Touchpad stopped working on XPS 15 L521x, with Windows 7

Hi JNL22,

Do the touchpad left and right buttons work? Does an external mouse work fine?

Kindly check if the touchpad is detected in device manager under mouse and pointing devices.

Restart the system and press f2 on startup to enter BIOS - check if the touchpad works fine while in BIOS.

Restart the system and press f12 key on startup - choose diagnostics. Let it run the diags and if you encounter any errors - make a note of the complete error and report the same to us. These are onboard diagnostics and they might possible pick some error if the hardware is not functional.

Restart and check in safe mode if the touchpad works fine.

Update the BIOS - http://dell.to/2aYm4Hw- reinstall the touchpad drivers - restart and check.

Also, please click my DELL-username and write me a private message with the service tag and your contact details(Name and Email) for case records.

Let us know if you have any other queries.

Thank you for the quick response.

The right and left buttons on the touchpad do not work.

An external mouse does work.  

As I indicated in the original description, the touchpad is recognized on the system  in "Mouse Properties" under the "Dell Touchpad" tab.  And it offers the option to turn the touchpad  on or off.  But the "on" option does not seem to activate the touchpad.

I will work my way through your suggestions as best I can, and report back. Thanks again.

I tried to follow your instructions.  The touchpad did not work in BIOS or in safe mode.  I ran the Diagnostics and there were no errors.

I connected with the link you gave me. First  I updated the BIOs. That seemed to work.  Then I tried to "reinstall the touchpad drivers".  The only driver that I could find on the link you sent me  that seemed to be relevant was called Dell Touchpad Driver, version 18.0.0.3, A06, dated 2/5/14.  When I tried to install this driver, I got a message that said I needed to remove the existing touchpad driver. So, I went to the Programs and Features list in the control panel.  There was a driver there  called Dell Touchpad, or something like that.  So I uninstalled it.  Then I installed this new driver.  It shows up in the list of drivers in Programs and Features with the name "Synaptics Pointing Device Driver."

 After I did this, the touchpad still doesn't work.  And now when I try to locate the touchpad in the Control Panel, using the approach that worked before I made these changes,  I cannot get there anymore. The route that I used before these changes was to click on Control Panel and then click on Devices and Printers.  Then I was at a screen that listed 9 categories, starting with "Devices and Printers." Under "Devices and Printers", I clicked on "Mouse" and it took me into the Touchpad information and the On/Off options  for the Touchpad, as I described in my initial report.  Now when I click on "Mouse", I get a screen that says this:

"Synaptics Pointing Device.  Unable to connect to  the Synaptics Pointing Device Driver.  If you have installed another PS/2 Point Device Drive please uninstall the Synaptics driver by clicking on the Yes button.  You will then need to reinstall your pointing device driver for your external device again",

I don't know where to find the driver that I uninstalled.  It was called Dell Touchpad or something like that.  It didn't work either, so maybe it doesn't do any good to find it again.  

Thank you for any other ideas you may have to fix this problem.

The external mouse still works.

Hi JNL22,

Thank you for the update.

If the left and right buttons do not work as well, then I suppose the issue could be hardware related.

Now, when you replaced the HDD and reinstalled the OS on the system, did the touchpad / left + right buttons work during installation?

Download the service manual here - http://dell.to/2bMDJBs - and reseat the palmrest cable and check if it works. 

If it still does not work, I suppose the touchpad might be faulty and the palmrest needs to be replaced. If the replacement palmrest also does not work, the palmrest controller might have failed and the motherboard needs to be replaced.

You could contact our team to get a quote for a paid service call - http://dell.to/1vnT6CQ 

You could also order the parts online here if required - http://bit.ly/2mEMO68 

Let us know if you have any other queries.

I used the external mouse when I installed the OS because the touchpad did not work. But the touchpad was working fine before I replaced the hard drive and restored the OS.  It seems unlikely to me that the parts failed at this particular point in time when they were working before.  Thank you for your suggestions.

Hi JNL22,

Thank you for the update.

I would suppose that might have been a co-incidence of the touchpad failing.

Have you tried reseating the palmrest assembly as suggested earlier? 

If it still does not work, you would need to replace the assembly and check.

Let us know if you have any other queries.

I looked at the portions of the service manual that you identified, but those procedures are beyond my abilities. I will look into having the computer repaired.