Patrisha

September 7, 2008

NumLock?

This computer has the new Apple aluminum keyboard which I like quite a lot except that there is no NumLock key. I don’t often have to put numbers in but when I do, I much prefer to use the bank of numbers at the right side rather than the line of numbers at the top. However, it seemed my bank of numbers was locked. And there was no key marked numlock.

Well, I did a bunch of press-this and press-that experimenting but no luck. So, I turned to Google. I put in "apple keyboard numlock." Actually, I misspelled board but Google caught it and offered the correction. And the first entry I went to had the answer to my question.

Right above the number 7* in the numbers keypad is a key called Clear and that is the numlock. Not exactly intuitive! However, it was not as easy as pressing one key. I also had to go to the "universal access" which is the place where you can fix things so that people with handicaps can use computers. There is a section called Mouse Keys in which, I assume, one can program keys to act like a mouse, and this has to be off. For some reason, mine was set to on. I think I must have done it accidentally while poking around because I can’t think why the default should be On. Anyway, I set it to Off, pressed the Clear key, and voila! The number pad was working again. However did we find the answers to questions like this before Google and the Internet?

* Brought to you by an unlocked keyboard pad!

Until later…

QUOTATIONS:

"Step by step. I can’t think of any other way of accomplishing anything."

Michael Jordan

"Fear not for the future, weep not for the past."

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet

VeronicaCorningstone

September 8, 2008

Sometimes Apple has like, top secret business. You feel like a master detective figuring it out!!

gray tabby

i’m glad you were able to find the problem. take care,

I prefer the number pad for entering numbers as well but I think that comes from years of working for the corporations and needing to input a lot of number data. Sounds like you are pretty technologically savvy.

TheWoodsprite

Geez, how would anyone have ever guessed all THAT?! It is a really good thing we are able to find out things online! :o) !! hugs, Weesprite

Pat

Good detective work!

! the numbers were locked, and there was no numlock key? I agree, getting help from Apple can be convoluted and difficult to sort out. But now, if I get an aluminium keyboard, I’ll know what to do!

Violet

I love Google! It answers all questions immediatly, like an oracle or something. LOL!

Flyte

I often wonder how we got anything figured out before Google and the computer. I saw a news article about the young college guys who made Google and the first search engine. Pretty interesting the way they came up with the idea. All I can say is hooray for smart college kids!!!

Vermonter57

I have been amazed by the way Google answers my questions. I was reading about the Canadien Parliament dissolving and realized that I didn’t know under what conditions that could happen. I typed in Parliament Dissolution, misspelled it and still got the right answer!

Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever even used the numbers at the side of my keyboard. I always go for the ones above the letters. 🙂

HippieChica15

ahh Apple, how you are in LOVE with obscure key commands!

darcy0207

glad all was revealed!

Telynor

I went through that mess with my laptop. Very annoying as I really do like using the ten-key pad at the side, than the row of numbers at the top. (They merge the ten-key into the QWERTY section, which I hate.)

google saves me daily. I swear.

Sounds like a lot of hard work.

Desert Sage

Yikes! Glad you got it figured out!

newmommy

Computers can really kick our behinds!

MargUK

September 9, 2008

We didn’t have questions like this in the first place because life wasn’t so complicated!! My NumLock key is above the ‘7’ key as well but has a funny symbol on it – like a mouse I think. Can’t see the logic but the brain who devised your NumLock key has even stranger logic!! A man methinks ……..

What is it that you were expressing skepticism about, generally? I am confused.