Yet another touchpad/mouse conflict question

I see lots of Dell laptop forum messages about problems that result when a mouse is plugged in with the touchpad activated, then unplugged. My problem is a little different.

I can plug in a USB mouse and have it work just fine. However, when I unplug the mouse, all of the special touchpad features have been nullified/reset and they are a pain to reset.

My reading of the touchpad/mouse/conflict forum messages is you have to pick one or the other, adjust the BIOS and drivers, and stick with that one device. Stated differently, the touchpad/mouse will not coexist.

I'd like to plug in a mouse for games, but use the touchpad for routine browsing and office work.

If there is a solution to this, I'd appreciate a pointer to it.

Thanks.