well in my case, i found that the drift was caused by the stick, not the touchpad. so i fired off an email to dell tech support, and the automated response told me that it was becuase if you hold the stick off center for a short while, it will recalibrate, and when you let go, it thinks it is off center, and then moves, which is the drift we see.
I have seen this alot of late and it just started happening with various latitude model laptops. Mostly the C600 & C610 laptops. Any fix that is ran on the laptop will hold for a little while and then come back. I have searched Dell and other sites for this problem with no luck for a valid fix. The only think I have come across for a valid reason for this problem, is from Microsoft's web page. They talk about a difference in the code on how a touchpad/joystick mouse drivers have are using a 3-bit code and the Micrsoft mouse driver is using a 4-bit code, where the fourth bit is for the wheel on the mouse. I have seen sometimes where regardless of what drivers you tell it to use, the OS will still use the Mouse drivers from microsoft. The only sure fire way I have got around this was to remove the drivers while in safe mode. You might also look under the mouse drivers for a option to search for a wheel on the mouse, disable this if enabled. This has fixed some of the problems I have seen.
I had the same problem. Lifting up the laptop, or resting the hand on the case to hard, causes the pointer to move to the upper right.
I installed the newest Synaptics driver, but the problem was still there. I then deactivated the pointing stick, which is nicely possible in the properties menue. It looks like it is working now.
So maybe the problem is really not the touchpad, but the pointing stick....
Well, I came here this morning hoping to find some good info, but I kind of suspected that I would not....
I do tech support for a company that currently has 3000 of the C600 laptops in the field, and we have noticed these failing at an alarming rate in the last 6 months or so....
Nothing that we have tried fixes this problem for very long, we have tried the pressure on the touch pad thing, as well as simultaneously pressing down on the VBN, and SPACE keys while the laptop is powered off. The reason this works is that the palmrest connector, and keyboard connector are located directly under those keys, and the touchpad respectively. But as I have seen many report here, that really is only a finger in the bullet hole so to speak.
I hate to say it, but I really think that the problem is just equipment reaching the end of it's life cycle.
If you have any warranty left on the laptop, I would suggest you contact DELL support, and get the palmrest or system board replaced before your warranty runs out.
Sorex
11 Posts
0
August 28th, 2003 12:00
I'll try it out with the new driver, do you have an url handy for this driver?
nevva mind, found it already :)
Message Edited by Sorex on 08-28-2003 08:19 AM
Sorex
11 Posts
0
August 28th, 2003 13:00
i got it throught the synaptics website
ftp://ftp.synaptics.com/pub/drivers/7.5.7NewUIUSXP2k.zip
tlight
5 Posts
0
August 28th, 2003 13:00
Andre,
Do you have a URL where I can obtain the latest touchpad driver?
Thanks,
andrefromgerman
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 05:00
Moin auch! (good morning) :-)
Here´s another link for the latest driver.
Good luck.
André
http://www.synaptics.com/support/downloads.cfm#drivers
Kitz E Kat
32 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 06:00
Thanks
Kitz E Kat
Sorex
11 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 06:00
André,
I just installed the new W2K/XP driver and I couldn't find anything about sensitivity for the pointer nor touchpad,
the bios only allows me to turn off both touchpad and pointer, not seperate.
so what else is there to look for?
andrefromgerman
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 07:00
Dear Sorex,
I also once had a problem with the driver:
"Take 2 notebooks, install the driver on both and the result:
one has got the options
Sorex
11 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 07:00
hmm, maybe I need to install it as administrator?
didn't get any errors tho when installing it under that user's profile
andrefromgerman
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 07:00
Dear Sorex,
I also once had a problem with the driver:
"Take 2 notebooks, install the driver on both and the result:
one has got the options the other not."
Try to do so:
- uninstall the touchpad from your system (first the driver(in software) than in hardware-manager)
- reboot
- install the driver an try again. Now you should have a menu for the touch-pad (mouse-options)
- if there is nothing, again - try in safe-mode. (I would like to test it while posting here, but i have to work, sorry)
- BIOS-Info will folow
(i´ll answer better a little later[asap], sorry but i have to work)
In about 2,5 hours, i have a break. you´ll hear/read from me
greetings
André
andrefromgerman
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 07:00
Dear Sorex,
I also once had a problem with the driver:
"Take 2 notebooks, install the driver on both and the result:
one
andrefromgerman
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2003 07:00
Dear Sorex,
I also once had a problem with the driver:
"Take 2 notebooks, install the driver on both and the result:
one has
BroChaos
15 Posts
0
September 2nd, 2003 16:00
well in my case, i found that the drift was caused by the stick, not the touchpad. so i fired off an email to dell tech support, and the automated response told me that it was becuase if you hold the stick off center for a short while, it will recalibrate, and when you let go, it thinks it is off center, and then moves, which is the drift we see.
Harikon
1 Message
0
September 3rd, 2003 14:00
max72
6 Posts
0
September 19th, 2003 07:00
I had the same problem. Lifting up the laptop, or resting the hand on the case to hard, causes the pointer to move to the upper right.
I installed the newest Synaptics driver, but the problem was still there. I then deactivated the pointing stick, which is nicely possible in the properties menue. It looks like it is working now.
So maybe the problem is really not the touchpad, but the pointing stick....
Let's see if it stays ok
max
hellpdesk
11 Posts
0
September 25th, 2003 13:00
Well, I came here this morning hoping to find some good info, but I kind of suspected that I would not....
I do tech support for a company that currently has 3000 of the C600 laptops in the field, and we have noticed these failing at an alarming rate in the last 6 months or so....
Nothing that we have tried fixes this problem for very long, we have tried the pressure on the touch pad thing, as well as simultaneously pressing down on the VBN, and SPACE keys while the laptop is powered off. The reason this works is that the palmrest connector, and keyboard connector are located directly under those keys, and the touchpad respectively. But as I have seen many report here, that really is only a finger in the bullet hole so to speak.
I hate to say it, but I really think that the problem is just equipment reaching the end of it's life cycle.
If you have any warranty left on the laptop, I would suggest you contact DELL support, and get the palmrest or system board replaced before your warranty runs out.