Up and Down Arrows don't work

Question

Level 1

11 points

Up and Down Arrows don't work

Recently, for some reason, my up and down arrows on my macbook pro don't work at all,
not for scrolling, not for games, not for anything. I tried everything, googling it and whatnot.
Also, the alt-option key isn't registering either. When in Safari, i wanted to pop up the Downloads window via alt-option / command / L, but instead it only did Command-L and didn't do what I wanted.
Any Ideas?

macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 18, 2009 9:51 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 18, 2009 10:05 AM in response to joeymichael

Check in System Preferences > Speech and in System Preferences > Universal Access to see if those keys are assigned as hotkeys for any of the functions in those preferences panes.

You might also try a PRAM reset: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

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Answer 2

joeymichael Author

Level 1

11 points

Jun 18, 2009 10:19 AM in response to neuroanatomist

They aren't hot keys, and I tried to do the PRAM reset, but in order to do that, you would need the keys CTRL, ALT, P, and R, and my alt button doesn't work.

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Answer 3

Jun 18, 2009 10:27 AM in response to joeymichael

Well, I'd try verifying that a keypress is being registered. Go to System Preferences > International > Input Menu tab, check the box for Keyboard Viewer, then click the flag that appears at the right in the menu bar, and select Show Keyboard Viewer. Press the option key or the arrow keys - in the little on-screen keyboard, do you see the pressed keys flash gray? If not, it's almost certainly a hardware problem. Another way to confirm that is to create a new user (System Preferences > Accounts) and log in as that user - if the problem persists, it's even more likely hardware. If that's the case, visit an Apple Store or call AppleCare.

One more question - how did you set up your system? Did you clone an old system onto your new one, or swap in an HDD from a previous Mac laptop?

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Answer 4

joeymichael Author

Level 1

11 points

Jun 18, 2009 7:09 PM in response to neuroanatomist

i tried your keyboard viewer idea, and it didn't turn grey, so i guess it IS a hardware problem.
I just hope it's not expensive to get it fixed.

& i never set up my laptop, i bought it off of eBay.
I'm only seventeen. these big tech words go straight over my head. ha.

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Answer 5

Aug 13, 2009 9:23 AM in response to joeymichael

Having a similar issue w/ an intel iMac, my sight impaired friend, using 10.4.11, is unable to use up/down arrow keys in Safari. These keys do work in other applications. Suggestions?

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