Precision M6500 touchpad jumps left a few inches when moving finger right

Aren't computers fun!!!!

Well, I now have the 4th touch pad and 2nd keyboard installed on my M6500. They happen to be the worst of all that I've had. The pointing stick now fails to work 95% of the time. The touch pad locks up completely after about 5 minutes of use and requires a reboot to get it to work another 5 minutes.

So I uninstalled the drivers and reinstalled them (A05 drivers). Nothing changed.

I installed the latest  drivers (A06) I found on the Dell website and gave them a whirl. They didn't seem to help.

So here I go again...another call for service.

OK... I am claiming my M6500 fixed... they were going to send me another palm rest, motherboard, etc...etc... just in case you have not been reading they had already sent many parts and finally just sent me a complete new computer... but the issue with touch pad continued.... in my last call to tech support (one of probably 20)... He said let me check one more time to see if there is a newer driver version available... He found one sent it to me... we installed it over one week ago and everything is working fine:emotion-11:... I think this is more than hardware.

After reading Soosmen's post, I went out to the Dell driver page for the M6500.   Sure enough, there is a new Synaptics driver dated 9/27/2010.   

Chris

yep... thats the one that fixed my computer.... but after we installed it... oddly enough if you go back an look at the driver it still shows the old date... confused... but working ok!

I thought mine was fixed after a palmrest replacement. Turns out the problem persists but is much improved. The only time I now have the problem (And it is now a repeatable reliable issue) is when I press to the left of the touchpad.  As long as I don't it works and if I do it goes back to normal when I remove the pressure from there. I tried the new driver after they replaced the palmrest but it would cause my directional movements to be completely ignored after a few minutes although it would still read taps etc. I don't think I'll have anything else done unless there is a sure fix as this is much betterthan it was and trying to fix it would probably make things worse.

I just had my 5th touchpad installed. Other than freezing up when i put pressure on the palm rest to the left of the touch pad, things are working OK. I still get the occasional unintended mouse click that enables you to start typing automatically where you don't want to type. (I don't think I'd call that a feature.) I was told by customer service that there was another touch pad in the works, that provides better structural support to the touch pad.

I did try the new drivers, but it caused more problems than it solved. (Actually it didn't solve anything for me.) It will often freeze up either the touch pad or the pointing stick. Only a restart will fix the problem. So I reinstalled the old driver, and with that the machine will function OK as I mentioned above.

If I have critical work that I need to do, with minimal problems, I just use an external mouse. With that I've had no problems.

Sigh...at least Dell seems to be aware of the problem. Unfortunately they don't yet have satisfactory fix. Maybe for Christmas??? 2011?

Nathan

What a disturbing issue.... My touch pad is still working great after the latest driver up-date... however....... today I was in the middle of a presentation and.... bam... the whole machine went down.... as if you were to hold the power button for 14 counts.... started up ok and is working fine.... but a restart in a presentation IS NOT ACCEPTABLE... anyone else having issues with sudden black outs... slow shutdowns.... or start ups... I am tired of this machine!

Well.... I am back to where I started... same old issue.... Will be back on the phone with Dell tomorrow

I'm just entering this note for the benefit of the Dell techs who are HOPEFULLY researching this:

I had reported that my machine was completely useless because of this issue.

I had tried everything software related that has been suggested in this whole thread without fail.

I had finally had my keyboard and palmrest/touchpad replaced and the problem vanished for months and months - until last Monday.

Over a long weekend I had left my machine powered up for a few days straight and all of a sudden it came back!  

I rebooted and it was gone again and hasn't been back since (most of a week now).

I don't know what it is but it sure would be swell if Dell could work it out.  :emotion-43:

If only it were that simple......

Unfortunately at its core this is a hardware problem caused by an engineering defect. Software can modify the behaviour of the problem but it cannot fix the problem.  Waiting for either a complete redesign of the keyboard to palmrest connection or the introduction of the successor to the M6500.

HI , i had a smiliar problem but i fixed it by changing it by configuring my settings on the software provided to me by dell built in on my laptop DELL TOUCHPAD , on this you should be able to change the sensitivity and other fixes , i would also recommend reinstalling drivers OR 

uninstall the drivers then start the pc on again windows should recognise the correct drivers are not installed and reinstall the drivers corectly In factory settings . 

Hope this works 

Hassan

Dell is sending me a new palm rest.... Tech said it just came out within the last week... hope this work??? 

I have had the same basic problem as described in this thread. Dell tech support didn't have a solution. The generic drivers seemed to work at first but then things got really flaky to the point where the touch pad was useless. So far the Synaptics drivers have worked for me. I had to do a reboot so we'll see if the solution holds or if the reboot is just a temporary fix.. The original drivers had the problem plus there was a 1/2" dead space on the left. Now the left half inch seems to work like a scroll bar. It looks like I have two fingered zoom in/out as well. I hope this ends the problem

Jim

I have had my new palm rest for two days... working perfect!!!... FYI... I tried the drivers too.... they don't work... you need a new palm rest and Dell knows it... make them change it.