Keyboard stops working a few minutes after boot

I have the same problem, but in my case the external bluetooth keyboard is working

I have same problem with apple usb keyboard on lion, it stops working couple of times, just volume buttons is working.

i did user log-out, and then it worked.

same here on a MBP 15" i5

built in keyboard totally tonto. needs reboot to fix.

ok resetting the PRAM fixed the issue for me

Just FYI, I think this is the same problem as: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2161076?start=255&tstart=0 (SnowLeopard).

Might want to check out http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10361439-263.html as well.

This is an issue with Spaces and it happens when you use the keyboard shourtcuts to switch spaces. I have the same problem on SL and Lion.

It's not related to the time the Mac is on.

Did anybody sent a bug report to Apple about this?

I have a similar problem. The keyboard stops working (except that I can still switch between my spaces/desktops with ctrl+arrow keys). I notice that it happens more frequently when I'm running VMware Fusion.

I've got to say: I've noticed way, way more bugs and problems in Lion than any other Apple product that I've ever bought. I hope it's not indicitive of things to come. People pay a premium for Apple products because they 'just work.'

+1 on this issue. Same problem with my 2009 MBP and it's very annoying as I use my computer to work. I don't want to disable Mission Control as it's really useful to me. I hope this will be fixed soon.

For me it seems that it can be related to DisplayLink. Similar issues are reported on DisplayLink support forum http://displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?t=935&page=6

I'm using DisplayLink 1.7 beta 3, which is the latest release available compatible with Lion.

Having the same issue here on a new 11" macbook air with Lion installed. I don't use the number shortcuts for switching spaces, always use control and the arrow key. Hitting Shift+Control+Eject Key seems to reset the keyboard, but it will lock up again in a few minutes.

This is definitely a Spaces/Mision Control-related issue - I disabled the keyboard shortcuts and the issue goes away. Of course this is not a solution as I need keyboard shortcuts to be productive.

I think it has something to do with the control key being mapped to multiple functions. This issue cropped up for me only after upgrading to Lion. When I upgraded to Lion for some reason the left control key took on the same function as the "Application Windows" function in Mission Control (which is assigned by default to F10). I went into the Keyboard shortcuts settings and can't see where the left control key is being mapped so I can't remove it. I think for me this is the cause of the spaces keyboard shortcut issue - something in the system is grabbing onto the left control key function and fighting with Mission Control when I hit control-1 or control-left to switch desktops. When this happens the keyboard no longer responds to most keypresses and I have to kill the dock to restore functionality.

If anyone else could confirm that their left control key is invoking the "Application Windows" function I think we can narrow down the issue and possible come up with a solution. Please report back and I'll do the same. Also, Apple, please take onus and address this issue as I believe it's not related to third-party software.

Just a quick update - for me the issue appears as a result of the 1.7b3 DisplayLink driver as well. I uninstalled the driver and re-enabled the Mission Control keyboard shortcuts and everything appears to be working so far. I'll update this post if anything changes.

No issue in 10 days since I uninstalled Display Link software and I using my MBP almost 10 hours each days! Sounds like a solution!

So I had this same issue with my mid-2007 Mac Mini. Keyboard would completely cease to function and would only "ding" when hitting any key. The mouse still worked but clicks would not work or no new programs could be launched. While I was on the road working the family would call me frustrated that the computer stopped responding to keyboard strokes.

My workaround: I held the power button down for 3 seconds (not enough to power off) and release the key. This would bring the system back to full functionality. Worked every time. Very strange problem.

My solution: So I put in a call to Apple support and spoke to a really nice girl named Amanda. She had me try a few different things and nothing would resolve this most annoying issue. Amanda had not heard of this issue and she didn't see anything in her notes. But she hung in there with me anyway. So I figured I'd have to wait for an OS software update to resolve this. So as we started to wrap up the call she asked me to try one last thing. She had me boot the Mac in "safe mode". She told me to let the computer completely boot up in safe mode and then reboot the Mac normally. Whatever OS X repairs when in safe mode fixed th issue completely!

This call was well over two weeks (maybe even 3 weeks) ago and I have not experienced the keyboard issue at all again! The problem was completely gone! I am so psyched. I was ready to refresh the system and step back to Snow Leopard, that's how often this keyboard thing was happening.

Thanks to Amanda for hanging in there with me even though we weren't getting anywhere. She had no reports of this bug. I find this interesting since I see alot of talk about it in the Apple forums here and on other sites. She just took a shot and suggested the safe mode thing.

This fix absolutely worked!! Hope this helps someone else out that's experiencing this same issue.

Safe mode link from Amanda: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564?viewlocale=en_US

To recap: I have not experienced the keyboard not respoding issue in Mac OS X Lion since rebooting the computer in safe mode. Now on to a couple of other bugs I'm experiencing in Lion. None as serious and annoying as losing your keyboard but annoying nonetheless.