2008-01-14

Change keyboard type button missing in System Preferences

After playing with the keyboard type (I don't remember exactly what I did) I had a nasty keyboard type/mapping problem on my MacBook Pro (Max OS X Leopard 10.5.1):

From some point on the two keys (<> and ^° in my case, german keyboard) where swapped. All other keys were normal, so it was not a keymap problem. The german keymap worked well except for these two keys which were swapped. Stangely enough the button to undo this change 'Change keyboard type ...' *vanished* from the System Preferences! I could not believe this until I verified that on other Macs this button is present. I don't understand why. Apple: Never do these configure once things!

Starting the KeyboardSetupAssistant did not help at all since it would say that all known keyboard were configured. Thanks.

I found the solution in some Apple forum thread but I am replicating it here since it took me quite some time to find it although it looks quite obvious to me now:

1) Delete the file: /Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboardtype.plist
2) Restart

After removing the file and restarting:

1. I could set the keyboard type correctly using the assistant and
2. I can now change the keyboard type again using the System Preferences

I don't know why this button was missing before ...

19 Kommentare:

Anonym hat gesagt…

The same exact thing happened to me, and the solution you provided did the trick. A really strange bug indeed.

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thanks! Did the trick!

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thanks for the tip ! Had the same problem on a french keyboard ;)

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thanks a lot!
Same problem, same solution and I'm even using a KVM switch. Now my MacBook goes as far as to recognize the keyboard as a true Apple one (while my Mac Pro still believes it's a generic keyboard, I might try that trick on it too).

Anonym hat gesagt…

I forgot two details: my keyboard is an Italian Apple keyboard, and my KVM switch is an Avocent SwitchView DVI KVM.

Thanks again!

Jeez hat gesagt…

No need to reboot if you use a USB keyboard. Just delete the file, unplug and replug the keyboard; OS X will pop up the configuration wizard.

I haven't yet verified it but backing up a correct version of the file and copying it over the broken one (and perhaps replugging/rebooting) should also deal with the problem.

Johannes Leuchovius hat gesagt…

THANKS YOU!!!!

Tuxie hat gesagt…

Thank you so much! This solved the problem for me also.

Anonym hat gesagt…

Ok I have the same problem but under 10.5.8 but i cannot locate the file in Preferences folder... Any Ideas?

gulli hat gesagt…

Thanks for providing the solution to this issue.

Stanislaw Wozniak hat gesagt…

Just a note, you don't have to restart, just reconnect your keyboard (if it's USB that is)

Julia hat gesagt…

Same problem but no keyboardtype file to delete under library/preferences, and unplugging my usb keyboard has no effect, either. I'm using OS X v 10.6.3 Can you help ?

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thanks for the tip. I added this info also to my collection of Apple tricks.

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thank you so much!!!

Stefan hat gesagt…

I had the same problem with a twist. Another input device also got in the way. You can read more about it here: Windows keyboard on a Mac - how hard can it be?, under the section 'Keyboard not recognized, leading to wrong keyboard mapping'.

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thank you for the good indications. But there is still another trouble I am facing: The "change keyboadtype" button reappears after deleting the preferences file, but after reboot the system continues to "forget" the keybord type. Worse, when I set the keyboardtype in an admin account, it causes failure to recognize or alter the specification in my normal account. (And I have to re-delete the preferences file!) Any ideas? Thx.

icode hat gesagt…

Argh, that sounds strange. I have no idea. I know it sounds stupid, but have you tried the 'repair permissions' in the disk utility on the whole disk?

Anonym hat gesagt…

Had the same problem in 10.7 and your tip did work.

Thanks!

Anonym hat gesagt…

OSX 10.9.2 Same problem - the fix still works!
Thank you!