Be Excellent To Each Other

Oddly, my iMac's external keyboard has partially packed-up. In this case we're merely talking about the right shift, alt and ctrl keys. Not the end of the world, I know, but... Irritating. I can't see any external problems or faults or cracks, so I assume it might be software-based, the problem (I use OS 10.6). The Keyboard Viewer confirms no (software) response to the keys being pressed; it's a British keyboard and my settings are appropriate. Is there a software setting somewhere that got switched, or is this another case of Apple hardware suffering premature death?

Do you have another PC/laptop/netbook/coffee machine you can try it in?

Good point. I'll give that a go...

nb: Don't plug into the coffee machine.

Ah, the affected keys still don't work when plugged into someone else's Mac. Crappy keyboard... Hasn't even lasted a year!

Warranty job then, innit?

And that's the end of THAT chapter.

Is it a plastic 'crumb tray' type or the newer aloominuminum one?

Aluuminuniumun.

Assume as the Mac's young enough to have warranty, the keyboard is covered. I hope. Investigate tomorrow, I will.

(The description of the old type of keyboard as a 'crumb tray' is so accurate, BTW. It's like a secret crumb spawner was impregnated under the keyboard membrane.)

Mine broke last week, too. But I spilled a glass of water on it, so I didn't really expect it to survive.

You should have used the crumbs to soak up the water.

Then thrown it in the oven...