Hi,
I'm new to the forum, and I have a Dell Inspiron 14 laptop with a touchpad problem.
When I use the touchpad, it would highlight everything and click all the buttons when I move the cursor over something. It's like I'm pressing the left button selecting constantly, while obviously I'm not.
I think it might be a hardwire issue, but is there any possibility to fix it without sending it to Dell?
It would be great if you guys can help me out!!!!!
Thanks!
Nathan
hi ,wish i had a answer ,my compaq laptop that i acquired from my daughter recently does the same thing ,making me hate using a laptop .seems like its a sensitivity issues to me but cant find anywhere to change sensitivity
edit ,i actually just found settings for sensitivity .in control panel /mouse /device settings /settings.i know i looked there before ,just missed it i guess
hi ,wish i had a answer ,my compaq laptop that i acquired from my daughter recently does the same thing ,making me hate using a laptop .seems like its a sensitivity issues to me but cant find anywhere to change sensitivity
edit ,i actually just found settings for sensitivity .in control panel /mouse /device settings /settings.i know i looked there before ,just missed it i guess
Thanks for the reply, but did that do the trick? Changing the sensitivity solved the problem?
it made it a little better ,i to go back in and changing the tap sensitivity till i get it right
Hi everyone,
I was having strange issues with my trackpad on the Inspiron 14z too. At random times it would freeze up and only allow vertical movement. The tray icon during these times would show that the trackpad was receiving a great deal of pressure, even if nothing was touching it. I uninstalled and reinstalled every driver I could find... to no avail.
Eventually I was able to deduce that the problems were correlated with having pressure below the trackpad, like if you were holding it on your lap, a bed, or any other soft surface. Finally I got fed up with it and decided to open up the bottom since it definitely seemed to be a hardware issue. If you are comfortable working inside your laptop, or have a friend or family member who is, here are the steps I went through to resolve this problem.
1. Make sure the laptop is completely off, unplug it and remove the battery to be safe.
2. Flip the laptop over and locate the removable panel in the bottom right. There is one screw in the very bottom right corner to remove. It doesn't come all the way out of the plastic. Once it doesn't seem to be unscrewing anymore, use it to pull the plastic up and unhook the whole panel. You may need to use something to help you pry it up. You don't have to use much force but it's tricky to get it started.
3. Once the panel is off you will see the hard drive. There are 4 screws holding it in. Remove these and set them aside.
4. Slide the drive and its enclosure to the right in order to disconnect it, then lift the enclosure out.
5. Now you should see the culprit: the hard drive ribbon cable is hanging right above (or below, depending on perspective) the trackpad. If you peer in there with a flashlight you can see a black square in the center of the trackpad that the ribbon is practically touching. It's easy to imagine how pressure under the computer could cause this cable to touch the trackpad and make it behave erratically. It may also happen if the drive is working particularly hard, not sure.
6. Anyway, we need to get this cable out of the way. I got a small piece of Scotch tape and pulled the cable firmly to the right. There was a fold in the cable that made it hang down from the drive connector at a right angle and touch the trackpad. Pulling it to the right eliminated this angle and shifted the crease to the other side. I taped the cable in place and pressed firmly on the tape to make sure it was not going anywhere.
7. Slide the drive back into the connector, put the 4 screws back, and reattach the panel.
As I type this I am holding my laptop on my lap and having no issues. I haven't had it act up once since I did this, even after testing it with all the behaviors that used to trigger an "episode". I hope this can help someone else who has felt like throwing this laptop out the window a few times!
Kelly
Has this been a permanent fix for people experiencing this problem? This is the first time I've heard a resonable explanation of why this might be happening!
My uncle's 14z has had this problem from Day 1. After the touch pad was replaced twice (yes he is on his 3rd touchpad), I posted this video on YouTube documenting his problems:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI9mC8c9EJk&lc
Update since I posted this video, his 14z has completely died (won't turn on anymore). Dell sent a replacement which was a refurb that had other issues (it was missing all the screws on the underside of the laptop and the monitor cord was being pinched by hinge, causing screen to blink on and off whenever screen was adjusted). So we've had a bad run with the Inspiron 14z and am hopeful that if we ever get our hands a working replacement for our 14z, that if the touchpad issue flairs up on another model, then I have a fix to try!
Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this model to anybody looking for a laptop. I use to be a big Dell fan boy... Now I'm typing this on a Lenovo...
@kellyd302,
Thank you very much for your analysis. So simple, I can confirm it resolved my problem too.
I had an erratic behaving touchpad on my Dell Inspiron 14z, and using this method, fixed it quite easily. As an afterthought, the 640 GB Toshiba HDD that came with it recently crashed beyond words that data recovery was an expensive affair, could this touching of wires have had something to do with the crashing of the HDD? Just a thought.
Thanks once again to kellyd302, good job finding the solution AND sharing it as well for our benefit.
kellyd302, you are a godsend! I just fixed my incredibly frustrating touchpad problem. It has been jumping around and being really unresponsive for months. I just opened up my laptop, took out the harddrive, and saw that little bent ribbon and taped it away from the touchpad. Problem fixed! Thanks so much.
FINALLY! An explanation that makes sense! I addition to the touchpad acting crazy, I have felt occasional electric vibrationson the palm rests and this would probably explain them. My husband is going to have fun taking this apart tonight. I would do it, but he's a system admin, so I'll let him handle it. THANKS again!
I have a Dell Inspiron N411Z, it did have the problem of mouse jumping all over the place too. It would quit working for the right to left movement. The touchpad was even sensing my fingers hovering over it, without touching the pad. After a long period of being on, it would jump all over the place with my external mouse too. *I solved the problem by cutting a thin white plastic lid, and using it as an insulator between the touchpad circuit board and under the hard drive ribbon. I covered the whole circuit board of the touchpad. Make sure the electrical ribbon for the hard drive is on top of the plastic insulator.
Carl J. Webb of Michigan - Computer Repair Expert
Just to add my experience. My daughter has the Inspiron 14Z and the touch pad wouldnt work all the time. The touch pad would get a mind of its own. The only fix would be a reboot. After reading this forum, I was able to staighten the ribbon cable and resolve the issue. Thanks to this forum, and the instructions from Kelly, the laptop is fixed. Thanks for the info! Doug from Spokane, WA
you can try to open the touchpad setting and do some changes if any luck .
Hello Dear Sir,
Please Check in your laptop Touchpad Driver Is Install Properly.Reinstall The Techpad driver ......
After the installing driver it is does not work the your laptop tuchpad hardware problem ........
We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.