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Typing problems in Safari

When I'm typing in text fields, Facebook message for example, and I press space button the cursor goes to the start of the word I have just finished typing, this is so frustrating as I click the cursor into the correct place, what's going on?

OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 6:06 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 9:37 AM

Does it only happen in Safari? Not other applications, such as TextEdit?

36 replies

Dec 1, 2012 10:40 AM in response to ben.s567

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Step 1


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.


Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up guest users” (without the quotes) in the search box. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”


While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.


Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?


After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.


*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.


Step 2


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:


  • Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
  • When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
  • If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.


Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.



The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.


*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode.


Test while in safe mode. Same problem?


After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

Dec 1, 2012 11:38 AM in response to ben.s567

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.


These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.


Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.


Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then either copy or drag it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.


Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.


Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:


☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.


When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.


Step 1


Copy or drag — do not type — the line below into the Terminal window, then press return:

kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}'

Post the lines of output (if any) that appear below what you just entered (the text, please, not a screenshot.) You can omit the final line ending in “$”.


Step 2


Repeat with this line:

sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|edu\.mit|org\.(amavis|apache|cups|isc|ntp|postfix|x)/{print $3}'

This time, you'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. You don't need to post the warning.


Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.


Step 3

launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|edu\.mit|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'

Step 4

ls -1A /e*/mach* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts 2> /dev/null

Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.


Step 5

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' 2> /dev/null

Remember, steps 1-5 are all drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste, whichever you prefer — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.


You can then quit Terminal.

Dec 1, 2012 12:06 PM in response to Linc Davis

Step 1 output: unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$


step 2 output:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.google.keystone.daemon

com.adobe.fpsaud

unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$


step 3 output:

com.Logitech.Control

com.google.keystone.system.agent

com.spotify.webhelper

com.facebook.videochat.bensmith.updater

unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$


step 4 output:

/Library/Components:



/Library/Extensions:



/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework



/Library/Input Methods:



/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

DirectorShockwave.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Unity Web Player.plugin

Unused

flashplayer.xpt

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt



/Library/Keyboard Layouts:



/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist



/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist



/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

Logitech Control Center.prefPane



/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper



/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator



/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component



/Library/ScriptingAdditions:



/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter



/Library/StartupItems:



/etc/mach_init.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:



Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle



Library/Fonts:



Library/Input Methods:

.localized



Library/Internet Accounts:

V1



Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

FacebookVideoCalling.bundle



Library/Keyboard Layouts:



Library/LaunchAgents:

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.030118CB-260B-4AEE-99D4-521 09266DAAC.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.EFFE81BD-E48F-4C4C-A36E-8E6 F83CEC11B.plist

com.facebook.videochat.bensmith.plist

com.spotify.webhelper.plist



Library/PreferencePanes:

unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$



step 5 output:

iTunesHelper, SpeechSynthesisServer, Dropbox

unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$


step 4 was repeated and output was edited by: ben.s567

Dec 1, 2012 12:42 PM in response to Linc Davis

step 4 output:

/Library/Components:



/Library/Extensions:



/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework



/Library/Input Methods:



/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

DirectorShockwave.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Unity Web Player.plugin

Unused

flashplayer.xpt

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt



/Library/Keyboard Layouts:



/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist



/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist



/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

Logitech Control Center.prefPane



/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper



/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator



/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component



/Library/ScriptingAdditions:



/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter



/Library/StartupItems:



/etc/mach_init.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:



Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle



Library/Fonts:



Library/Input Methods:

.localized



Library/Internet Accounts:

V1



Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

FacebookVideoCalling.bundle



Library/Keyboard Layouts:



Library/LaunchAgents:

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.030118CB-260B-4AEE-99D4-521 09266DAAC.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.EFFE81BD-E48F-4C4C-A36E-8E6 F83CEC11B.plist

com.facebook.videochat.bensmith.plist

com.spotify.webhelper.plist



Library/PreferencePanes:

unknown-68-a8-6d-28-3e-ac:~ bensmith$

Typing problems in Safari

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