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:

  1. Anonym10:03

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

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  2. Anonym12:39

    Thanks! Did the trick!

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  3. Anonym12:39

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

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  4. Anonym13:10

    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).

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  5. Anonym14:17

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

    Thanks again!

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  6. Jeez08:38

    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.

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  7. Tuxie08:26

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

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  8. Anonym00:47

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

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  9. Thanks for providing the solution to this issue.

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

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  11. Julia15:54

    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 ?

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  12. Anonym23:54

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

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  13. Anonym12:09

    Thank you so much!!!

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  14. Stefan08:57

    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'.

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  15. Anonym22:24

    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.

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  16. 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?

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  17. Anonym16:30

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

    Thanks!

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  18. Anonym22:48

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

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