I forgot the password of this old laptop and I want to access terminal to manually reset it but cmd + r does not work probably due to the keyboard being externally connected. ( the internal keyboard is not operational at the moment). Is there any other way?
Earlier Mac models
External keyboards can be used. It is best to use a wired keyboard since wireless keyboards may not always be able to connect soon enough for special startup keys. It is also possible if there is an issue with the built-in keyboard, that issue could be affecting & interfering with the external keyboard.
Is the built-in Trackpad functional? If both the built-in Keyboard & Trackpad have a failure at the same time, then most likely the Trackpad IPD Flex Cable is bad.
Here is an Apple article for resetting the macOS user account password:
If you forgot your Mac login password - Apple Support
I cannot access terminal from login screen on MacBook Air early 2015
