[MacTUG] Using your Apple Remote as a "startup key"

[Marlon A. Griffith]

MacFixit, http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20071113074656308


Having trouble getting your computer to hear signals from your Aluminum keyboard during the boot process? Here's a curious hint from a reader about restoring one bit of functionality by using your Apple Remote instead:

    I recently purchased an Apple Aluminum wired keyboard to use with my Intel iMac. It failed to launch my Bootcamp partition of Windows XP by using the option key on boot. It would boot into OSX 10.5 as though I hadn't held the option key down as the iMac was booting. After several attempts with the same result I called Apple. I was told that the Keyboard update was suppose to address that issue but that it hadn't. Apple sent me another keyboard but it was no different. After searching the Apple Discussions board it seems to be a common issue.

    There is a workaround, however. It seems that if the Menu key is held down on the Apple remote during the boot process it will act as though the option key was held down. Apple obviously needs to issue a fix but in the mean time your readers may want to know about using the Apple remote to select the Bootcamp partition or any other alternate partition on their hard drive.

Who knew? What other interesting things does an Apple Remote do during startup?