Keyboard/Mousepad Freezes

After the memory upgrade the MacBook Pro went one full day before freezing again. No obvious cause or solution yet.

I am also having this issue. It started with the trackpad occasionally not recognizing tap-to-click, and sometimes even though I thought I typed a key, it didn't register. Then about 5 minutes ago, the keyboard and trackpad completely stopped working, even though stuff was still happening on the screen, and music was still playing from iTunes. I was also able to plug in my iPod touch and sync it without a problem. So I held the power button until it turned off the computer, then turned it back on.

Hi folks,

I've got this problem too... just started happening out of nowhere about a month ago. I've still got 10.5.5 installed.

Adding a USB mouse and/or keyboard is the only way to get a response, besides a hard reset with the power button. No response with the lid.

Mid-2007 model, which otherwise has been rock-solid.

I'm in the same boat... Mac OS X 10.5.6 Macbook Pro Late 2007/Early 2008.

Failed on Migration from old macbook (Late 2007/Early 2008) to new Macbook Pro. I restarted and now I can't use the keyboard and trackpad on the old macbook? It seems like it's been wiped of it's Firmware for internal USB devices... keyboard and trackpad.... also the Trackpad preference pane is missing and won't install even with a complete Erase and Install of Mac OS X. I have tried wiping and installing 10.5, then wiped again and restored to 10.4, then upgraded to 10.5 and then up to 10.5.6 and still nothing and none of the Firmwares on Apples site will work either?

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

I finally called AppleCare about this issue. They had me go through the same reset procedure.
1. Turn off the computer.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Hold down the power button (I think they told me 10 seconds, I went 15)
4. Put the battery back in.
5. Hold down Command, Option, P and R while hitting the power button. Hold them down until after the second Apple chime.

He said if that didn't work, I should try doing an archive install. Well, it didn't work and neither did my install disks.

I contacted AppleCare again and they sent me new disks. I did the archive and install process this weekend. I was impressed. It's ironic that as often as you hear about PC owners reformatting and reinstalling their OS, it's Apple that has the process down pat to where it reinstalls the OS but saves your programs, accounts and settings.

Anyway, before the Archive and Install, I was up to 10.5.6. Now I'm back to 10.5.4. My up-time is at 23 hours, 37 minutes and nothing's frozen yet.

I removed the battery just to see what's going on under there.. and there's a thin orange strip next to a wider gray strip that runs semi-exposed under the battery. The thin orange one is un-taut as if there's too much material there, so it sticks out a little.. the battery is probably pressing against it. Could that have anything to do with this?

Yap, it happened to me 3 times so far. It stinks.

I figured that last time Apple updated Trackpad Preference Panel, the problem appeared.
Apple gotta come out with bug fix fast. Since it doesn't produce 'noticiable' crash it doesn't
get reported, there might be a lot more cases.

Here is the console readout I think that's related.
Jan 17 17:08:37 TJsMBP-15 kernel[0]: AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::_deviceSetReport - DeviceRequest for reportID 0xac returned with result 0xe000404f - retrying
Jan 17 17:08:44 TJsMBP-15 kernel[0]: AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::validateChecksum - packet checksum is incorrect (expected 0x27a, checksum bytes were 0xd32)
Jan 17 17:08:50 TJsMBP-15 kernel[0]: AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::message - kIOUSBMessagePortHasBeenReset.
Jan 17 17:09:20: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

I still have this problem, too. And I also found the same messages in the syslog:

Jan 16 02:11:11 my-macbook-pro kernel[0]: AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::validateChecksum - packet checksum is incorrect (expected 0x1cc, checksum bytes were 0xda4)
Jan 16 02:11:16 my-macbook-pro kernel[0]: AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::message - kIOUSBMessagePortHasBeenReset.

I can hardly imagine a hardware related problem to these symtoms. But my garantee has just a few weeks left. So I consider to ask AppleCare what to do (exchange logicboard or whatever).

I can temp. fix the problem by closing and reopening the notebook. But the touchpad und keyboard will freeze again when I do not touch the touchpad for a few seconds!
But when I continue to touch the touchpad afer wakeup (never let a finger off the touchpad for longer then a few seconds), I can keep it alive for a very long time. Crazy!
This is why I feel that this bug is software related.

Sometimes I also have these errors shown above in the syslog without freezing the touchpad/keyboard.
And sometime is't freezing without any errors in the log.

While I work on my wireless keyboard and mouse I don't see the problem for days. When I use the touchpad the problem seems to be ignited. It seems as if the error shows up only when I use the touchpad. (as if false imput values from the touchad crash the driver).

Apple has to fixes this, soon.
I also have the NVIDIA bug/crash and the LED backlid bug.
Apple? Do you read this? I have bought Apple because of quality.... And a keyboard and touchpad is something that should be rock solid. Think about it.

BTW: No software / hardware is perfect. But woudn't it be nice to see an official statement here? I never ever have read an official statement here from apple. Don't the read their own board?

Apple does NOT read the forums. In order to have this problem recorded you need to call tech support or take it to the Genius Bar.
The day after I installed a 4Gb memory upgrade I had a freeze. But, I haven't had a freeze now for almost 3 weeks.

I've called tech support and went to the Genius Bar and they told me that Apple does NOT have this list as an issue.

Called Apple Care Germany. Agent could not fix the problem and has no idea (nothing in database about it). (PRAM, NVRAM reset, creating new user = the standard reply, I guess). Agent told me that keyboard/touchpad problems were rarely reported to him.

Will now get in contact with authorised apple service provider to ask for repair even when I do not think it's a hardware problem. But the garantee is ending next month... Clutching at staws.

One further straw it a fresh user account. This may show if the bug is bound to user land software. When the bug does not show with a fresh user, it's a problem with the userland. Maybe I can copy a plist file related to the touchpad/keyboard from a fresh user to my "corrupted" user and fix the problem this way? The agent said this might be a good idea but could not name the plist file that holds the user related values for touchpad/keyboard.

After phone call to apple care. I was aked by email to give feedback. Here is a copy of my reply:
----
Agent was very kind but could not help with technical problem that seems to be a bug in a driver for touchpad and keyboard (freezes very often!).

My biggest suggestion to improve support: READ the Apple Support forums! It's no good idea to offer support/discussion forums on the apple site and not to read there. You need to post offical statements there for the hotest topics! There are so many readers searching help and beeing frustrated because apple seems to "not care" about those who have allready payed the money...

I have serious problems with: Touchpad/Keyboard freezing regularly on early 2008 MBP. (seems to be driver related).

Please let us know about known bugs. This will help much. Apple information politics will push me to seek other products.
Thanks for your attention.
A customer who cares....
----

Talking to stones I guess. But who knows. Perhaps when we all give feedback this way there will be a move... (still a dreamer but I have a little hope: The anti glare option is back at least for the new 17" MBP after big protest... Other MPBs with anti glare may follow, I hope...).

Question: have any or all of you installed Apple's Built-In Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 to resolve the "ELP!" issue (1st key press not recognized)? I think this is what may have created the problem for me. Within hours of installing this update I had my first failed keyboard incident.

Many, many system re-installs later (with no results), I accidently discovered that it is a software issue (I had convinced myself it was a coincidental hardware failure). I finally discovered that re-installing Built-In Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 fixes the problem 100% of the time - but you can't run the installer package that you downloaded from Apple (it will give you a message that your keyboard already has the updated functionality), you have to run the Built-In Keyboard Firmware Update application that the installer package originally placed in your Utilities Folder - it will run without protest and ALWAYS fixes the problem for me. I thought about making the application a startup item, so that it runs ever time I start up, but it requires a password to install.

The fix is not stable. The keyboard/trackpad will work for hours to days but always ends up failing again. Does this work for anyone else?

More and more report about these problems:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1832477&tstart=0

Someone reported "i think i started having Macbook pro trackpad and keyboard freezes in September last year." Yes, this I what belive to have seen too. Maybe around that time it started. So I guess is must be a software. And more reporting this. So it's unlikely to be a hardware problem. But on the other hand there are those who bring their MBP to the Genius bar and let the logical Board replace.... Don't know if this makes sense if it really is software related... But in my case the garantee is running out in feb.09. I contacted the "Apple Authorized Service Provider" in my local area. But he didn't resond to my emails! I'll contac them by phone tomorrow. Clutching at straws again....

I just had the repeating keystroke twice (for the first time noticed). Up key and down key while scrolling in text did not stop. As if a ghost would press the key.
And there was a
AppleUSBMultitouchDriver::message - kIOUSBMessagePortHasBeenReset
again in the syslog.

Message was edited by: Lars Schenk

I believe that it is a mere coincidence that running the Keyboard Firmware Update seems to fix the problem. I merely restart the computer and it goes weeks without freezing. I have found that running VMWare seems to cause the problem more commonly than other applications but that could be a mere coincidence also. This is almost definitely a software issue although I can't find a way of recreating it at will.

Like many others, I've been having the same problem for some time. After thinking about it, I realized that the issue only occurs at home and never at the office. The only difference between the two is that I always use a USB-wireless mouse at work that gets plugged in before I boot up. This morning at home the problem started up again and persisted even after a reboot. So, I grabbed a usb mouse and rebooted again. Everything is working fine without issue. I'm going to plug in a usb key to see if this will also prevent the freezes. I won't mind having a usb key connected at home but a mouse will be a problem.