I'm one of the folks who reported the problem with a new MacBook Pro in AppleInsider's forums.
I _BELIEVE_ the problem started after I'd installed 10.5.1 and repaired permissions (after reading the thread here debating the value of repairing permissions; it was something I believed was standard practice under 10.4, so I went ahead and did it a few days after I'd done the 10.5.1 update).
I read through the Apple support forums and found one post saying to do a safe start (hold down Shift), repair permissions, and restart. Since doing that - a few days ago - I have not had the lockup problem again (knock on wood).
FWIW, I also have an x3100 MacBook that shipped with 10.5.0. I performed the 10.5.1 update on it, but have NOT repaired permissions. That machine is working fine.
I upgraded my dual-core MacBook Pro (purchased in Sept.) to Leopard a couple weeks ago and installed 10.5.1 the day it came out. I experienced this keyboard lockup problem for the first (and only) time a couple evenings ago so am not sure it's directly a result of the upgrade. I tend to think it has something to do with Safari, since normally I use Firefox and coincidentally or not, the first time the keyboard locked up was when I had Safari running, preparing to migrate my bookmarks over from Firefox! Maybe I'll stick with Firefox a little longer... -Steve
From reading many threads and my own experience, I am almost certain this issue is due to the keyboard on newer MB/MBPs not waking from hibernate (sleep mode 3) correctly. As soon as the MB/MBP hibernates, the problem may occur until the system is rebooted. You can also check some variable and see that the keyboard is in state 3 (hibernate) when it is nonfunctional.
It may be more prominant on newer machines etc, maybe a component change? or 10.5 may bring it out more. But it was definately an issue within 10.4. We manage circa two thousand macs and have noticed it before 10.5
I upgraded my dual-core MacBook Pro (purchased in Sept.) to Leopard a couple weeks ago and installed 10.5.1 the day it came out. I experienced this keyboard lockup problem for the first (and only) time a couple evenings ago so am not sure it's directly a result of the upgrade. I tend to think it has something to do with Safari, since normally I use Firefox and coincidentally or not, the first time the keyboard locked up was when I had Safari running, preparing to migrate my bookmarks over from Firefox! Maybe I'll stick with Firefox a little longer... -Steve
It's not Safari. I only use Firefox and have the issue all day long. It was present long before 10.5.1, but I upgraded to Leopard as soon as I bought the PBP, so I can't speak for 10.4.
Completely standard. Every update has a segment of users with problems. Some of those users band together on message boards.
As it's not ALL MacBook users, it's obviously configuration-related. Users will have to be patient with Apple and be completely forthcoming with details about their configurations, both software and hardware.
As for the people who think they're getting the runaround because Apple won't join in solely blaming a "buggy" Leopard - if MacBook A works and MacBook B doesn't, MacBook B is different than MacBook A in some way. This is Testing 101.
It's not Safari. I only use Firefox and have the issue all day long. It was present long before 10.5.1, but I upgraded to Leopard as soon as I bought the PBP, so I can't speak for 10.4.
Thanks. I used 10.4 for a couple months on my MBP before upgrading to Leopard and never experienced the lockup under that OS. I wonder if there are multiple bugs that have the same symptoms?
My girlfriend's Aluminum iMac has the same freezing problem, which began once she installed Leopard. Apple has offered to replace her keyboard, but she has already tried connecting another keyboard and the problem persists. Although most of the freezes seem to be coming from MacBook/MacBook Pro owners, this problem is clearly not isolated to them.
She has finally given up and decided to downgrade back to Tiger, but that is not without it's own set of challenges, as she must re-install Parallels and XP, a daunting, time-consuming task. She is now grappling with getting her mailboxes reinstated, although with Mail being upgraded in Leopard, they are grayed out when she tries to import them. She is now attempting to do so by dragging the folders directly from the Previous System>Users>Library>Mail folder, which seems to be working.
I've had a laggy keyboard not accepting the first keystroke ever since I bought it. It doesn't happen always, just after the keyboard has been idle for a little. Had it under Tiger as well as under Leopard.
Although I like Apple, I swear the majority of the geniuses are ignorant. It seems as though they drank the kool-aid and would die for Jobs himself. They typically play the role of a guilty plaintiff, deny, deny, deny. Apple has great products, but their employees desperately need customer service training. (They ARE getting better though, it used to be a whole lot worse)
Oh give me a break. If I was that genius, I'd roll my eyes every time someone presented a forum thread as "proof". These forum threads come to illogical conclusions based on speculation and a lack of understanding of statistics. So what if one person said it happened in Tiger - may that person had a physically damaged keyboard. One person in no way disproves that it is a Leopard issue.
Even the AI article itself said "such drastic measures as resetting PRAM" - what? Resetting PRAM is neither drastic, nor does it solve very many problems. It's as bad as "fixing" permissions - it's a troubleshooting red herring that does little if anything to solve real problems. AI or other Mac sites are not the authority on troubleshooting.
If you have a broken keyboard, don't offer forum threads. Say, "it is broken, and I expect Apple to fix it. Now what do we have to do to get this fixed?"
this is definitely NOT a leopard issue. i'm not saying it hasn't gotten worse since the leopard upgrade, but i had this EXACT problem last year with my brand new MBP under tiger. i had to take it to the apple store 4 times and they sent it in twice before it finally got fixed (works perfectly now). i ended up getting my entire motherboard replaced (during the second send-in, the first time, replacing the top case didn't do anything), most likely due to the fact that the usb bus that the keyboard/trackpad ran on was shot. hopefully this isn't the case for everyone (i couldn't possibly imagine that it is), but its definitely not restricted to just leopard. hopefully they do release a fix sometime soon or figure out something to help everyone. good luck to everyone!
I've had the keyboard lockup problem erratically since upgrading my one year old MBP to Leopard with the default install. Both the integral keyboard and a wireless one. Seems to go away if I just change aplications, or even move between Excel cells. (I've mainly had the problem in Excel.) I hope Apple takes it seriously soon...
This has happened on my MacBook Pro since the update to Leopard.
The keyboard often will not respond, although if I sleep and then wake the machine, it starts working again for a period, though will often go unresponsive again after a few minutes. A reboot often sorts it out.
I had my MacBook Pro for 4 months prior to Leopard and never experienced this problem then, but have seen it four times since Leopard has been installed, so I think it is Leopard related.
I do note that each time it happened, I had been using the DVI port to plug into an external projector in the hours previous, so that may be related (or not).
Glad to hear it's not just me - hope Apple release a bugfix for it soon. This is a problem and it does exist!
Keyboard has stopped working 4 times since I bought the latest model MacBook a couple weeks ago. I have the stock hardware and software (Leopard). No third party software. No configuration tweaks.
The keyboard has stopped working while it was sitting in front of me and I was mousing around. Literally, the keyboard was working, I spent a minute with the mouse, then went to type and it did not respond. Hibernating had nothing to do with it.
The keyboard has stopped responding while I stepped away for 2 minutes. It worked fine, I step away to a computer next to me, come back and it doesn't work.
The keyboard has come back on its own one of the times. The first time I had this problem, I pressed various keys in an attempt to get it to come back. About a minute later, it did come back, and output almost everything I had typed while it was frozen into the safari address bar.
When this happens, wireless Mighty Mouse and trackpad both work fine. Two times, simply closing the lid for a moment, then reopening the lid brought the keyboard back to life. One time, I had to completely reboot.
My girlfriend's Aluminum iMac has the same freezing problem, which began once she installed Leopard. Apple has offered to replace her keyboard, but she has already tried connecting another keyboard and the problem persists. Although most of the freezes seem to be coming from MacBook/MacBook Pro owners, this problem is clearly not isolated to them.
She has finally given up and decided to downgrade back to Tiger, but that is not without it's own set of challenges, as she must re-install Parallels and XP, a daunting, time-consuming task. She is now grappling with getting her mailboxes reinstated, although with Mail being upgraded in Leopard, they are grayed out when she tries to import them. She is now attempting to do so by dragging the folders directly from the Previous System>Users>Library>Mail folder, which seems to be working.
You don't have to re-install Windows XP in Parallels.... just install Tiger and Parallels and copy over your Virtual Machine (VM) from within your Library. Really easy to do.
Also, are you sure you're not talking about the iMac freezing problem that has plagued several people with the new Aluminum iMacs? That is the graphics card issue and Apple has put out a fix for that....Check your Software Updates or research it on Apple.
It's not just MacBook and MacBooks Pro's. My iMac G5 (as well as my friend's) has this problem as well, it happened AFTER 10.5.1 was issued...did they fix for intel but break for PPC?
The problem can be fairly subtle in nature. It would not surprise me if many users would not even notice it unless it was pointed out. At first I chalked it up to typing errors. Then I proved otherwsie. I think the issue may be more widespread than just a few isolated forum posters.
I never had this issue before with Tiger on my macbook. Have now been getting almost daily after my upgrade to Leopard. I did not do a clean install, but that shouldn't matter.
I have an orginal MacBook. My keyboard never locked up under Tiger. It happened at least 3 times under Leopard (I chose to do a clean install with Leopard).
I really have no idea how people can tackle this issue now:
I've owned my SR MBP 15" since August, never happened to me under 10.4.9, 10.4.10, 10.5.0, 10.5.1. Although, I've never repair permissions. I have on Tiger though. I don't want to test it in Leopard in fear of starting to have this issue.
Comments
I _BELIEVE_ the problem started after I'd installed 10.5.1 and repaired permissions (after reading the thread here debating the value of repairing permissions; it was something I believed was standard practice under 10.4, so I went ahead and did it a few days after I'd done the 10.5.1 update).
I read through the Apple support forums and found one post saying to do a safe start (hold down Shift), repair permissions, and restart. Since doing that - a few days ago - I have not had the lockup problem again (knock on wood).
FWIW, I also have an x3100 MacBook that shipped with 10.5.0. I performed the 10.5.1 update on it, but have NOT repaired permissions. That machine is working fine.
- Jasen.
It may be more prominant on newer machines etc, maybe a component change? or 10.5 may bring it out more. But it was definately an issue within 10.4. We manage circa two thousand macs and have noticed it before 10.5
I upgraded my dual-core MacBook Pro (purchased in Sept.) to Leopard a couple weeks ago and installed 10.5.1 the day it came out. I experienced this keyboard lockup problem for the first (and only) time a couple evenings ago so am not sure it's directly a result of the upgrade. I tend to think it has something to do with Safari, since normally I use Firefox and coincidentally or not, the first time the keyboard locked up was when I had Safari running, preparing to migrate my bookmarks over from Firefox! Maybe I'll stick with Firefox a little longer... -Steve
It's not Safari. I only use Firefox and have the issue all day long. It was present long before 10.5.1, but I upgraded to Leopard as soon as I bought the PBP, so I can't speak for 10.4.
As it's not ALL MacBook users, it's obviously configuration-related. Users will have to be patient with Apple and be completely forthcoming with details about their configurations, both software and hardware.
As for the people who think they're getting the runaround because Apple won't join in solely blaming a "buggy" Leopard - if MacBook A works and MacBook B doesn't, MacBook B is different than MacBook A in some way. This is Testing 101.
It's not Safari. I only use Firefox and have the issue all day long. It was present long before 10.5.1, but I upgraded to Leopard as soon as I bought the PBP, so I can't speak for 10.4.
Thanks. I used 10.4 for a couple months on my MBP before upgrading to Leopard and never experienced the lockup under that OS. I wonder if there are multiple bugs that have the same symptoms?
She has finally given up and decided to downgrade back to Tiger, but that is not without it's own set of challenges, as she must re-install Parallels and XP, a daunting, time-consuming task. She is now grappling with getting her mailboxes reinstated, although with Mail being upgraded in Leopard, they are grayed out when she tries to import them. She is now attempting to do so by dragging the folders directly from the Previous System>Users>Library>Mail folder, which seems to be working.
Probably a Leopard unrelated issue.
Although I like Apple, I swear the majority of the geniuses are ignorant. It seems as though they drank the kool-aid and would die for Jobs himself. They typically play the role of a guilty plaintiff, deny, deny, deny. Apple has great products, but their employees desperately need customer service training. (They ARE getting better though, it used to be a whole lot worse)
Oh give me a break. If I was that genius, I'd roll my eyes every time someone presented a forum thread as "proof". These forum threads come to illogical conclusions based on speculation and a lack of understanding of statistics. So what if one person said it happened in Tiger - may that person had a physically damaged keyboard. One person in no way disproves that it is a Leopard issue.
Even the AI article itself said "such drastic measures as resetting PRAM" - what? Resetting PRAM is neither drastic, nor does it solve very many problems. It's as bad as "fixing" permissions - it's a troubleshooting red herring that does little if anything to solve real problems. AI or other Mac sites are not the authority on troubleshooting.
If you have a broken keyboard, don't offer forum threads. Say, "it is broken, and I expect Apple to fix it. Now what do we have to do to get this fixed?"
The keyboard often will not respond, although if I sleep and then wake the machine, it starts working again for a period, though will often go unresponsive again after a few minutes. A reboot often sorts it out.
I had my MacBook Pro for 4 months prior to Leopard and never experienced this problem then, but have seen it four times since Leopard has been installed, so I think it is Leopard related.
I do note that each time it happened, I had been using the DVI port to plug into an external projector in the hours previous, so that may be related (or not).
Glad to hear it's not just me - hope Apple release a bugfix for it soon. This is a problem and it does exist!
The keyboard has stopped working while it was sitting in front of me and I was mousing around. Literally, the keyboard was working, I spent a minute with the mouse, then went to type and it did not respond. Hibernating had nothing to do with it.
The keyboard has stopped responding while I stepped away for 2 minutes. It worked fine, I step away to a computer next to me, come back and it doesn't work.
The keyboard has come back on its own one of the times. The first time I had this problem, I pressed various keys in an attempt to get it to come back. About a minute later, it did come back, and output almost everything I had typed while it was frozen into the safari address bar.
When this happens, wireless Mighty Mouse and trackpad both work fine. Two times, simply closing the lid for a moment, then reopening the lid brought the keyboard back to life. One time, I had to completely reboot.
My girlfriend's Aluminum iMac has the same freezing problem, which began once she installed Leopard. Apple has offered to replace her keyboard, but she has already tried connecting another keyboard and the problem persists. Although most of the freezes seem to be coming from MacBook/MacBook Pro owners, this problem is clearly not isolated to them.
She has finally given up and decided to downgrade back to Tiger, but that is not without it's own set of challenges, as she must re-install Parallels and XP, a daunting, time-consuming task. She is now grappling with getting her mailboxes reinstated, although with Mail being upgraded in Leopard, they are grayed out when she tries to import them. She is now attempting to do so by dragging the folders directly from the Previous System>Users>Library>Mail folder, which seems to be working.
You don't have to re-install Windows XP in Parallels.... just install Tiger and Parallels and copy over your Virtual Machine (VM) from within your Library. Really easy to do.
Also, are you sure you're not talking about the iMac freezing problem that has plagued several people with the new Aluminum iMacs? That is the graphics card issue and Apple has put out a fix for that....Check your Software Updates or research it on Apple.
Dave
I've owned my SR MBP 15" since August, never happened to me under 10.4.9, 10.4.10, 10.5.0, 10.5.1. Although, I've never repair permissions. I have on Tiger though. I don't want to test it in Leopard in fear of starting to have this issue.