Thursday, April 19, 2012

Bongo Playing

Plugging in...

The distressed voice message said "please help,  the computer is playing the bongos". Really?  A repetitive bongo-like noise was coming from the all-in-one MAC computer upon awakening. And, after a new wireless, large-print keyboard was installed the day before, a message flashed "wireless keyboard batteries low".

Who would have known that BOTH problems were caused by keyboards, albeit, not the newly installed one. The large-print wireless keyboard was replacing a Logitech wireless keyboard, that had replaced the original Apple wireless keyboard that came with the MAC upon purchasing.

The bongo noise certainly caught the Tutor's attention. Turns out, when the Logitech keyboard was placed out of the way for the new keyboard, it was resting on top of the Apple wireless keyboard... which shouldn't have mattered except... it still had the batteries in it, and was still active, even though it wasn't being used by the owner of the MAC. Many readers may know, if one presses a key on a keyboard too long, it begins to make a noise, to get your attention. It's really screaming "GET OFF OF ME".

The unused Apple wireless keyboard had been sitting behind the large monitor, looking harmless. It still had the batteries in it, and the MAC was still "discovering" it via the bluetooth feature that allows the MAC keyboard to be used WITHOUT a separate USB component (sort of like the way a remote finds a TV).

The discovery of the bongo sound, led to the solution for the "low battery" message as well. The entire low battery message began with "the Apple wireless keyboard" has low batteries (great example of why the ENTIRE error message needs to be written down).  Indeed it did. It had been sitting idle for more than a year (impressive battery time) but no one had known to:
  1. Take the batteries out of the Apple keyboard upon replacing it with the Logitech keyboard.
  2. Stop the Bluetooth* wireless discovery of the Apple keyboard.
  3. OR move the Apple keyboard to another room, so the Bluetooth technology couldn't "find" it.
Once the Apple keyboard was moved from under the Logitech keyboard, the bongos stopped playing and the battery message disappeared as the keyboard was moved so far away, that Bluetooth couldn't find it.

Another chapter closed in Tutor sleuthing.


* Bluetooth: short-range wireless service, about 30feet

ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is anything laying on it, and is it turned on?

 Unplugged

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