4540s sometimes no keyboard or trackpad at login screen

[bcw1000]

It still sounds like some sort of hardware incompatibility issue.

I agree.

The two things you're changing (as I understand it) are RAM and storage device (SSD vs. HDD).

The working configuration is:

• 16GB (2x8GB) Crucial RAM
• Samsung 840 Pro SSD

The alternatives I've been using the last two days:

• (2x)4GB Hynix RAM (provided with ProBook originally)
• Either Silicon Power V60 SSD or Hitachi rotating SATA drive

But I'm also certain I have successfully installed to all of those components before the current failure mode of hanging at the last screen began occurring. The presence or absence of the Broadcom wifi adapter influences whether I have a problem connecting to wifi during the install but doesn't influence the final outcome.

The wifi problem is inexplicable on it's own, as that adapter does work and I did also have it in place when I made successful installations previously. Originally, the problem I was having was the occasional failure of the keyboard/trackpad which I hoped to eliminate.

Now it's the entire install process. It seems we're postulating a hardware failure that has occurred in the last two days.

The machine was listed as a 'demo' machine and provided with a year's warranty from the seller, who seems reputable. I think I'll reload the Windows 7 software provided with it - the load it arrived with seems to have been 'changed' some from what I expect from the factory. That should have no effect on OS X, but it may give me better hardware diagnostics.

Hopefully some time soon the 9280 will arrive, which will give another perspective. I'm also arriving at the idea that a machine I can't reliably re-install to is, well, unreliable - and so I can put the 'working' components back into play and attempt to install to those.

 

[bcw1000]

Thanks for all the help - RehabMan and nguyenmac and others who contributed.

I don't know the source of my problems, but I can write what I am doing about it.

I took a day off for my brain to cool and then I zero'ed some drives and re-installed the Windows 7 that came with the machine. This let me run diagnostics and that discovered no problems.

Then I re-installed both Mountain Lion and Mavericks to see what would happen. Both worked this time around. My 9280 should arrive soon, and I'll have to reinstall then, but for now I'm going with what nguyenmac said - the problem happens occasionally and a re-start fixes it.

I've read that sleep is the use case Apple suggests for MacBooks, with only a rare power-off, and I haven't had any problems with that. I'll use that and find out.

Aside from that, I can report the ProBook Installer 6.1.10 & Unibeast 3.01 work on a 4540s with 16GB Crucial DDR3-1600 RAM and an SSD.

Cheers,
Bret

 

[cm000000]

Hi Bret,

my 4540s with almost the same config, 2x8Gb crucial RAM + 256 Kingston SSD + FullHD Hack works very well, and I can confirm the problem about loosing keyboard and trackpad, very infrequently but sometimes happens. I installed ML and then, when changed the SSD, installed Mavericks using Unibeast. In both cases the problem with keyboard shown up.
May be the problem is related to pressing a key before the login screen appears. The boot process take just a few seconds, and sometimes i start typing before the input appears, let's me to login but then there is no keyb nor trackpad, and i have to use an external Logitech optical mouse to restart. Upon restart everything works fine.

May be the issue is related to an early keypress, before the login screen.

Best regards,

Carlos