How do I make the pointing devices more usable/sensitive?

Question

(Yes, I've already tweaked everything under every tab in the mouse config box.) So after my frustrating experience with getting no pointing stick on my new 8600c, I bought a used keyboard and palmrest and swapped them out to get both the trackstick and touchpad. I can't get a very useful configuration, though. Very inferior to my old ibm thinkpad trackpoint. I got that one configured so it was just as fast and easy to aim as a real mouse, but this dell version is very poor so far. I'm really trying not to have to buy a real mouse and move my hand from mouse to keyboard every 5 seconds... I can configure it so either the stick moves too slowly to be of any use, or it moves quickly enough but is impossible to aim at something small, since it only starts responding when you have pushed it somewhat, overshooting whatever you were aiming at. I figured out I could change the stick sensitivity a little through the orientation tab in mouse config, but it is either very fast or very slow that way, no in between. If I get it in very fast mode there, and lower the pointer speed in the pointer options tab, it is just barely usable, but still has the aiming at small things problem, and now the touchpad is ridiculously slow as well because of the pointer speed setting. Is there a way to change any of these parameters without going through the driver options dialog? Where are these settings stored? Somewhere in the registry? I would really like to turn off the 'threshold sensitivity' type stuff where it only moves if you push hard. Probably from too many people complaining that they bump it accidently... But it's kind of like having a steering wheel that refuses to go straight. You have to keep alternating between going slightly left and slightly right to stay on the road... Also, do they make the concave stick caps for Dells? (Like this: http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/14288_softrim.jpg) They use a smaller square stick than the thinkpads. Maybe I can rig something up with the one I have and some spacers... I already added some washers under the buttons so I could actually click them. You shouldn't have to modify your laptop just to use it... People who appreciate and use the trackstick, what are your optimum settings for using it?

Kamika007z · Answer

I run a Inspiron 8200 and they began using the Alps touchpad/trackstick configuration on it when in the prior two models before it (i8000 and i8100) used a Synaptics touchpad/trackstick configuration. To be honest, the new driver released for it (A07) really improves things. However, the hardware is junk when compared to the Synaptics touchpad/trackstick. I'm afraid you have to just settle with it untill there's a miracle with these drivers.

My configuration for my trackstick is the windows default setting. I'm just used to it in terms of it's rate of movement. However, I wish I had what my older i8100 has... a synaptics. (I can swap them, but then the trackstick doesn't work.. and the i8000 and i8100 keyboard isn't as nice as the i8200's if I want to use the older model's keyboards.)

Hope this helps,

John

Message Edited by Kamika007z on 10-25-2004 01:43 AM

Negatron · Answer

I'm pretty sure it's just the driver. In Linux I am able to aim at small things with no problem. The windows driver has some kind of threshold to prevent it from registering movement until you have moved it a certain distance, making it impossible to aim at something nearby.

Kamika007z · Answer

Have you used a synaptics?  Was the quality of the alps comparable to the synaptics under linux?   John

Negatron · Answer

i've never used the synaptics. only the alps.

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