Will bad hard drive cause keyboard troubles?

Question

Will bad hard drive cause keyboard troubles?

First, here are all my computer specs:

first generation intel imac (white) w/20" display
system 10.4.11
2 GHz Intel Core Duo
memory: 1.5GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
hard drive 233.32GB
wired keyboard & mouse

I know that I have a bad hard drive. I have at least 6 bad blocks, recurring kernel panics, and the folks at Tech Tool Pro have told me so based on my results.

I have been planning to replace the hard drive (myself), but in the meantime I began to have issues with my keyboard. The following keys suddenly do not work:

left shift
left command
space
z
caps lock

I know it is NOT the keyboard because I replaced the keyboard and the same keys do not work. I also tried using a different USB slot, a different User Account, tried a SMC reset, and zapped the PRAM. None of these solved the keyboard problem.

So now I am faced with the question: should I still replace my hard drive? Will that solve the keyboard problem? Or is a keyboard problem indicative of something OTHER than hard drive issues? (in other words, must I now buy a whole new computer??)

Thank you so much for any insight or advice to help me resolve this question!!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11), first generation intel imac (white)

Posted on May 27, 2011 11:43 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

May 27, 2011 12:18 PM in response to all-natural-nut

You could do a SMC reset and Repair Disk Permissions in Disk Utility to see if that would take care of your keyboard prior to upgrading. You can also restart in Safe Mode which will clear some caches, one may have become corrupt. If those don't take care of the problem then replace the HD however make sure you have a sound backup on an external HD using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner before starting the HD replacement. When you install the new HD make sure it's formatted correctly and and use Setup Assistant to migrate from your backup unless you want to start with a 100% fresh computer.

Once the computer is up and running then re-visit the keyboard issue if it wasn't fixed by the SMC reset, Permissions Repair or starting in Safe M ode.

SMC RESET

Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and all peripherals.
Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
Release the power button.
Attach the computers power cable.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.

PRAM RESET

Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

Roger

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Answer 2

May 27, 2011 1:22 PM in response to rkaufmann87

I tried Safe Mode twice, and it does not boot up after the grey apple & spinning gear appear (when I let go of the shift key). Rather, what happens is, the whole screen goes black. Any idea what this signifies?

I will also try the other things you mentioned. I already did the SMC reset & zapped the PRAM.

Thanks so much for your reply!

Tamara

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

May 27, 2011 3:52 PM in response to all-natural-nut

You can also try Apple Hardware Test however I think it's only going to confirm what you already know, the HD is bad.

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Answer 4

May 28, 2011 6:53 AM in response to rkaufmann87

thank.you,Roger,for.your.attention.on.my.matter.

i.have.done.all.you.suggested.plus.cleaned.out.all.the.cache.using.applejack.sin ce.i.could.not.do.safe.boot.

i.tried.each.suggestion.several.times.

keyboard.is.still.bad.

do.you.think.replacing.the.hard.drive.will.solve.the.keyboard.issue?

thanks.again!!

Tamara

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,488 points

May 28, 2011 6:59 AM in response to all-natural-nut

Honestly I don't know the answer to your question. One thing you may want to consider is replacing the machine, it's getting pretty old now. You can buy a refurbished machine from Apple for as low as $929, the advantage is you get a much more up-to-date machine, operating system, a 1 year warranty and the machine is also edible for AppleCare coverage. Here is the machine I was referring to:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC508LL/A?mco=MjEwNTc0Njc

Roger

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