Mac "option" key bug

[mattdesl]

Hey folks,

Recently my Mac has started to think that my "alt" or "option" key is pressed down, when it's clearly not. This problem happens spontaneously about 2-3 times a day now. Sometimes it occurs when typing, sometimes it occurs when I leave my computer idle for a couple hours.

This is obviously an issue since I can then only type in symbols: å∫ç∂´ƒ©

- The only fix I've found is to log out and then log back in, or to reboot.
- Pushing ALT or OPTION does nothing to resolve the issue.
- Sticky keys and accessibility are disabled
- The virtual keyboard viewer shows that OPTION is pushed down. In the virtual keyboard, clicking the OPTION button does nothing.
- I have tried to "restore" hotkeys in the System Preferences to no avail.
- The problem persists even after turning off and disabling my bluetooth keyboard, which leads me to believe it's not a keyboard-related issue.
- The issue persists even after force-quitting all applications.

Hopefully somebody has some ideas to help resolve the issue.

I'm running iMac 10.6.6 with the standard Mac wireless keyboard.

Model ID: iMac10,1
Intel Core 2 Duo

EDIT: Also, I've read that a similar issue occurs within Photoshop for certain Mac users. My problem occurs without Photoshop running; and it is system-wide rather than application specific.

 

[DeltaMac]

Make sure it's not a keyboard (hardware) issue by using a different keyboard for a few hours, or even a day or two. It's another reason to keep a USB wired keyboard around, just for such needs. It doesn't even need to be a "Mac-compatible" keyboard. If you _do_ try a windows keyboard, that the alt and windows-symbol keys are, by default, reversed to Mac's normal positions on the keyboard.