Bruce A
Level 3 (689 points)
Mac OS X

Q: USB keyboard suddenly "dead"

Good morning.

 

My nice Apple USB aluminum keyboard suddenly became non-responsive.

 

It had been working perfectly until this AM, when It stopped responding to any keystroke.

 

I tried rebooting, unplugging/repluging the keyboard and the mouse plugged into it, and random keystrokes - no luck.

 

The builtin keyboard and USB ports seem to function normally.

 

Are there any other things to try?

 

Thanks for your time.

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8), G4 1.67 mHz 15" A1138 aluminum

Posted on Aug 25, 2014 7:26 AM

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Bruce A

Q: USB keyboard suddenly "dead"

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Aug 25, 2014 7:54 AM in response to Bruce A
    Level 8 (35,321 points)
    iPad
    Aug 25, 2014 7:54 AM in response to Bruce A

    Are you using the extension cable the usually ships with the Al boards? If so, try without it. How many other USB devices are plugged into the computer? If you unplug all other USB devices, will the situation change?

     

    Does the keyboard show up in System Preferences?

  • by Bruce A,

    Bruce A Bruce A Aug 25, 2014 8:27 AM in response to Allan Jones
    Level 3 (689 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 25, 2014 8:27 AM in response to Allan Jones

    Thanks for your reply.

     

    I routinely use a wired USB mouse, and randomly a memory card reader.

     

    I tried plugging and unplugging these devices, and using different USB ports for them - all without resolution.

     

    The USB ports builtin to the keyboard are also dead.

     

    I use only the wired plug cord permanently installed in the A1243 keyboard.

     

    The keyboard does show up in "system preferences" but doesn't seem to show up in the "system profiler."

     

    Do these keyboards ever just "go south" ?

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Aug 25, 2014 3:24 PM in response to Bruce A
    Level 6 (14,587 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 25, 2014 3:24 PM in response to Bruce A

    Keyboards are known to fail. Usually only a few keys, at first.

     

    Some can fail totally, depending on what circuits go out. The

    use of a different keyboard to help troubleshoot is advised.

     

    Also, a powered USB Hub is always a good idea. I use an

    extended USB cable intended for the keyboard (with tower)

    as a wire to attach USB Card readers to the Hub. In this

    use, there's been no failure of the keyboard extension wire.

     

    An extra known-good keyboard is always a handy item for

    troubleshooting; or as alternative to failed BT keyboards.

     

    Good luck & happy computing!