Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with trackpad

Please recommend a replacement input device for my Macbook, the trackpad isn't working for me.

Your Time Machine Sucks — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:13:57 -0800

Loathe the new Macbook trackpad in XP, what input device should I use instead that doesn't require a desk and is OK for gaming? New Macbook. The buttonless trackpad takes about twice the force to click as my old Macbook trackpad and after half a day my thumb was going numb. Tap-to-click works fine on the OS X side but is very inaccurate on the XP side even with the updated trackpad driver, more so when the machine gets hot. What kind of input device can I plug in and use to game with no desk around? Wired is a plus, and I don't play twitch games so it doesn't have to be insanely precise, just more precise and ergonomic than the skittish anti-thumb trackpad. Thanks!

fixing a sticky trackpad

slow graffiti — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:54:58 -0800

Is it possible to de-stick my new laptop's trackpad? I just bought an HP Pavillion dv4. It's nice enough, but it has a seriously sticky trackpad. HP says it's not a defect.
My finger won't glide over it- the material is something obnoxiously shiny that shouldn't have made it past a prototype. It's sticky to the touch and at the same time, too smooth. Why is that, and now that it's in my hands, can I do anything about it?
(I've seen this but my case is too extreme)
Third party products? Home hacks? It works great when I put something like paper or cloth between my finger and the pad, but that's not viable in the long run. It seems like it needs to be more matte like most trackpads are...could that be accomplished somehow with something abrasive without destroying it? I even know someone with a laser etching machine (yes, mildly crazy, but the alternative is starting my laptop search from scratch).

If there isn't a simple fix, then back in the box it goes for bad design.

Way to Increase Mouse Pointer Speed?

drleary — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:31:48 -0800

Under Windows XP, is there a way to make the speed of the mouse pointer increase when you plugin a mouse, but decrease when you're just using the touchpad? Thanks!

Disabling The Trackpad on a Dell Inspiron 1525

NotMyselfRightNow — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:56:50 -0800

How do you disable a trackpad on a Dell Inspiron 1525 running XP? (Feeling like an idiot for having to ask this...)

My Dad got a Dell Inspiron 1525 running Vista Home a couple of months ago, had Geek Squad come out and transfer his files from the old machine and swap out Vista for XP. He's using a Microsoft Trackball Optical, and keeps accidently brushing the trackpad with his hands while typing.

He called tech support (me) to ask how to turn it off, and I can't figure it out. I'm a ThinkPad person myself, and I'm used to the UltraNav controls for the trackpad and nub, but the Dell doesn't have this menu. Instructions that came with the machine tell the user to disable it through a Control Panel menu that doesn't appear to be there for him. Windows help isn't being helpful.

I apologize for the potential lack of detail in the question - My dad isn't very tech savvy, and I'm trying to do this from a few hundred miles away. I'd appreciate any help or suggestions!

Microwave vs. Computer, and the Microwave is winning.

sol — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:43:08 -0800

The kitchen computer has a little trackpad/keyboard combo that sits atop of the microwave. When the microwave turns on, the trackpad stops working. Looking for suggestions on shielding, putting a filter in line with the cable, grounding, anything to help me cook and mouse at the same time. This has been going on for a while but last night, after some extended nuking of some delicious lasagna, the computer warned me that a USB device was not functioning properly and was disabled, forcing a restart of the whole thing to get the keyboard working again.

So what to do? I know about basic electronics from fixing guitars and such, but not the RF/Magnetic interference voodoo. I'm fully prepared to crack this thing open, get into ferrite beads, soldering, grounding wires, etc. if it will help. Yes, the problem goes away if I move the keyboard a few inches away from the microwave, but the way my kitchen is set up this is really the best spot for things.

Why can't Godfrey work the trackpad?

Dr. Wu — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:50:06 -0800

Why, when I drag the fleshy (i.e., not furry) part of my cat's paw across the trackpad on my MacBook, does the cursor not respond? No, seriously.
What is it about the difference between his paw and my finger that makes the cursor move?

No cats have been harmed in the formulation of this question.

Sticky Buttons

SansPoint — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:47:27 -0800

AAAAH!! My iBook G4 trackpad button is stuck! Help! My iBook fell off my desk, on the back. Didn't sound like it would be a problem, but now my trackpad button's stuck. I've tried prying it up, but no avail. Sure I can click on the pad itself, but I prefer the big button. Any help? Suggestions? Do I really need to go out to Ardmore to the nearest Apple Store? I don't have AppleCare, but it *is* a refurb... that I bought over a year ago...

Help!

Finger + Trackpad = Friction

hsoj — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:13:34 -0800

How can I reduce the friction between my finger and my MacBook Pro track pad? I usually don't have any problems with my track pad, but sometimes when my hands are a little bit sweaty, freshly washed, or cold from being outside, it's nearly impossible to effectively my track pad. I've tried using paper towels but they don't seem to get my fingertips as dry as they could be.

Has anyone else experienced reduced track pad function due to moist/cold fingers? If so, what did you do to make it better?

How to fix my iBook trackpad after water seeped in?

jbb7 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 05:26:03 -0800

iBook trackpad problems: after cleaning with a barely damp cloth, my trackpad is all jumpy. Reboots and trying to "massage" the trackpad haven't helped. Any other home remedies for this? This all started when I ran a heavily squeezed-out kleenex over the surface several hours ago. Very little water could have seeped into the trackpad, and I've done this very many times before.

The trackpad fluctuates between responding to some of my finger movements and completely ignoring them. The sides are noticeably better than the middle section. Also, going horizontally works much more often than going vertically. But that said, the trackpad is essentially unusable.

I would normally run to the Apple Store with a problem like this, but I'm in Beijing for another month and sending it to the AppleCare depot here will be a bit more involved.

Is my iBook hosed?

Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:30:10 -0800

Possible water spill on the trackpad and button; is my iBook damaged? This evening when we were out, my mother-in-law was using my G3 iBook, and she accidentally spilled about half a glass of water on our kitchen table, very close to the iBook. She said she didn't think any water got on the machine and said it was "acting ok". However, I used it for a few minutes earlier and I noticed that the button seemed very stiff and the trackpad did not respond as quickly. Also, I have had two "spinning wheels of death" where the entire machine just completely locked up. I thought I heard a soft crackling noise on reboot as well. After this I shut it down and I am posting from another machine. Are these just amazing coincidences or are these things symptomatic of water actually getting into the machine? If it is, what is going to happen and how long will it take to notice if something is truly amiss? I have an hours-old backup and she has offered to replace the machine if it is indeed damaged. What do you think?

How to eliminate pain associated with mouse clicking?

J-Garr — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 11:18:33 -0800

How have people prevented and recovered from Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) of the fingers caused mainly by mouse clicking? My hand hurts. Like many of us I spend all day working on computers then I come home from work and spend more time on a computer. Usually playing games like World of Warcraft. I am considering this: http://www.thehumansolution.com/pad.html but the problem is the company that makes them is out of business and the prices of the remaining stock are up to $200 each! Has anyone used one? Has anyone tried the foot pedal mouse buttons: http://www.alimed.com/ProductDetail.asp?catalog=2&CategoryID=219&FamilySKU=79103 ? What else has helped people with problems caused by clicking the mouse?

I've already tried using software to re-map mouse clicks to keyboard keys. For some uses it works very well but not for gaming. Also, now my left hand hurts a bit from using CTRL and ALT as left and right mouse buttons causing me to hold my left hand in a different position than when I type.

Trackpad Pixies

Popular Ethics — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 21:04:32 -0800

How do I fix a jumpy laptop trackpad? I have a 2004 iBook G4, and for the second time since its purchase, my trackpad is acting wonky. The first time this happened, Apple replaced the pad under warranty. Unfortunately my 1 year free coverage has since expired, so I'm looking for a cheaper solution.

The symptoms are as follows: Every so often my cursor becomes momentarily 'pinned' in place. When it gets like this, I can get the cursor to 'jump' by touching the pad in a new location (usually this has no effect), but when I lift my finger off again, the cursor returns to the pinned spot. I can usually get the blockage to clear with several frustrated hard taps, or quick random movements, but its an unreliable fix, and the last time this happened the twitchiness got worse and worse until I couldn't use the trackpad anymore.

I have eliminated the obvious causes:
- I thought the symptoms would fit a buildup of oil on the pad, which is messing with the capacitance sensing. However wiping with a kleenex doesn't help.
- I am not hitting the pad with my wrist
- I used to run a non-Apple mouse driver: SideTrack. But uninstalling it doesn't fix the problem.

Has anyone had similar problems with trackpads? Is there a maintenance procedure I'm forgetting to perform? Is there a manual, or software method I can use that might calm this sucker down, or am I doomed to pay for a replacement?

Deal-breakers: Gestures and keybindings in Firefox OS X

Mo Nickels — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 12:16:49 -0800

Firefox deal-breakers. 1. Instead of scrolling the page, panning use the trackpad on OS X goes back one page in the cache. 2. I want to change the keybinding to so that control-click on a link opens in a new background tab, instead of in a new foreground tab. Scrolling using the trackpad is made available in the latest Powerbooks and iBooks, but I also had the problem when using uControl on previous generation iBooks and and now using iScroll, which enables the feature on iBooks in which the feature is crippled by Apple. By holding two fingers on the trackpad instead of one, I can scroll up and down or back and forth on a page, same as if I had a scroll wheel. Instead, in Firefox, it takes this is a backward and forward command, same as hitting the back and forward buttons on the browser. This has been an issue for over a year and is the number one reason I rarely use Firefox. There are at least four other people who have mentioned this problem elsewhere on the Internet, but none have posted a solution. I have installed every applicable extension there is in an attempt to disable--and later, when that didn't work, delete--all mouse gestures, rocker gestures, scrollwheel navigation, and middle button scrolling, to no avail. I have fiddled with settings in about:config, especiall those that include "mouse," "gest," or "scroll," to no avail, but that was mostly guesswork.

The second problem is much less a deal-breaker but still an annoyance. Firefox uses shift-command-click to open a link in a background tab; I want it to behave like Safari and use command-click to open a link in a background tab. Right-click (or control-click) and then choosing "open in new tab" is an annoyance when you've got years invested of reinforced behavior doing it a quicker way.