Why does my computer have trouble finding my wired keyboard ?

Question

Why does my computer have trouble finding my wired keyboard ?

Why does my computer have trouble finding my wired keyboard sometimes and starts to look for a wireless keyboard? Sometimes when the computer shuts down with several USB devices connected, it has trouble finding the wired keyboard and searches for a wireless bluetooth keyboard. (Which I don't have, so the search goes on and on.) I have to unplug everything but the keyboard and mouse and restart the computer, sometimes several times before it can find the wired keyboard. I have tried switching the USB ports that the keyboard and mouse use, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Sometimes I have to shutdown and restart several times before it finally finds the keyboard. The only thing that continues to work is the mouse.

What is going on here? Is it a software problem or a hardware problem? Is it the keyboard or the USB ports, or something else? I am running 10.10.2 and this problem started before the last few updates, which did not fix the problem.

It gets frustrating,

Skip

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Apr 3, 2015 3:04 PM

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Answer 1

mario49

Community Specialist

Apr 6, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Skip Bleecker-__

Hey Skip Bleecker*,

Thanks for the question. If I understand correctly, the computer is not recognizing usb devices in different usb ports. It looks like you have already done some troubleshooting. I would recommend that you read these articles, they may be helpful in troubleshooting your issue.

USB and FireWire Quick Assist - Apple Support

Use these suggestions if you encounter issues with the device.

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

Have a good one,

Mario

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Answer 2

Apr 7, 2015 4:41 AM in response to mario49

I don't know if the problem is the USB device, the wired keyboard, or the USB ports, or the USB controller.

The only way I "fix" it is to shutdown the computer and unplug any USB devices other than the mouse and keyboard, then restart. A simple restart does not work. Some times I have to shutdown and restart several times to get it to see the keyboard. I have Thunderbolt , but not Firewire. Mac OS 10.10.2

My Mac is:

Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac13,1

Processor Name: Intel Core i5

Processor Speed: 2.9 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 6 MB

Memory: 16 GB

Boot ROM Version: IM131.010A.B05

SMC Version (system): 2.9f5

Serial Number (system): D25JW18ZDNMM

Hardware UUID: 5C9248A7-E505-5EF9-BD49-BE890FC6A7F0

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Answer 3

Apr 7, 2015 5:14 AM in response to Skip Bleecker-__

Did you reset the SMC as suggested above? You might also reset the PRAM.

Barry

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Answer 4

Apr 11, 2015 6:06 AM in response to Barry Hemphill

I followed the suggestion for Reseting the SMC, and it did not help, and it caused the keyboard to go off line. I tried to reset the PRAM but it does not work when the keyboard isn't working.

I had to shut down the computer for several hours to get the keyboard to come back online.

I still don't know why this is happening.

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