical aspect.
Sure enough, there is a section of copper colored tape/wiring exposed in the batter slot that is slightly bowed where it's smallest.
When I depressed this with my finger tip on this portion to basically flatten it out flush against the housing; I found that all functionality was restored!

You can see the portion in the picture below.

I haven’t had any problems AT ALL since I took a piece of napkin and taped it down to sustain pressure on this portion of bowed tape/wiring.

I have yet to call AppleCare to see what they suggest I do.
I will post a reply here when I hear their suggestion.

Mac Book Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.1), 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz SDRAM

Posted on Jan 27, 2008 3:18 PM

Top-ranking reply

metaweb

Level 1

40 points

Posted on Apr 14, 2017 8:01 AM

Same problem here. It's a design issue. My keyboard and trackpad also stopped responding, couldn't get past login ... The problem is that Apple ran the trackpad cable over the top of the battery. And as Macbooks get thinner and thinner, component are snugger and snugger. So, when the battery heats up, and it will when watching YouTube videos or running video editing programs as many of us do, the trackpad cable gets unseated from the connected to the trackpad board. I have an Early 2015 Macbook Pro, and this problem surfaced just after the 1-year warranty period expired. If I turn my Macbook Pro over and firmly press in an up and down motion over the bottom case (under where the trackpad, trackpad cable and battery are all 3 aligned, then turn on my laptop, I once again have a working keyboard and trackpad and can login as normal. This is not what one would expect from such an expensive laptop. As these things get thinner and thinner ... problems will crop up more and more.

Apple Support will tell you to reset your NVRAM and SMC ... but that is the canned reply. Resetting those do fix other problems: keyboard backlights and other wonky issues ... but it will not reconnect an unseated trackpad ribbon. And if you are out of warranty ... just purchase a replacement ribbon on ebay and install it yourself. Taking it to an authorized Apple Repair Center will cost you an arm and a leg, especially outside of the USA where there's no price regulation.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/821-00184-A-Touchpad-Trackpad-Cable-for-Apple-MacBook-Pr o-Retina-13-A1502-2015-/111975916834?hash=item1a1248e522

The link above is only for the Early 2015 (March) MacBook Pro ... you will need to research your models ribbon for replacement.

View in context

382 replies

micheath

Level 1

8 points

Dec 19, 2009 8:50 PM in response to JaneBryant

The Apple support line had me try the option/control/p/r and power buttom several times with the power on and battery out , no success. after reading these threads from and earlier date and not having the paper on the ribbon trick work, I tried it again this time with battery in, power on, This time it worked. Unit went black then a whistling noise and it rebooted and keyboard and pad not working again.
Thanks all who contributed to this thread.
Mike

IPM80

Level 1

0 points

Jan 13, 2010 6:12 AM in response to micheath

My keyboard looks like it's not working while booting. I can only reset the pram when using my external USB keyboard. When pressing the keys on the macbook pro keyboard, nothing happens.

The keyboard and trackpad just stopped working completely one morning (i was rebooting the macbook pro to get my trackpad working, a few days earlier).
Pressing the orange ribbon in the battery compartment doesn't do anything for me.

Some new ideas?

IPM80

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2010 4:36 AM in response to Steve Eugene

Anyone?
I can not think it's a hardware fault, the problem suddenly happend overnight.

The macbook pro is always placed in a laptop sleeve and moved in a bag (Crumpler).

Jan 28, 2010 2:57 PM in response to jason robb

*A QUICKER FIX THAN A STICKY NOTE... A BROKEN END OF A Q-TIP TAPED OVER THE BULGING RIBBON WORKS **

Thanks Jason Robb for your post on your website

Feb 2, 2010 3:58 PM in response to RamzaMik

I am having the same issue - it started a few months ago and seems to be happening more frequently now. I have to close the case and then reopen it to make the keyboard and trackpad work. I am thinking of taking it to the Genius Bar but don't want to lose my computer for a week since I use it daily for work.

lesterk

Level 1

0 points

Feb 11, 2010 12:51 PM in response to NachtDesign

I had this problem not once, but TWICE! The first time was about 10 months after I bought the computer, Apple fixed it under the 1 year warranty. It happened AGAIN a few months ago, becoming worse and worse until the sticky note did not help anymore. I took it to the Apple Genius Bar, and they told me it's "not a widespread problem' and offered to have it repaired for $310+tax. I said no way, found a new top case on eBay for $100 and repaired it myself! Now...HOW DO I PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN???

akcelia

Level 1

0 points

Feb 19, 2010 2:13 PM in response to lesterk

My MBP just came back from Apple with the second set of new trackpad and keyboard, and the problem persists. I will try the paper fix next time it happens. It seems to happen more when there has been something in a USB port, and then it has gone to sleep, as if it is telling me that it wants more attention. It usually restarts and works until I plug something in, but occasionally the tp and kb lock up just for the heck of it. I would like to have a real fix before the extended warranty is up.

Feb 24, 2010 8:16 PM in response to Steve Eugene

This started happening to me Monday night, the 22nd (well, I first noticed it Monday night) when the mouse and cursor disappeared while I was editing a document (thankfully after hitting Save!). Had to hard reboot. It was starting to become more and more of a problem: keys were repeating, the cursor would randomly disappear... I even noticed that I'd click on the Mail icon in the Dock and a Finder window would open!

I tried this tonight and... everything seems back to normal. I am so incredibly grateful to have found this solution (workaround?). I'm still getting the occasional "AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::message - kIOUSBMessagePortHasBeenReset." message, but not one per second like I was seeing last night. I'm still keeping an eagle eye on Console logs, though...

Many thanks,
sandra

Mar 9, 2010 12:07 AM in response to Steve Eugene

I started having this problem just as my warranty expired, about a year ago. So I tried the folded paper between the battery and ribbon cable, and that solved the problem beautifully... for almost a year. Unfortunately, the problem resurfaced with a vengeance: now I have to use an external keyboard and mouse at all times. If heat from the battery was causing the ribbon-cable to buckle, it was also causing stress and damage to the cable, even after the buckling problem was solved by the folded paper.
I took it to the "genius bar," and was told the repair (replacing the keyboard and topcase) would cost close to $400, with a 90-day warranty. There's two problems with this: 1) since the problem originated with a design flaw (heat from the battery causing stress/premature failure of the ribbon cable), Apple should have offered an extended warranty for this issue, and 2) many people (in this forum and elsewhere) are reporting continuing problems after having the keyboard/topcase replaced... typically after six months or so (well beyond the 90-day repair warranty). This seems logical--- the underlying problem isn't the ribbon cable itself, but the heat from the battery, which will cause stress and damage to a replacement ribbon cable in the same manner as it did to the original. What this means is that I could cough up $400 for a repair, and then in six months I might have to cough up another $400 for the same repair again... all just to continue using a two-year old, $2000 laptop. Obviously, I'm not going to do that; instead, I'll buy a new Lenovo. By refusing to own up to a faulty product, Apple is losing money. They're driving away long-term customers, like me: my first computer was an Apple IIc, when I was 13 (in 1985), and I've used nothing but Apples ever since. Never again; I'm done with Apple.
Anyway, if your computer is out of warranty, and you're considering having the topcase/keyboard replaced at your own expense, think carefully: I don't believe the repair addresses the underlying problem, and if the problem resurfaces after 90 days, you're out of luck (and Apple doesn't care).

IPM80

Level 1

0 points

Mar 11, 2010 5:21 AM in response to kamchatka

I think you hit the nail, Kamchatka...
And I feel the same, I don't want to pay €250 replacing fee for a €1700 notebook because this occurred after the 1 year warranty and because it really looks like a design flaw.

Apple should really consider a callback. I want to use the notebook how it was intended to be used and not as a €1700 paperweight connected to an external mouse and keyboard.

Mar 22, 2010 1:52 PM in response to Steve Eugene

Just wanted to thank Steve for such a helpful post

I've had intermittently unresponsive keyboard and track pad for some time now

I was just about to put the machine in for an expensive service when I saw this article
and managed to fix the problem with cardboard and sellotape!!

thanks!!

Jon Pearn

Mar 23, 2010 4:51 AM in response to Steve Eugene

Hello. This morning after booting up my MacBook I found that I too had a "dead" trackpad and keyboard. After restarting and taking out the battery I plugged in some USB devices and was able to work a bit on my Mac. But then I got curious as to whether it was a software or hardware problem, so I rebooted in bootcamp under under Windows XP (SP2) and, poof!, a working keyboard and trackpad. After a quick switch back to OSX...nothing.
Anyone have any clue what the **** is going on here?

IPM80

Level 1

0 points

Mar 30, 2010 4:01 AM in response to Majikbean

So with the findings of Majik it seems that's not a hardware failure (well at least not on his macbook). I couldn't test it myself, I don't have Bootcamp, so I booted of a Snow Leopard DVD and I checked the Drive permissions. Still no working keyboard and trackpad. It seems that I have an other problem than Majik.

djb525

Level 1

20 points

Mar 30, 2010 2:14 PM in response to Majikbean

Did this happen after you updated to 10.6.3? I noticed after I updated, the trackpad sometimes registers a two-finger, or right click when there is only 1 finger used. I try clicking things and the right click menu comes up. I have a feeling it has to do with the update.

khosh

Level 1

0 points

Mar 30, 2010 11:11 PM in response to Steve Eugene

I've had the same problem with my Macbook aluminium (late 2008). Trackpad and keyboard stop working. I've tried 10.5, 10.6, 10.6.2 and 10.6.3 but it's the same. The Origami fix probably won't work since the macbook doesn't have the copper wire under the battery. I still gave it a shot, but no difference.

Writing this is actually the first time the keyboard and trackpad have started working again without a reboot. They went dead about 15 minutes ago but are now responsive.

This is really a pain. Apples support pages talk about improper grounding, but I've tried using the Macbook with the power cable attached and battery in, only battery and only the power cable. Still the same result. The keyboard and trackpad never go dead in the middle of writing or using the trackpad. It's always after I haven't touched it for a while.

I've considered installing Windows 7 to see if the problem persists there as well. That should determine if it's a hardware or software error.

Unresponsive Keyboard and Trackpad problem FIXED/RESOLVED