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How do I extend the delay to support Bluetooth keyboard use?

When using the startup manager (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1310) and a BT keyboard, the keyboard never associates fast enough to catch the Option key (if it makes a difference, I run my mac with full disk encryption). How can I extend the window of opportunity for the option key?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Sep 2, 2012 3:07 AM

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4 replies

Sep 2, 2012 11:24 AM in response to Shootist007

I should probably be a bit more clear 🙂


When the machine boots, and I hold down the option key, it will fail - straight to the full disk encryption password dialogue box. If at this point I restart the Mac, the option key will work the second time and allow me to select e.g. my Boot Camp Windows partition.


My theory is that both of these events occur somewhere before OS X is loaded, and that the BlueTooth keyboard and mouse are visible by the smart boot / openboot system. Some of this must be true because I can use the keyboard and mouse within the smart boot menu to select which boot option to use.


What seems to be happening is that the BlueTooth pairing event is taking longer than the 2 nanoseconds that the system waits for keyboard input before trying to load the default operating system.

What I'm trying to work out is whether the boot can be delayed in some way to allow for the BlueTooth pairing to occur at the boot menu level and the option key to be pressed. We know that this does occur the second time around, so it's simply a matter of time, and would make the whole boot system that much less painful.


In the meantime, I'm going to much around with something called Boot Champ, which seems a bit of a hack but hey, if it works, right?

How do I extend the delay to support Bluetooth keyboard use?

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