Login screen locks up

Several weeks ago I installed and configured Manjaro and used it for awhile. After an update, I began to have problems logging in after I would lock the screen. I could use the eye icon to view my password and confirmed that it was correct, yet I could still not log in. A reboot would usually fix teh problem for a while, but eventually I decided I should reinstall the operating system.

I considered moving to a different distribution since I need a stable system that I know I’ll be able to get into after investing so much time getting everything setup the way I need it. I decided to give it another shot, so I’ve reinstalled Manjaro and spent several days getting everything set back up again. Yesterday, to my disappointment, the system locked me out again. This time it happened after a full logout, not just a lock screen, and the mouse won’t activate anything on the screen. I can no longer get into the system. I’ve rebooted multiple times to no affect. I need to understand what the problem is and find a solution that is permanent. Any ideas would be appreciated.

The most recent install before this last lockup was keychain, which I installed to enable passphraseless SSH, so maybe that has something to do with my current situation.

The current problem more precisely stated is this:

Once the password has been entered and the “eye” clicked to confirm that the password is correct, the mouse will no longer perform any actions on the screen other than moving the cursor around. Mouse clicks have no apparent affect. Neither to any key combinations such as Ctl-Alt-Del. No input other than repositioning the cursor appears to be accepted by the system. Even the clock on the login screen freezes. My other systems say 11:12 pm, but the Manjaro system is still frozen at 11:04pm.

Alt-F2 does not work either.

okay, thanks to this thread,
Login screen freezes after entering login/password, but works for root user - Manjaro Linux Forum
I found a key combo that works, Ctl-Alt-F3 gets me to a shell login, so at least I can access the system now to troubleshoot.