Mac OS X 10.4.4 Special Report: Loss of keyboard audio volume control; fixes

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 9:09 a.m. PT

3 min read

Some users report that the keyboard audio volume controls fail to work properly under Mac OS X 10.4.4

One reader writes

"Since updating, the F3, F4, and F5 keys no longer work for controlling volume. They do adjust something, as the white volume control meter pops up and adjusts up and down - it just doesn't affect the volume at all. The only way for me to control the volume now is to open system preferences, go to the audio pane, and adjust the slider manually. I have a 17" Powerbook G4 High Density 1.67 GHz."

MacFixIt reader Perry Peterson adds:

"In my case however (G4 MDD Mac 867MHz), it only occurs after I change the audio output. For headphone use, I have an iMic device on my desk for convenience, but whenever I switch between my Soundsticks speakers and the iMic (or vice versa), the keyboard volume controls behave as described, I see the volume setting image on the screen, and the volume level squares move up and down, but the actual volume does not change. To correct it and get the keys working again, I must log out and log back in (or restart, but logging out/in is quicker), which does the trick. I've trained myself to do this procedure before getting involved in any audio editing, etc. so I don't get started working and then have to quit, but it would be nice if the problem would just get fixed."

As noted by Perry, the kludgy workaround for this issue (until a more suitable solution is found) is to simply log out and back in.

In some cases, this problem can be caused by an inadvertent change in the keyboard setting, which can be restored to its proper configuration in the "International" pane of System Preferences under the "Input Menu" tab.

MacFixIt reader Daniel Crowley writes:

"I live in Ireland and use the Irish keyboard in International settings. When using this keyboard the volume keys do no work nor do the shortcut keys in Adobe applications. If I switch to the US keyboard then both the volume keys and the shortcut keys work again. The problem is that the machine keeps switching keyboards for no apparent reason. This only happens on my iBook and not on my iMac G5 both of which run identical systems."

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