Why won't my laptop stop scrolling on its own?

September 8, 2011 5:32 AM

I have a Lenovo G560 laptop that has developed a habit of scrolling down on its own. I've tried everything I could find through Google to fix, including disabling the touchpad and updating mouse drivers, but it is acting as if the scroll-down button is jammed. Please help!

The behavior started about 2 months ago, and was pretty infrequent. Often a reboot would fix the problem. However it's gotten more and more prevalent. Keeping the computer powered off when its not in use seems to help, but it always comes back. Sometimes on reboot it gives a series of very loud beeps while loading Windows, again as if a key was jammed. I've tried wiggling the keys, mashing them, hitting a series of them, etc, but nothing seems to help once it starts scrolling. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

posted by um_maverick to Technology (10 answers total)

I can't speak to the Lenovo in particular, but it sounds as if the touchpad hardware itself is failing - on many portables the keyboard integrates the touchpad buttons, so that may be part of it, but both usually connect to a controller that's often in the palmrest assembly. If you have access to a matching system you could try swapping keyboards between systems to see if it makes a difference, but you may be looking at a hardware repair. any chance it's still in warranty? If not, find a local decent hardware shop (not geek squad or its analogues if you can avoid them - they have some good techw, but also quite a few that should stick to selling phones).
posted by pupdog at 5:47 AM on September 8, 2011

Other than needing a replacement touchpad, I have seen a couple instances where it was due to interference. Touchpads are sensitive to frequency interference and one time a user bought a cheap chinese power adapter from ebay to replace the one they lost. The laptop was fine at first, until they needed a charge. So when they plugged it in, the power adapter was giving off signals not approved by FCC causing the touchpad to go haywire. But it didn't always happen. I eventually realized if it was plugged in, but they had it on their lap (wearing shorts) it grounded it out and worked fine. So you if got a replacement power adapter recently, see how it works without it first. Cause it was a waste of time and money replacing their touchpad first.
But I agree with pupdog, if you aren't familiar with taking it apart, definitely don't take it to geek squad, take it to a real tech shop.
posted by udon at 5:58 AM on September 8, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for the tips - it shouldn't be a power adapter issue, as we've been using the one from the manufacturer the whole time. I'll look for a local tech company to see if they have any suggestions. I've generally done my own tech support - would a local mom&pop type place be the ideal option for something like this?
posted by um_maverick at 6:45 AM on September 8, 2011

If it's a mom & pop that does hardware repair, sure - even better if they're Lenovo certified or something - basically they're going to need to be able to source a palmrest and install it. Lenovo may set up the repair as well, but it'll probably be more expensive.
posted by pupdog at 6:50 AM on September 8, 2011

If you're confident in disassembling your own stuff you can probably do it yourself, just be aware you're probably taking the system half-apart to do it.

here's what looks like the service manual
posted by pupdog at 6:52 AM on September 8, 2011

The down-arrow key (on the keyboard) is stuck, perhaps?
posted by neckro23 at 9:51 AM on September 8, 2011

The down-arrow key (on the keyboard) is stuck, perhaps?

This is what I initially thought, too. Other potential sources could be the page down and end keys. I've had keys that weren't discernibly stuck, either, but simply registered because something was caught under the keys causing it to stick just a bit.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:09 AM on September 8, 2011

No solution, but it sounds like I am experiencing the same problem you are but at the earlier stage with my Lenovo. Sounds like it could be more than just a stuck key...
posted by rosebengal at 2:24 PM on September 8, 2011

Jammed spacebar, perhaps?

Open up a text editor and see what happens. If the cursor goes sideways, it's probably the spacebar.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:54 PM on September 8, 2011

Response by poster: Definitely not a jammed spacebar - I tried that as well. Next step is to take apart the keyboard, I s'pose
posted by um_maverick at 5:25 AM on September 9, 2011