Inspiron and XPS laptops running Windows 10 cannot install Dell/Synaptics Touchpad driver

Thank you for replying.

I am aware of that of the mouse settings under Win 10 settings.  The principal functions in that screen are to configure the gestures.  If you go to the bottom of that screen, you will see "additional mouse options"; if you click on that, it takes you to the Mouse panel of the  Control Panel.  With a generic driver, that panel will show the following tabs:Buttons, Pointers, Pointer Options, Wheel and Hardware.  

With a vendor specific touchpad driver, there would be an additional tab labeled "vendorXXX touchpad" - in the case of the Dell/Synaptics driver, you see either "Dell  Touchpad" or "Touchpad".  That panel shows one field labeled "Click to change DellTouchpad settings".  That is the panel that will not open up.  That panel would include mechanical tuning for the touchpad - e.g. light touch vs heavy touch whether for a click/tap or just for motion control.  Currently the default setting I seem to have is heavy touch for motion and light touch for tap/click which is very hazardous.  There are no equivalent tuning settings in the Win 10 settings.  The DellTouchpad might  also contain some gesture controls that overlap with Win10 settings - I don't know since I have never seen it open under windows 10.

Under windows 7, on my Dell Vostro 3700 there are many sub-panels - I have attached a clip of one those to illustrate the types of settings available - there are others.

If you indeed have a Precision touchpad, you will see NOTHING in the Control Panel, as I said before. Microsoft controls the pad driver. These pads have a large number of features which, however, Microsoft DID NOT incorporate all of them in their driver initially. Plan was to add more features with each major Win 10 update. The December update contained some, and so should subsequent updates. Many have tried to use conventional drivers, but with little success.

Thanks for replying Kirk - it's people like you that makes sites like this useful.

You indeed seem to be correct.  I went back to BestBuy and tried a bunch of notebooks - Lenovo, Acer, HP, and ASUS.  Only the Dells and a few Lenovo's had precision touch pads and in all cases there was no vendor specific tab in the Control Panel/Mouse.

What you are saying about Microsoft taking over the touchpad is very disappointing.  Microsoft has a rotten history when it comes to dealing with hardware and this is a case in point in that they make it impossible to tune the hardware and they also preclude somebody configuring single finger scrolling (i.e. scroll areas on the right and bottom of a touchpad).  They also stifle innovation if a touchpad designer comes us with a clever idea.  (It is ironic that Microsoft call the feature Precision Touchpad when they have removed the tuning to truly help make it more precise.)

It is still misleading/stupid for Dell to have a recommended driver for all their notebooks when they neither load it themselves when they ship a computer and it does nothing when you install it.  Furthermore, for the Dell system analysis to tell you to install the driver is equally stupid.  

I am not sure I am going to keep this notebook.  Dell is letting me down in multiple ways (I have a problem with my vostro 3700 as well) and I am close to giving up on them as a company.

I am now going to see if there is a way to get Windows 10 to not see the Dell touchpad as a precision touchpad in case that liberates the Dell/Synaptics driver and allows the full configuration to be accessible.

By the way, FYI for anybody else with the same objections, I tried loading the Synaptics drivers directly - no luck.  Apparently, as per the Synaptics site, Dell has customised things so the standard driver do not work.

Thanks again Kirk.

This is one of the worst touchpads I have used. Too sensitive. That the buttons are part of the surface is just stupid. Nearly every I use the buttons the mouse point moves. Dumb. No momentum....

And to learn that Dell has allowed MS to again make something good into something *** is way disappointing.

It is worthless. No way to adjust any of the really important settings.

So, it is now disabled and I have attached a NON MS mouse.

Everyday MS and windows 10 does something not good for users. 

And, Dell is no longer the go-to vendor for my clients. I have recommended Dell since the beginning, over 100 computers have been purchased by my clients from Dell. We have endure bad keyboards, and mice,... But this is beyond tolerable.

I am going to be way more discerning now.

And: still after 20 years attempting to update any dell drivers,... I get items listed that are not appropriate to the service tag on the computer. Just like this one.

Very disappointed.

And get a better NOT ROBOT thing. Too much trouble.

Agreed on all points. They have basically disabled the touchpad by not allowing the Synaptics drivers to control it. And, as jm666 stated, the design is completely stupid with the buttons built into the touchpad surface. That button area should be completely dead to touch input but no, almost every time you try to click a button the *** mouse pointer will move, often completely off the button you are trying to click. It's absolutely garbage and I will buy an aftermarket touchpad as soon as someone builds one for this notebook. I HATE THIS TOUCHPAD!

Just to clarify. Dell doesn''t disallow  installing a  non-Precision driver, Microsoft does. Win 8 an 10 both lock out any pad drivers if a Precision pad is present. It is somewhat strange that just about every review of Dell laptops with a Precision pad thinks the pad performance is good. I wonder how detailed they get with pad evaluation.