XPS 15 (9530) touchpad problem

Problem solved on my machine too. I got the touchpad and the rubbery palm rest exchanged under warranty the day after the call to Swedish Dell technical support - fast and good support there.

If I now really try to provocate the issue by resting the computer on one knee and pressing unnaturally on the frame corners, then I can still reproduce the problem. But under normal usage, even on the lap, it now functions perfectly.

I was told by the tech support that the computer is designed to be used on hard and flat surface only, for cooling reasons, and I found that other companies such as Apple also specifically recommend not using laptops on soft surfaces. Oh, and they also said that they no longer call it laptop but notebook...

So I have now ordered a hard rest for the laptop, sorry notebook, a Targus Chill Mat, which I will use off-desktop under normal circumstances. I count on it will not only improve cooling but maybe also extent the time until the touchpad problem potentially comes back, in case it is something that develop over time.

People are going to use these things on laps.  In an airline seat, you can't really put it on the tray.

It does have large vents on the bottom.  I try not to block them and don't put it on pillows or similar surfaces.

I may have contributed to the problem by sometimes balancing it on a small book (to raise it a bit without blocking the vents) and perhaps resting my hands on the edges.

In my case, they only replaced the touchpad.  Since I thought the problem was a warped case, I was surprised that that worked, but it did.

Yes, people will use them on airlines and indeed you can't always put the machine on the tray. Airport gates are another place where you see people all the time use laptops on their laps and it's not like I would appreciate having to carry some special base around just for the potential need. I consider the base I ordered something for the home and I am glad the problem was fixed so that it still works in other situations.

I also have a base (with a fan) as when playing games it feels like its going to take off :-)

Tomorrow a technician is coming to replace the touchpad and few other parts in the machine so i hope to see some results..

I appreciate the posts in this forum. I wish I had seen them prior to my recent series of discussions with the Dell reps on the phone and the service tech again today. I am now using my third touchpad from Dell. I also had the motherboard replaced today, because why not. Soon after the tech left and I started using the laptop on my lap ('cause that is what I thought laptops were for) the problem of sticking keys recurred. I believe that everyone on this thread is correct. The problem is a hardware design flaw with the touchpad, perhaps in relation with the lightweight chassis upon which it inserts. I will take the advice of some of the others affected and get a hard underlying surface for when I use the laptop on my lap. I have taken to using my Logitech portable keyboard/touchpad combo instead of the built-in touchpad when the PC is on my desk, which works flawlessly. It's a shame that this design flaw mars what is otherwise usually an excellent computing experience (persistent issues regarding display scaling notwithstanding).

Hello again,

As promised i would reply when Dell would come to fix my laptop. That was a week ago.

So a technician came home and worked on it for an hour. He change the touchpad and parts of the chassis. When he was done i got my laptop and to my surprise the touchpad was completely stuck. So the laptop was unusable. He insisted that it is a software problem and in his report he wrote "the customer will re-install windows" (!). I called Dell straight away and after a long discussion they decided to send the laptop to their repair center in Germany (as wrote above I am located in the Netherlands).

It will take 10 working days to get my machine back and I am worried that it will not be fixed again.

Will post again when I get my laptop back.

I had my touchpad replaced in October, which resolved the problem.  Now, 7 months later, the problem is back.  Once again, the touchpad only works when the laptop is not on top of a lap.

Also, the latest Windows update appears to have rendered the WiFi inoperable, so I guess I'm due for another on-site repair call.  Extended warranty appears to be a must for this particular machine.

I have had a similar problem for months and it has become worse over time. I got a new touchpad and was going to install it when, by chance I realized when I opened the machine that the screws in the area under the touchpad were under a lot of pressure from the battery. When I unscrewed the four screws and realeased the pressure the old touchpad came back to life beautifully and the right and left click that were stiff started working like when the machine was new. I have been using the laptop now for over a month with a 5 mm gap under the touchpad area and never had a single problem again. So, it is definitely a hardware packing design problem. I wonder if it is aggravated by the battery swelling with age.

I used Dell chat for support on this issue.  I am under warranty.  Arrangements were quickly made for an onsite  technician to come to my house with the parts to make the repair.

I have had good service from Dell for the past 15 years... :emotion-2:

Touchpad still is problematic in newest XPS models.  Cannot rest hands on the computer when typing (usually it doesn't even take this to mess up) or it "right clicks" or moves the mouse somewhere else.