Can't click while booted up in flash drive for clean install of El Capitan.

Question

Level 1

4 points

Can't click while booted up in flash drive for clean install of El Capitan.

Created bootable media on a flash drive to do a clean install of El Capitan on my Mid 2009 MBP. Once I'm booted up in the newly created drive, I cannot click on anything in Utilities. Chaotic keystrokes got me to Disk Utility, but clicking is unresponsive. I can arrow up to my HD, but unable to select Erase. To be clear, I CAN click around in Disk Utility when I'm booted up 'normally' in my HD. But when I restart, press alt/option, and select the flash drive I've created for the clean install, clicking in order to continue this process is not an option.

First Help post ever. Hope this plays by the rules. Thanks much!

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.53 GHz), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), Samsung SSD 250GB

Posted on Jul 14, 2016 10:46 PM

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Answer 1

whosjose

Level 2

164 points

Jul 14, 2016 10:49 PM in response to wailnblues

Very strange behavier that's for sure. Have you tried cleaning your trackpad? Have you tried a wired mouse?

Before you clicked on the flash drive to install, was the mouse being responsive to the other options?

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Answer 2

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 14, 2016 10:56 PM in response to whosjose

Hi whosjose, thanks for getting back. Yes, everything works fine with my machine. Trackpad is good with everything but this particular situation. Very weird. I was completely surprised. I can only get so far with keystrokes. It's a dead end right now. If you think of anything, I'm grateful in advance!

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Answer 3

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 14, 2016 10:58 PM in response to wailnblues

Also, I have NOT tried a wired mouse. But I will. Thx.

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Answer 4

whosjose

Level 2

164 points

Jul 15, 2016 9:16 AM in response to wailnblues

Well you have a few options here.

1) Create another USB on another flash drive to see if it gives you the same problem

2) Redo the same USB.

Did you use a program or did you use terminal commands to create the flash drive?

I have used Disk Maker and everything usually goes smoothly but same results with the commands.

What can be possible is the USB Flash Drive isn't up for it so trying a newer one might have different results.

Whats funny is that I did experience more problems on certain drives then others when it came to booting into or actually installing but nothing with the performance of the trackpad itself.

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Answer 5

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 15, 2016 9:16 AM in response to whosjose

All great suggestions. Thanks. My process of elimination skills were waning fast. Very possible re the flash drive itself. I'll try these.

I used terminal to created the bootable drive. Maybe Disk Maker X this next time.

Thanks again, whosjose. Really appreciate your time. I'll update re any results.

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Answer 6

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 15, 2016 11:16 AM in response to wailnblues

More clarity, more mystery:

I re-built the bootable drive using DiskmakerX. Restarted, and then realized what I wasn't wrapping my head around earlier is that the inability to click on anything actually begins on the screen to select a drive to boot from. This is before I'm in the flash drive or anywhere else. Thinking about what this means. In this mode, my machine loses this specific functionality. Searching, so far not finding anything, but I suppose I'm looking at either, h/w, s/w or firmware, drivers, etc., or a combination of some.?. Connecting a mouse to try. Don't have a wired one specifically for my MBP, but trying a wireless plug n play Logitech. We'll see. if it enables clicking to select, great, but will be curious about the problem in the first place. Maybe a clean install will address it...

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Answer 7

Eric Root

Level 10

685,293 points

Jul 15, 2016 12:39 PM in response to wailnblues

With the USB drive inserted, have you tried booting holding down the option/alt key? Once there, try using the tab or arrow keys to select the USB drive.

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Answer 8

whosjose

Level 2

164 points

Jul 15, 2016 10:43 PM in response to wailnblues

Have you tried using Internet Recovery? If so do you encounter the same problem?

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Answer 9

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 16, 2016 5:37 PM in response to Eric Root

Hi Eric,

Thanks, I've definitely been doing that. tabbing around worked, but the clicking didn't. But I've just figured the whole thing out. I'll reply to my original post so that you and whosjose and anyone else can see. Thanks again for taking the time to think about this.

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Answer 10

wailnblues Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 16, 2016 5:47 PM in response to wailnblues

Hi all,

I finally discovered the "problem". Nothing was malfunctioning, fortunately. I kept booting back up in my 'default' SSD to look at trackpad preferences. I don't remember making any changes, or even seeing the issue the first ten times I looked here, but the last time I took a look, the 'single tap to select' option was un-checked. This is why I I was able to use a mouse. Then of course it took a little while for me to realize I could then re-select the single tap option with the mouse, and get back to business. I've got a clean install of El Capitan and finishing up a restore from Crashplan.

Thanks a lot, y'all. I appreciate you giving this some thought.

It's all good,

wailnblues

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