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Macbook Pro Key repeat problem

I've had my MacBook Pro for almost 2 years now but it's recently started to have keyboard repeat issues. The keys are not physically stuck but behave like they are, in a totally random manner - including the delete key and the space bar. Messages will end up lookinggggggg a bittttttt like thissssssssssssss. Very annoying.
This tends to be accompanied by a sluggish trackpad too. Then after a while - it behaves normally again.
I have nothing else attached - anyone any ideas?

Thanks
curlydog

MacBook Pro 15" 2.5GHz Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 13, 2010 12:52 PM

Reply
39 replies

Sep 1, 2010 7:43 PM in response to curlydog

My spacebar just started doing the same thing. It's not physically stuck but will begin entering repeat spaces in a text box with the only remedy being a restart. I've had my Macbook since January and it's my third mac and is the first to have this occurrence. The only difference in my setup pre/post problem was the software update I did over the weekend (security update, etc...). I most definitely think this is a software issue.

Sep 25, 2010 1:55 PM in response to curlydog

I have had this problem crop up recently as well. Although I have a 2008 Mac Pro and not a Macbook Pro, this problem has been giving me such a headache. The wide spacing before "2008.." is an example of this repeating key problem that I too believe to be software related. I'm not sure which Software Update patch I downloaded just prior to this problem arising, but it's within the last few weeks for me, I'd say. It also appears that that some of my keystrokes are not being registered at all now, as I'm constantly having to backspace and retype letters and spaces, etc. In addition to these persistent annoyances, my mouse has also started acting flakey. Sometimes the buttons will reverse, my left clicks becoming right clicks, and to correct this I either have to restart, or just pressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss anyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy <--- here we go... anyway, press any and all mouse buttons furiouslyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to get it to correct itself. I am convinced that this is a software problem, as I've never had these problems occur before recently. Here's hoping Apple can pin this one down and fix it quickly : \

Oct 3, 2010 1:32 AM in response to curlydog

I'm having the same problem with an external keyboard attached to my Macbook Pro. Notice the spacing - an example of the repeat key issue. It has also started to repeat the numbers 11,22,33 - those should only be single digit (i.e. 123) - lol . Oddly enough it will not repeat numbers entered on the numpad. Also the external keyboard works perfectly in XP on Bootcamp I have reset PMU and SMU and still the problem persists. It started right after the last iTunes update (10.0.1). I have adjusted the key repeat rate and Universal Access options to no avail.

Oct 8, 2010 7:20 PM in response to Timothy Dion

Having the same issue on my Macbook Pro 2009 edition. Only started today. I can't find a reproducible recipe but I do know a restart fixes the issue. Although thats not a real solution. I'm current on software updates but nothing in the last 24 hours so somewhat confused as to what could be the root cause. Most commonly the spacebar repeats but often its a different key.

Regards, --Kip

Nov 11, 2010 8:58 PM in response to curlydog

I've been having an occasional key repeat problem for a while, I'd say for a year. I'll be typing, and then I'll stop, and the last key I pressed starts repeating and keeps going until I press another key. I've also seen it miss characters sometimes. This happens more often than a key repeating by itself. I'll be sure I pressed a key, but I get "wrds like ths." Maybe I'm just not pressing a key "deep" enough. Sometimes I've tried typing a bit slower and that seems to help.

I regret not bringing my laptop in for someone to look at earlier, but I've been very busy for the last couple years. The problem hasn't occurred often enough to make it a problem that I felt compelled to solve right away. It just feels like an annoyance, like, "Come on. This shouldn't have made it off the line like this!" I don't want to start a "war", but I had a Windows laptop before my Mac and I never had these problems with the keyboard. There are other attributes I like about my Mac, so it's annoying but not a big deal for me.

I usually run VMWare Fusion 2.0, and I've suspected that it's a culprit. The problem doesn't just occur on web pages, though that's where I usually notice it when it happens. I've seen it in TextEdit as well. What I notice is it happens when I've got something else running in the background taking up CPU time. Maybe the computer is swapping to/from disk. Sometimes I've seen it happen on a web page with some slow Javascript on it, again taking up CPU time. It seems to me it's a matter of the hardware or software missing the signal from the keyboard. Perhaps it's related to the "keyboard sleep" problem, which I've also seen, where the keyboard and trackpad just go dead. In this case I put the computer to sleep for a bit and then wake it back up. That brings both back for a bit, but it usually reoccurs, in which case I reboot it.

I've been hoping that Apple would come out with a patch for the key repeat problem. So far I haven't seen it. Would an upgrade to Snow Leopard fix it?

Nov 14, 2010 9:58 AM in response to curlydog

Hi, same issue here. I believe it surfaced two ago, perhaps. At first I also thought of a sticking key. But the issue occurs with any key, independent of the force used. It also occurs with backspace/delete... which is terrifying when I see (and believe it or not, it happened right here and now with the space key) my text being eaten away. The progression seems to stop when hitting entry key or spacebar. But I'm not 100% about that. This actually feels like a bug that 'develops', becomes more frequent (again space repeat) and also may take on different form -characters typed not being entered properly. I use Pages 2008 3.0.3 all the time. It was there I saw the problem happen for the first time. This space is the first place I experienced the 'repeating key' happen outside Pages.

Dec 16, 2010 6:39 AM in response to curlydog

Same problem here. I noticed the problem very soon after an SMC Firmware update (1.4?) in October 2010. Also started having trackpad problems as well. Still not sure if they're related.

I created a Boot Camp partition and I see the same key repeating issue in Windows 7. So far, after 2 days, the trackpad is still working under Windows 7.

My MBPro (2008) is in mint condition and am not sure what to think. I've ordered a new "Top Case Flex Cable for Model A1260" and am hoping that will resolve my problem.

Will post back if I find anything definitive.

shunil

Jan 6, 2011 12:39 AM in response to txparticleman

I also have a MBPro (2008) and have this problem for more than 2 years now. I once had my keyboard replaced for this but in the end it did not seem to help. Now I do not have AppleCare anymore.

Maybe this problem might be related with http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1365569&tstart=15&start=0 ,
the unresponsive keyboard and trackpad problem, which occasionally also occurs on my MBPro.

IIIIIf anyone has good results on replacing the "Top Case Flex Cable" please inform us.

Jan 15, 2011 10:17 AM in response to Zillion

I have Early 2008 MBP and I've been experiencing the key repeat problem intermittently. I've been running BOOTCAMP exclusively. I feel the problem is with the motherboard chipset. The physical keys feel fine.

Also intermittently trackpad looses multitouch functionality (does not perform two finger right click, fails two finger scroll, or fails tap to click). In that situation I have to put the laptop to standby/sleep and after resume the trackpad starts to operate normally. Also, I see this problem more frequently with trackpad drivers above the original 2.0 (Anything with 3.0 3.1, or 3.2 the trackpad fails more frequently.

I believe the key repeat problem and trackpad problems are all related to each other.

Macbook Pro Key repeat problem

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