Enabling access for assistive devices causes the Macbook's screen to not wakeup from sleep without a hard reboot!

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Level 1

20 points

Enabling access for assistive devices causes the Macbook's screen to not wakeup from sleep without a hard reboot!

I have used Bettertouchtool on my Macbook Air which allows you to use additional gestures to control your computer. To use this software, you must "Enable access for assistive devices".

Using this third party software has caused me an unavoidable inconvenience which prevents the screen from wakeing up on occassion.

What will happen is, the computer will be in sleep mode, you flip open the screen to wake it up but nothing happens. The only thing that works is the caps lock light which proves that the system is on, but the screen is not.

I figured this may be something to do with the Bettertouchtool software so I tried a different one called Jitouch in order to diagnose if it was indeed the software I was using that was cousing the problem. After a few days of using Jitouch with Bettertouchtool completely uninstalled, the problem came back.

Now I can only assume that it may be a problem in the OSX that causes this problem when you use "Enable access for assistive devices".

Has someone had a similar experience, or can someone explain what's going on?

iPhone 4, iOS 5

Posted on Aug 4, 2013 10:52 AM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Aug 4, 2013 12:24 PM in response to portgreen

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

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

The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.

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. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.

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.

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 the test.

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Answer 2

portgreen Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 4, 2013 1:25 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think that's a practical test as my problem can occur as rare as every few days. Running the slow and limited described safe mode seems unpractical for days on end until the problem occurs.

I'm hoping someone has had some experience with this problem and can pass on any info gathered.

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