Unresponsive Keyboard and Trackpad problem FIXED/RESOLVED

Had this exact problem: keyboard + trackpad unresponsive. USB mouse and keyboard work fine.

I rolled up a sticky note and placed it over the ribbon cable, works fine now. Also, putting the MBP to sleep then pressing on the cable wakes it, and restores the functionality to the keyboard and trackpad.

AMAZING. I am downright shocked that this is a hardware problem. Oh well.

Problem solved!

I agree good "detective work", and I am sincerely happy for all of you MBP owners that this has resolved this "locking up issue". However, ever since I have installed Leopard OS I have experienced the same problem. My Mac Pro locks up several times a day (everyday), in random applications and even when I boot up, as well as, just sitting idle running no applications other than the normal system processes.

I know that there are several others experiencing this on their Mac Pros, the are several discussions on the Internet. The only resolution(s) given are the usual, which do not resolve the issue. Such as,

Re-install Leopard * been there *,

Run on an external HDD and reformatted my Boot HDD and re-installed everything, which was nice cuz I got rid of the kazillion widgets, screen savers, freeware and shareware apps that have been chewing up my HDD anyway * yep *,

OPT CMD+PR to reset PRAM * I am seeing this keyboard combination in my dreams now; I am currently considering training my pet Bulldog (Lacy) to do this... I mean 4-keys, she has 4-paws, looks like a natural combination *,

Repair Permissions * can do this with both hands tied now *,

Run Disk Utilities * Disk Utility App, bought Drive Genius 2 "hummm, some genius" *,

Open up box and cleanup and check all connections * I feel like a MAID these days... no insults intended for any real World Maids out there *,

Would tape battery for PRAM; but Mac Pro doesn't have one * maybe I should open up the box and toss an EverReady in for good measure snicker *,

Updated all Logitech, HP, Lexmark, Canon, Panasonic, Brothers drivers * even though this began happening before I installed any of these Apps in the first place, also, have all the most current APPLE drivers and Application updates *,

Even purchased Net Barrier, Virus Barrier, Personal Anti-Spam * just in case some varmit was able to get past Apple's normal outstanding virus protection *,

Turn off Energy Saver * even though this is not very ecologically prudent, did it anyway, GreenPeace folks will be on me for this I'm sure of it *,

Rebuilt the Desktop * I knew this was a "bottom of the barrel... desperate... solution" * so I did it TWICE *

I also use Parallels for MAC, so I even once cleared the Boot HHD and bypassed placing Parallels on it * nope, couldn't blame it on one of those NASTY Windows XP Applications ... RATS! *

So, basically, I am at a TOTAL LOSS.... I had to jump on to my DELL Latitude to do work so many times now, that I added a Startup .WAV file that first emits the old "Renfield Laugh" then says "WhatsdaproblemStoopid' yer hotshot MAC Pro CRASH Again?" followed by the Renfield Laugh. Did this to teach me a lesson about "bragging about my MAC PRO" and rubbing it into my co-worker's noses cuz they all run PCs at home and not a MAC. It seems to have worked, cuz I haven't "bragged" since I installed Leopard. I hope none of those guys "surf this forum", I haven't told any of em' about my MAC PRO issues.... Pride before the Fall.... *sniff sniff sob*

PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME..... I CANNOT EAT "CROW", I HATE EATING WILD GAME........

Steve Eugene!

you're the man! thanks for the help!

I taped a piece of paper (that is folded into a square) on the little metal thing so it doesn't move around. It works fine now.. I hope it stays like that forever.

It just doesn't feel safe / right to do it, but for the convenience of it - I guess I don't have much choice. I hope it doesn't burn or get over heat or anything...

My trackpad was working fine, only a few keys = 8 i k , wasn't working right. the arrow key "left" and "right" is messed up as well.

I am using 10.5.5 and the macbook pro bought in Oct 2007. the old model, not the newest one.


Gordon

This is truly a godsend. Thankyouthankyouthankyou. I'm far and away from civilization, I would have had to wait till january 12 to repair my machine and wait for weeks afterwards.

It's shameful that Apple is having this kind of quality control issues: I have a powerbook titanium that has never required servicing. This machine, although wonderfully fast, has had 3 major problems already: a dead battery after 6 months, this dead keyboard issue and now the new battery is dying on me again. In 21 years using apple products I've never seen anything like this.

I've had this problem for a few months now. I'm actually on my 4th top case. Due to a dropping incident my MacBook's case has a slight bend in it. I think this is somehow causing the battery to rub against the ribbon. For a while I was able to fiddle with the ribbon to get the system working again but after trying to get it work consistently it was like the ribbon gave out. This has happened the 3 different trackpads and my 4th has just arrived, we will see how long this one lasts. I will try to put some sort of padding to protect/hold down the ribbon but I'm wondering if I should just try to re-bend my case or something.

That isn't really reassuring. I got mine switched a few months ago, and the problems are starting to come back. The keyboard will miss keys, and the trackpad will occasionally stop working as well as the MBP randomly ejecting the drive. I'm going to try all the software stuff before sending it back again. But it really ***** if all they're going to do is switch the top case since that's obviously not the only thing that's screwed. It has to be a combination with the top cases and the connectors/casing. Otherwise having it return would be way too improbable.

"Sadly" my current issues aren't 100% identical to the old ones, the freezes are shorter and I didn't get the eject that often before. So I can't check system preferences and see that the keyboard isn't connected. But it's useless as a notebook right now. Can't take it to class and so on. This is ******* me the **** off. I love Apple, and I want to be able to keep using their computers, but there's no way I'm ever buying a MBP again. A Macboook is as far as I'll be able to go after this kind of crap.

OMG!!!! IT WORKS!!!

I've done all (and I do mean ALL) of the software fixes, but NOTHING!!

Not at least, until I tried fondling with the ribbon under the battery. Presto!! it works!

Man! a fully-blown out $2,800 MCP with about another $4,000 worth of software, only to brought down by a 5-dollar ribbon. C'mon Mac!!!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c64/shadowsurgeon/MBPFIX.jpg

My mouse and trackpad went completely unresponsibe after a reboot. On loggin into apple I discover my MacBook Pro is one week out of warranty. After googling the problem I saw that it was a common issue and was alarmed to see that it some cases it costs $1000+ to fix, including replacement of chips, keyboards, etc. etc.

I read this thread and, although extremely skeptical, I duly taped down a piece of cardboard over the copper bit as described. Un- *ing-believable. It works!

Steve Eugene:

I have been wrestling with the same, exact problem for two weeks (12/2008). My MBP is over a year old. NH Winters = cold. MBP = hot. On/Off outside, inside = thermal stress on connectors. I noticed that pressing on the flex cable under the battery worked (brought the keyboard back) but, over days, that stopped fixing the problem. Dead keyboard and trackpad. External USB keyboard works fine.

Called Apple Support. That was not worth the energy I used to dial the telephone. Apple says: "We don't know" send to repair. Might be $20 might be $200. Might find nothing. Serial # not recalled, so we don't know.

This morning at 9:06 AM, I tried the napkin trick. Instant success.

DEAR APPLE, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS THREAD. YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TO FIX HERE!

Thank you, Steve!

Jim

i think i started having Macbook pro trackpad and keyboard freezes in September last year. Thankfully my macbook pro is connected to a monitor with wireless keyboard and mouse most of the time. It has been getting steadily worst over the months and i have found no cure. But more and more are reporting the problem. During the macworld keynote i was sat trying to read the blogupdates of the live event. 4 times my keyboard and mouse froze and the only way to fix it is a hard restart via the powerbutton. It's impossible to take to client meetings.

I'd like to take it back to be fixed, but is there anything to be fixed hardware wise or is it a software problem?

I got my Macbook Pro in August of 2007, and just a few months later I began having trackpad and keyboard issues. I could be in the middle of typing something, and suddenly neither would work. The only way to resolve it was to perform a hard restart with the power button. I brought to a Genius bar in the city (I live in Brooklyn) and the guy there said that it had to be a software issue, even though I didn't upgrade to Leopard. He did a Firmware reset and it seemed to help... but now I'm back to where I started and I occasionally go to use my computer and realize that neither work.

As someone suggested, I put a piece of a sticky note in between the battery and where the ribbon cable is, and hopefully this will resolve the issue. However, is it really safe to be placing paper where the battery is though? Is there something else that I can use to put pressure on the ribbon cable (that won't result in the destruction of my precious computer)?

It's rather distressing that Apple is not reviewing its forums and listening to their customers. It's not as if their hardware is cheap. Isn't a happy customer the best way to do business?

Hi everybody,
I add myself to the unlucky macusers affected by this problem and not being able to fix it with the sticky-note solution under the battery. I can press the ribbon cable as much as I want, no effect whatsoever. I've also took apart the top case to check whether the connector was loose on the other end, and it wasn't.
So, both my trackpad and keyboard suddendly stopped working and never come back. They don't show up in the system profiler, I've tried all:
-restart
-reset PRAM
-reset SMC
-repairing permissions
-creating a vanilla user
-booting from my external backup clone drive


Nothing!
All I see at reboot is my mouse pointer stuck in the upper left corner of the screen and paralysed there.
External USB mouse and keyboard work.

Any ideas? Should I just resign to the bitter reality of a top case replacement?
Ok, I have Apple Care, but I live and work in Burundi, so the closest Apple Center is a few thousands miles away, mind you?
I had my motherboard repalced just one week ago, during Xmas holidays in Italy, because of the faulty Nvidia GPU 8600M GT acknowledged by Apple.
Before that I had to have my display replaced twice and once the optical drive.

Before this MBP, I owned a PB G4 Alu: had to change the display (myself) once, and the mobo got broken 3 times: yes 3, and even if it was a fault acknowledged by Apple (faulty upper RAM slot) since my PB Serial Number was just a few hundreds out of the official faulty batch, I didn't have it repaired by Apple for free, as it was my right, since clearly the official serials batch was "optimistically" faulty as well.

Before that I had a TiBook G4: both hinges snapped, one after the other, and I had to buy them on eBay, have them DHLed to Burundi and replace them myself with epoxy and all. It was no fun, let me tell you. Then the display started flickering. And then again the trackpad ribbon cable got worn and I luckily found a sticky-note like solution on this discussions, so that I could repair it myself with a little patch of tape.

I'm an enthousiastic macevangelist since 1986, I've persuaded tens of friends to buy a Mac, and I'm providing "24h/24 DIY Apple Tech Service" to all Mac users in Burundi for free... Mother Apple: do I deserve all that?! Are you testing my worship to see if I deserve to seat in the same room as Holy Steve once we will be both in Heaven (where all macusers go, as you certainly already know ;-)?

Brunus

I would add one more MBP "Unresponsive Keyboard...Trackpad" symptom and, its apparent solution for me. I've found that while online, after Minimizing a number (>8-20) of web pages for later reading, my trackpad will not perform "grab" a window (doubletap) or "drag" functions-I discovered this after trying everything logical/intuitive to remedy an unresponsive trackpad. By accident I found that having closed all the open pages, my trackpad normalized. I doubted the "cause and effect" of this but have duplicated the action many times.

Not resolved. Not fixed.
I did the tape thing and it seemed to work for a week or so.
Then back to unresponsiveness.
MAJ0R BUMMER.
This should be a recall issue.
Or did we all just invest in crap?

Thank you so much steve!
Every time I bring it in for a diagnostic at the apple stores, they always resort to a clean sweep of my MBP. I have spent almost $300 of getting an external hard drive, and extra softwares in hopes of fixing, but still, to this day, the unresponsiveness still occurs. I will bring up your idea tomorrow at another scheduled diagnostic. I hope it works for my MBP as it has for others!
Thank you so much!