Prev: brokenstones.cn invitation ... please help
Next: Time Capsule/network/FileVault question
From: Jollino on 21 Jun 2008 13:16
Hello all,
I have had this MacBook (2.4 GHz, 2 GB, 160 GB) since mid-March but I've
been using it more intensively only recently. I was hoping that these
problems I'm about to describe would get better with OS X updated, but
it doesn't sound like it.
The two glitches I have experienced since the beginning are as follows:

1. Some keys sometimes just don't catch. This seems to happen especially
on the right side of the keyboard, most notably the full stop key. I
noticed this the first time I typed a web address, as Safari complained
that it couldn't find "slashdotorg". Other keys exhibiting the same
problem are the dash (which on the italian keyboard is located between
the full stop and the right shift) and at times the apostrophe (on the
right of the 0 key). It doesn't always happen, it just feels as if I
have to press harder to make it register. I don't know if it's just a
matter of habit, but I have the slim keyboard for the iMac which is very
similar even though that one feels more robust, and if my pressing were
not good enough, it should apply to the whole keyboard or at least to
all the keys I press with my riht hand, no?

2. Slow, slow, slow typing. When I type a bunch of text without
stopping, such as this post, the MacBook simply lags behind. I can keep
writing and writing and it just won't keep up with my typing. This
happens whatever application I'm using, and even if I only launch the
application I'm going to type in as soon as the system boots up. This is
really really annoying, considering that I got the MacBook also to
write. But, in general, the thing gets terribly annoying even when
chatting with people online because it feels as if the system can't keep
up, but keeping an eye on Activity Monitor doesn't really give any hint
of resource choking of any kind.
I read somewhere that the "acceptance delay" setting in Universal Access
might have something to do. I set it to "Short" and on the spot it
seemed it was helping, but it was really just placebo because right now,
for instance, right as I'm typing this, it's lagging behind already.
Besides, I don't have the "slow keys" option enabled. The key repeat
settings, on the other hand, are set to Fast repeat and Short initial
delay (I can't stand anything slower... inheritance of my Linux days :) ).

My unproved guess is that they keyboard has some kind of hardware
problem, but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone else who might have
had the same problem before calling Apple and sending it to them or
anything. I don't have any "missing first letter" issue, albeit the keys
on the right side that it doesn't take might be considered missing
letters -- I know I press the keys, but they don't register. However, if
I press them "deeper", it always works.

In any case, the missing keys might really be caused by being used to
the aluminum keyboard; what really plagues me is the lagginess of it.
The main problem is that while it comes up frequently in everyday use,
it's very hard to reproduce "on demand" to show someone else. I wanted
to show the problem to my father, and I just couldn't make it happen.
Perhaps when I'm around people I still type fast, but not as fast as to
cause it? This is a big probelm though, because the people at the local
Apple Center might not even believe me and dismiss me.
I am fairly confident it is a hardware problem because it only happens
with the internal keyboard. I tried the aluminum one and it worked
perfectly, and I'm even faster on that one as I use it much more.
The fact that the internal keyboard shows this issue only after being
used constantly in a while (it will never happen on the first few
phrases) makes me think that it might be related to some electrical
contact, or who knows what. It is not even software based, because I
made a brand new user specifically for that, and it happens just the
same as in my real main user.

I am very confused here, I hope someone can shed some light.
Certainly replacing the whole keyboard would help, but I have to
convince the people at this Apple Center. :(

Thank you very much in advance!
From: Jollino on 21 Jun 2008 14:00
Jollino ha scritto:
> Hello all,
> I have had this MacBook (2.4 GHz, 2 GB, 160 GB) since mid-March but I've
> been using it more intensively only recently. [...]

A little addendum: I forgot to say that I tried a PRAM reset and an
SMC/PMU reset, but to no avail.

Thanks in advance again for any hints you might have. :)
From: Doug Anderson on 21 Jun 2008 14:27
Jollino <jollino(a)macbook.sogno.net> writes:

> Hello all,
> I have had this MacBook (2.4 GHz, 2 GB, 160 GB) since mid-March but
> I've been using it more intensively only recently. I was hoping that
> these problems I'm about to describe would get better with OS X
> updated, but it doesn't sound like it.
> The two glitches I have experienced since the beginning are as follows:
>
> 1. Some keys sometimes just don't catch. This seems to happen
> especially on the right side of the keyboard, most notably the full
> stop key. I noticed this the first time I typed a web address, as
> Safari complained that it couldn't find "slashdotorg". Other keys
> exhibiting the same problem are the dash (which on the italian
> keyboard is located between the full stop and the right shift) and at
> times the apostrophe (on the right of the 0 key). It doesn't always
> happen, it just feels as if I have to press harder to make it
> register. I don't know if it's just a matter of habit, but I have the
> slim keyboard for the iMac which is very similar even though that one
> feels more robust, and if my pressing were not good enough, it should
> apply to the whole keyboard or at least to all the keys I press with
> my riht hand, no?
>
> 2. Slow, slow, slow typing. When I type a bunch of text without
> stopping, such as this post, the MacBook simply lags behind. I can
> keep writing and writing and it just won't keep up with my
> typing. This happens whatever application I'm using, and even if I
> only launch the application I'm going to type in as soon as the system
> boots up. This is really really annoying, considering that I got the
> MacBook also to write. But, in general, the thing gets terribly
> annoying even when chatting with people online because it feels as if
> the system can't keep up, but keeping an eye on Activity Monitor
> doesn't really give any hint of resource choking of any kind.
> I read somewhere that the "acceptance delay" setting in Universal
> Access might have something to do. I set it to "Short" and on the spot
> it seemed it was helping, but it was really just placebo because right
> now, for instance, right as I'm typing this, it's lagging behind
> already. Besides, I don't have the "slow keys" option enabled. The key
> repeat settings, on the other hand, are set to Fast repeat and Short
> initial delay (I can't stand anything slower... inheritance of my
> Linux days :) ).
>
> My unproved guess is that they keyboard has some kind of hardware
> problem, but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone else who might
> have had the same problem before calling Apple and sending it to them
> or anything. I don't have any "missing first letter" issue, albeit the
> keys on the right side that it doesn't take might be considered
> missing letters -- I know I press the keys, but they don't
> register. However, if I press them "deeper", it always works.
>
> In any case, the missing keys might really be caused by being used to
> the aluminum keyboard; what really plagues me is the lagginess of
> it. The main problem is that while it comes up frequently in everyday
> use, it's very hard to reproduce "on demand" to show someone else. I
> wanted to show the problem to my father, and I just couldn't make it
> happen. Perhaps when I'm around people I still type fast, but not as
> fast as to cause it? This is a big probelm though, because the people
> at the local Apple Center might not even believe me and dismiss me.
> I am fairly confident it is a hardware problem because it only happens
> with the internal keyboard. I tried the aluminum one and it worked
> perfectly, and I'm even faster on that one as I use it much more.
> The fact that the internal keyboard shows this issue only after being
> used constantly in a while (it will never happen on the first few
> phrases) makes me think that it might be related to some electrical
> contact, or who knows what. It is not even software based, because I
> made a brand new user specifically for that, and it happens just the
> same as in my real main user.
>
> I am very confused here, I hope someone can shed some light.
> Certainly replacing the whole keyboard would help, but I have to
> convince the people at this Apple Center. :(
>
> Thank you very much in advance!

I think there is a hardware problem with your computer.

The first macbook I had had a problem with the spacebar and the mouse
button where the spacebar didn't always work, and the mouse button was
too hard to click.

I brought it to the store where I purchased it and the clerk typed on
it for 15 seconds and then gave me a new one.

From: Jollino on 21 Jun 2008 14:57
Doug Anderson ha scritto:
> The first macbook I had had a problem with the spacebar and the mouse
> button where the spacebar didn't always work, and the mouse button was
> too hard to click.
>
> I brought it to the store where I purchased it and the clerk typed on
> it for 15 seconds and then gave me a new one.

That's cool. I suppose you live in the US? :) They are not as kind here,
you have to fight to return anything to any store!

However in my case the problem doesn't always show up, in fact you have
to be typing really fast (or have a lot of applications running;
ThunderBird seems quite heavy on its own, but of course at that point it
might be the application itself) and if you let it cool down for a few
seconds it will get better. Of course working on such a machine is a
pain in the neck...
From: Doug Anderson on 21 Jun 2008 15:18
Jollino <jollino(a)macbook.sogno.net> writes:

> Doug Anderson ha scritto:
> > The first macbook I had had a problem with the spacebar and the mouse
> > button where the spacebar didn't always work, and the mouse button was
> > too hard to click.
> > I brought it to the store where I purchased it and the clerk typed on
> > it for 15 seconds and then gave me a new one.
>
> That's cool. I suppose you live in the US? :) They are not as kind
> here, you have to fight to return anything to any store!
>
> However in my case the problem doesn't always show up, in fact you
> have to be typing really fast (or have a lot of applications running;
> ThunderBird seems quite heavy on its own, but of course at that point
> it might be the application itself) and if you let it cool down for a
> few seconds it will get better. Of course working on such a machine is
> a pain in the neck...

But it sounds like it should be easy to demonstrate that the full stop
doesn't work as it ought to. I would hope that if on typing out a
paragraph of text, it will be clear to the typist that it is harder
than it should be.

(The delay may be harder to demonstrate. I don't have this problem -
I have seen things like this happen when I've been typing over an
internet connection or when there is a lot happening on the computer
and a particular application is slowed down by something. It is
always much harder to get attention for intermittent problems than for
repeatable problems.)

Yes, in the US I'd bring it to an Apple Store if I wasn't near where
I'd bought it. Of course even in the US one isn't necessarily near
an apple store.
 |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2
Prev: brokenstones.cn invitation ... please help
Next: Time Capsule/network/FileVault question