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neu242 Author

Level 1

10 points

Keyboard stops working in Snow Leopard when using Spaces

A couple of times a day, the keyboard stops working when I select another space using a keyboard shortcut. It does not happen every time I switch spaces.

Symptoms:
~ The Spaces selector stays on-screen, it doesn't fade away as usual
~ The keyboard is unresponsive for regular typing (such as in a text document or in Terminal)
~ I can still use keyboard shortcuts to move to another space
~ The Keyboard Viewer still shows keys as I type them
~ The mouse and touchpad works as it should

The only thing that makes the keyboard responsive again is either a reboot, or performing a standby + resume.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

This happens both on my non-unibody Macbook Pro 15" 2.5Ghz at work and on my unibody 13" Macbook at home.

Message was edited by: neu242

Macbook Pro 15" 2.5Ghz, Mac OS X (10.6.1), 4GB RAM

Posted on Sep 15, 2009 2:19 AM

292 replies

k.panic

Level 3

605 points

Dec 16, 2010 5:13 AM in response to Exivus

I am not running Things, but am experiencing the issue.

ARJ2010

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2011 4:23 AM in response to neu242

Just to chip in. I recently upgraded to Snow Leopard (10.6.5) from Leopard (10.5.8) and am now experiences this issue. It had never happened to me before I upgraded to Snow Leopard. It seems to happen intermittently but happen is does and regularly. It makes the mac unusable as the keyboard is frozen...

I am not running "things" for the record.

Jan 10, 2011 3:00 AM in response to gbvrules

I am also experiencing the same problems (which I find given the money I spent on upgrading to Snow Leopard) last year totally unacceptable. Also I tried re-installing the original Snow Leopard version (as per the DVD) and it all works fine but the minute the upgrade installs then everything goes wrong, so this is an Apple issue! So no Mac app store for me!

In common with other people this has no relation to what apps are installed or running, and quite frequently the problem cannot be fixed by simply removing then reinstalling they keyboard.

Time to move to Windows 7 perhaps? After all 2011 was my planned year to upgrade, but if the keyboard is not going to work then I am afraid that I wont be buying a new Mac after 10 years of having one.

Cheers,

rod

Jan 10, 2011 1:07 PM in response to neu242

Just adding that I suffer the problem. I don't run Things. It is sporadic, but usually when I have a lot going on, like running Photoshop in its own space and a browser full of tabs in another.

iangtodd

Level 1

0 points

Jan 11, 2011 7:33 AM in response to neu242

Just to say I am also having this issue. No keyboard, USB or on the laptop. However caps lock key is responsive and pressing command-alt-eject to sleep the laptop and bringing it back seems to have fixed it temporarily. Only happened since 10.6.6 update but could be a coincidence.

Jan 12, 2011 6:49 AM in response to neu242

I'm also having this problem and it only started very recently. I assume also that it coincides with the 10.6.6 update. Super, super annoying. 😟 I use the KillDock script to workaround, but it seems that once it happens once, then EVERY time I switch desktops I need to then click the KillDock script (which is now pinned to the Dock).

Jan 13, 2011 4:50 PM in response to neu242

Having the same problems for quite a while now. Switching spaces via keyboard short cut leaves the spaces menu on the screen and the keyboard unresponsive. Strange thing is that it only seems to happen when I switch to a certain profile on my razer death adder mouse and/or play Starcraft 2. Just a minute ago the the keyboard quit working all together(I had not even switched spaces). I have the top left expose set to put my display to sleep and that fixes the problem.

Jan 13, 2011 4:56 PM in response to AbdulaOblongata

Also note that the last time my keyboard quit I was playing Starcraft and my razer was in the certain config that I mentioned.

Jan 15, 2011 9:01 PM in response to neu242

I think that this bug can be prevented by disabling the swoosh animation that happens when switching spaces. This can be done in the terminal:

defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-swoosh-animation-off -bool YES && killall Dock

I haven't had any lockups for a day since disabling the animation.

Jan 17, 2011 10:25 PM in response to Alfred Yu

Oops, never mind. I just experienced the lockup even after disabling the swoosh.

Mac.S

Level 1

0 points

Jan 18, 2011 10:35 AM in response to Alfred Yu

I'm having the same problems with the keyboard when I use Spaces.

Since lately ctrl, alt, cmd-buttons stop working while playing StarCraft 2 - shift-button still work. My mouse (Razor DeathAdder) also making double clicks instead of single clicks (that may not have to do with the Spaces-problem).

Jan 18, 2011 1:29 PM in response to Mac.S

As soon as you mentioned the Razer I said, "ahh that's it". I recently added a Razer Death Adder (and its Mac software/drivers). While at work I use a regular ol Microsoft optical mouse and don't seem to experience this problem at all.

nle

Level 1

0 points

Jan 27, 2011 1:05 PM in response to chris.braddock

I have the same issue in Starcraft 2 with ctrl stops working, and my mouse sometime doubleclick on single click.

I have an MacBook Pro 15" (the last version of the pre unibody). The keyboard issue is both on the internal keyboard and external (apple bluetooth). I use and old logitech mx310 while playing SC2. Mouse sometimes doubleclick on singleclick.

I also have a friend who has the same issues. Not sure what sort of mouse he has, but he uses a Macbook Pro 13" unibody (he also tried both internal and external apple keyboard).

We think it is an issue with an SC2 update.

And, btw. both uses Things.. not sure if I have played with it open tough (I usually close all other apps)

hprata

Level 1

0 points

Jan 28, 2011 6:31 AM in response to neu242

This happens to me after 10.6.6 on a macbookpro 17" 2.66 intel without using spaces. It must be something else. I was working in CS4 photoshop and Illustrator when it happened with safari opened. Do all of you have CS3, CS4, CS5 installed?

Mac.S

Level 1

0 points

Jan 28, 2011 7:44 AM in response to nle

Well, I found a solution for myself: deactivate Spaces. I don't have issues anymore, neither with the mouse nor with the keyboard (both, working and playing). So, it's definitely a software problem...

Keyboard stops working in Snow Leopard when using Spaces