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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

Bee Jay

Level 6

10,900 points

Apr 8, 2011 3:17 AM in response to jleefw

This is an annoying one.

I bought a new iMac, running 10.6.6, and the keyboard froze on that a few times - I thought it might have been an issue with the hardware. And then it started happening on my 10.6.6 MBP (not frequently, maybe once or twice a month).

I just asked a colleague here, also running 10.6.6, whether he's had his keyboard freeze up since going to Snow Leopard, and he said yes it happens to him also.

It affects both the internal laptop keyboard, and externally connected USB keyboards. Unplugging USB devices doesn't help, neither does force-quitting the Finder. Logging out and back in will fix the hang (ie get the keyboard working again), as will rebooting.

Most of the time, when it hangs, I'm left with the little spaces graphic hanging on the window (the one that appears when you switch spaces using the keyboard) so it seems like perhaps it's related to Spaces.

And this seems to be a pretty widespread issue. I was just about to upgrade to 10.6.7 in the hope it had been fixed, but it doesn't seem like it has, from reports here...

Bee Jay

Level 6

10,900 points

Apr 8, 2011 3:52 AM in response to Bee Jay

Just to mention - I've run SnowLep on this machine since 10.6.0, and I've only had this issue with 10.6.6... it never happened before that.

Apr 8, 2011 3:55 AM in response to Bee Jay

Me too.

Apr 8, 2011 12:42 PM in response to neu242

To expand this problem a little - I have four sign-in's on a iMac Mini. It only locks out the keyboard on one of them and so far only when using Word. The only way out so far is by restart.

In addition - to open most anything requires passwords.

There is also a problem in permissions. Network connected hard drives are only accessible by the first person to open them. If a second ejects the unusable drive and reopens it - he steals the drive and the first person is locked out. Permissions cannot be changed no matter what we try.

Calling Apple we spent hours on three different levels and finally they suggested go to the close Apple Store with everything (lots of unwiring) and to back up everything. Ever try to back up a 500g drive thru a G3, 10.4.11 and old ports? I don't trust the i
Mac Mini with the 10.6.7

eyecool

Level 1

0 points

Apr 13, 2011 11:51 AM in response to Bee Jay

Wow, this just started happening to me yesterday. I've been using the same Mac Pro without issues for years. I've even had 10.6.7 installed for weeks, without issue.

Spaces window sticks to screen. I have to manually click on the space I'm on (from the toolbar), to get that to go away. Expose stops working. The keyboard won't type text, although it functions like iTunes back/pause/forward do work. Some shortcuts seem to work too.

The only thing I've done different within the past 24 hours was install 2 apps, Voila and Little Snapper.

This issue is driving me nuts!

Additional info -
The show character viewer/show keyboard viewer icon is now on my toolbar. First time I've ever seen it..

Message was edited by: eyecool

eyecool

Level 1

0 points

Apr 13, 2011 6:32 PM in response to eyecool

Resetting the PRAM and NVRAM seems to have solved the issue for me: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379

I use 16 spaces across multiple monitors, heavy on the expose. I was locking up on just about every space change.

Hopes this helps someone in the future!

Apr 14, 2011 1:54 PM in response to neu242

I have never set up spaces but the keyboard locks up on a constant basis. I was able to have more than one sign in and use the drives on the network but after 10.6. they cannot be accessed because they are listed a no access and cannot be changed. Permissions are screwed up and cannot be corrected. Utility says they are corrected but they do not change.'

I have found only restarting regains control. Apple accelerated help informed me to bring system (computer, keyboard, drives, and time capsule) into the local store and let them see it.

Any one else get help yet????

Apr 17, 2011 5:39 AM in response to sixtyeight

I am having the same problem, and it is nothing to do with having spaces set up as well. Also the problem is due to something in Snow Leopard as I have completely erased and reinstalled it. Furthermore, I have also reset the NVRAM, again that made no difference.

Come on Apple get this fixed this has been happening for months now, also I am due to buy a new computer later this year and at this rate it will be Windows based!

Apr 25, 2011 9:17 PM in response to neu242

FWIW, I didn't start seeing it until I started using Spaces. When I turn off Spaces, the message stops happening. These were the last messages logged before I turned it off. (I added line breaks for readability)

4/25/11 8:20:48 PM com.apple.Dock.agent[143] Mon Apr 25 20:20:48
[my machine].local Dock[143] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument:
CGSSetWindowTransformsAtPlacement: Singular matrix at index 0:
[nan 0.000 0.000 nan]
4/25/11 8:20:48 PM com.apple.Dock.agent[143] *** process 143 exceeded 500 log message per second limit
- remaining messages this second discarded ***

Seems pretty logical to me that they are connected in some way. I'm not experiencing huge performance hits (only have 4 Spaces) but it is clogging up my Console messages such that if I am trying to troubleshoot something else it becomes impossible to peruse.

sandra

Apr 26, 2011 8:05 AM in response to Sandra Guzdek

My MBP from 2007 was running Tiger and I wiped the disk to 0 and installed Snow Leopard, but now if I start up not in safe mode, the keyboard isn't recognized, nor is any clicking. The cursor shows up and moves, but nothing else. (in addition, I get the "blue screen of death" that I've read about at startup and my airport isn't being detected. Oh right. And if the screen goes black from falling asleep, it doesn't wake back up. It's just gone.)

Guigeek

Level 1

0 points

May 6, 2011 9:56 AM in response to neu242

Hello! I have the keyboard freeze problem too

For me it appears when I use the computer (iMac4,1) for about 30-45min, then the keyboard stop working and later (if Idon't unplug->replug, because I use EyeTV) the mouse isn't responsive anymore too. But my issue doesn't seem to be spaces related.

Today there was something strange: keyboard and mouse stopped working as usual but unplug->replug didn't do anything. Then I put it in sleep and I haven't been able to wake it again!! No other solution than unplugging the computer in sleep!!!

markked

Level 1

8 points

May 18, 2011 2:18 AM in response to neu242

Just wanted to add im also experiencing the same issue. When I use keyboard shortcuts or use the scren edge shortcut with my mouse to activate Spaces, after a while, no real determined time, my keyboard no longer works. Letters, numbers do not work. But the feature keys (screen brightness, volume, backlit keyboard levels) all work but the keyboard letters and numbers do not. When this happens, the Spaces indicator gets frozen on my screen as well.

The only way to fix it is to restart, which is ANNOYING. It's starting to happen at least once a day.

Jun 8, 2011 7:20 AM in response to eyecool

Resetting the PRAM and NVRAM as suggested by eyecool didn't work for me. Only workarounds that seem to return the keyboard to my control are (1) sleep/wake, (2) bring up login window then log back in, (3) restart (obviously). This is a very frustrating problem!

I'm actually considering stopping using spaces, but I don't know how well I'd function...!

Jun 12, 2011 1:25 PM in response to westmoquette

Westmoquette, sadly if my experience is anything to go by this is nothing to do with spaces. I don't think frustrating is quite the word, in my case I am now considering moving back to Windows as it is the only way to get more than 10 minutes use out of a computer.

The only tip I can give is to roll back the Mac to a fresh install of Snow Leopard, that seems to work for me but sadly some software I have requires an updated version of Snow Leopard, or advises it.

Rod

Jun 16, 2011 3:41 PM in response to the_linguist

The first 16 pages of this thread were about an issue that occurs when switching between Spaces and results in the keyboard not working for typing, but with the ability to switch Spaces and use the brightness, volume, and playback keys (but NOT the Exposé or Dashboard ones); the last few comments about the keyboard and mouse stopping functioning entirely is a different, unrelated issue. In the latter case, the kb & mouse typically disappear from the System Profiler list of USB devices.

I too have the Spaces issue -- after switching Spaces a few times, the Spaces window hangs on the screen until I switch Spaces from the Menu Item, at which point it'll fade away but keyboard input still fails to be recognized as such (or is being captured by a rogue process).

Sandra -- those log errors occur from a known issue with Google Chrome, although I thought it was isolated to the developer build (which I'm using). However, they only seem to occur randomly for me, but when they do occur they appear continually while I'm interacting with Chrome. Switching to a different application results in a halt to their generation, until I go back to Chrome. Not sure whether they're indicative of something going on with Spaces though, since I get them plenty even while not using Spaces.

--Matthew

Keyboard stops working in Snow Leopard when using Spaces