My apple has a rotten spot.

[Tom-D]

Last night G/ma required me to clean up my desk, so I shut down the MAC, disconnected all the cables and such cleared the desk and cleaned all the old varnish off, got it looking all purdy.
then tried to reassemble the MAC. and found that I am required to log in after shutting down. That would be pretty easy if the wireless key board would talk to my MAC. but it won't. So new batteries in the key board, and it will type to the log in window, but when the "a" is typed it delivers a "a and a d" to the log in window messing up the log in. several other keys do the same thing like the "1" logs in a "1" & a "5"
So it's new key board time. I get the new key board home to find it needs to be "Paired" to the MAC before it will be recognized.
the rotten spot is, you can't "Pair" until you are logged in.

 

[flhrci]

I will forgo the usual apple bashing and suggest borrowing a USB keyboard from somewhere. That ought to get you past that problem. This assumes the USB ports would accept a keyboard. Not a Mac person, so not sure about that.

David

 

[kayoh190]

Sounds like a keyboard problem to me. But yeah, any USB based keyboard/mouse will work just fine if you need it working in a pinch.

 

[cowman]

+1 get a USB keyboard and try that.

 

[Hank S]

I usually cut out the rotten spots with a sharp knife. Works pretty well for me, the rest is pretty tasty.

 

[Tom-D]

got a $10.00 USB key board from Best buy, plugged it in and logged in, paired the new wireless and we be good again.

 

[BillTIZ]

I always have an old spare monitor, keyboard and mouse out in the spare computer parts department (cabinet shelf) in the garage. Always working on resurrecting someone else's machine. Mostly PCs, not Macs.

 

[evapilotaz]

Bad apples goes in trash asap

 

[pigpenracing]

There is a way to sync the wireless keyboard without logging in but I forgot how :-(
It happened to my on my imac and I googled the issue and found a fix. I am thinking it was as simple as turning the computer and keyboard both off and on again????

 

[Tom-D]

There is a way to sync the wireless keyboard without logging in but I forgot how :-(
It happened to my on my imac and I googled the issue and found a fix. I am thinking it was as simple as turning the computer and keyboard both off and on again????

Not on the two latest up grades

 

[RJM62]

Last night G/ma required me to clean up my desk, so I shut down the MAC, disconnected all the cables and such cleared the desk and cleaned all the old varnish off, got it looking all purdy.
then tried to reassemble the MAC. and found that I am required to log in after shutting down. That would be pretty easy if the wireless key board would talk to my MAC. but it won't. So new batteries in the key board, and it will type to the log in window, but when the "a" is typed it delivers a "a and a d" to the log in window messing up the log in. several other keys do the same thing like the "1" logs in a "1" & a "5"
So it's new key board time. I get the new key board home to find it needs to be "Paired" to the MAC before it will be recognized.
the rotten spot is, you can't "Pair" until you are logged in.

That's not a Mac problem. It's a keyboard problem. It's also one of the reasons I don't trust wireless keyboards: They have this habit of failing at the most inconvenient times. As others have said, always have a USB keyboard as a backup, no matter what OS you're using.

Rich

 

[FastEddieB]

Funny...

I have a new Mac Mini arriving Thursday.

I'll be using an older wired Apple keyboard, so that's no problem.

But I will also be using a newly purchased wireless Magic Trackpad. But in anticipation of possible issues, I did dig out an old wired Kensington trackball.

Wireless is fine, but of only modest benefit (if any) on a desktop computer. In any case I would always want wired devices handy to backup wireless ones.

 

[Tom-D]

Funny...

I have a new Mac Mini arriving Thursday.

I'll be using an older wired Apple keyboard, so that's no problem.

But I will also be using a newly purchased wireless Magic Trackpad. But in anticipation of possible issues, I did dig out an old wired Kensington trackball.

Wireless is fine, but of only modest benefit (if any) on a desktop computer. In any case I would always want wired devices handy to backup wireless ones.

Buying new package, the accessories will be paired at the factory.
If you stay logged in you can pair a new keyboard, no problem, it's only when you must log in with out a key board already paired, that you'll have a problem.

 

[BigBadLou]

A. crApple supports USB now?????? Wow, a big leap forward in their backwards thinking ideology.
B. I too have a rotten spot on my apple. It is called iOS9. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to fix it. crApple won't allow us to go back to the last decently working iOS7. Nazis, I tell ya. Even Microsoft allows re-installation of older OS to get rid of Win 8 or 10. *shrug*

 

[Gascolator]

Was your old wireless keyboard still in the room with batteries installed when you were trying to pair the new keyboard?

Visit System Preferences - Bluetooth - Advanced and make sure all three boxes are checked.

If those three boxes were checked, it should have prompted you to pair a keyboard when it didn't recognize one. However, if the old keyboard was still paired it will not do this. You'd need to remove the batteries from the old keyboard and restart the computer for it to prompt you to pair a new keyboard.

 

[Tom-D]

Was your old wireless keyboard still in the room with batteries installed when you were trying to pair the new keyboard?

NO

Visit System Preferences - Bluetooth - Advanced and make sure all three boxes are checked.

You can't visit nothing if you can't log in.

If those three boxes were checked, it should have prompted you to pair a keyboard when it didn't recognize one. However, if the old keyboard was still paired it will not do this. You'd need to remove the batteries from the old keyboard and restart the computer for it to prompt you to pair a new keyboard.

How can you tell if these boxes are checked if you can't log in?

When you restart the MAC you get a log in window, when your keyboard is faulty, you can't log in.

 

[Gascolator]

How can you tell if these boxes are checked if you can't log in?

When you restart the MAC you get a log in window, when your keyboard is faulty, you can't log in.

Sorry, I should have clarified. Once you get logged back in, make sure they are checked. They should be by default so I doubt that is your problem. I have a few Mac Minis that we use as kiosks around our facility (no keyboards, just a mouse) and I have to uncheck these boxes to keep the Bluetooth Setup Assistant from continually launching when it doesn't detect a keyboard.

Apple keyboards can be screwy though. Sometimes I have difficulty getting them to pair. I had one do exactly what you described not too long ago. I threw it in the trash and hooked up a wired keyboard I had sitting in a closet.

We've got close to seventy Macs in the office most with wireless devices. I have plenty of good stories. I had a user that swore to me her computer was possessed. "The mouse just moves itself and clicks on things." I thought she was crazy until I saw it happen one day. I took me a minute, but then I figured out her computer somehow paired to the mouse in the office next to her.