using touchpad

[will]

Hi all,
I got this Dell Vostro 1500 on Vista and the touchpad seems to be causing me grief. I would rather use a mouse but at the time just the Touchpad is the thing I suppose. Here's the problem:
If the pointer is on top of anything it clicks it automatically disregarding what I do. It is frustrating, sometimes it doesn't seem to do it, but usually it does. I try to get the pointer on top of something that won't click anything or change the window or something crazy. Once it even sent my email before I was done writing it.
I can't find the Touchpad controls.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Will

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

Its more than likely a Synaptics touch pad. Go into your control panel and look for the Mouse. Open it, here you will be able to set its properties.

You'll see a tab that says Device Settings with a red icon if you are using a synaptics touchpad. Click on the Pointer Options tab and check to see if SnapTo is enabled. If it is, disable it.

[will]

Thanks.
I went there and there it wasn't showing properties for the pointing device.
I went to control panel> system resources> device mgr.> and from there I was able to open the mouse and other pointing devices.
I think Vista is really different in the way that many things are not where they used to be or even should be.
It is a Synaptics pointing device.
To make matters even worse, where I went to in device manager to disable snap to there was no "properties". I've heard about snap to, what a pain in the thing,
I don't understand how it can be popular, and unfortunately its on by default apparently.
Wow, I took a screenshot of what I found but the 50 kb size limit makes it too small and blurry to read even in JPG., and I tried resizing it.
Still stymied >
Will

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

The properties won't be the same in the device manager. You need to go to your control panel and go to the Mouse area.

[will]

I found something that looks like it will work but now it says "unable to open Synaptics device driver". I did a search before this problem was able to foul up my search and it found what I think I need. All I did was a search for DellTpad.exe and it found the program that I think I need but I clicked on "Touchpad settings" and it said the above error message and I was still unable to do anything.
I'm afraid if I uninstall the driver for the pointing device and get a new one that after I removed it I wouldn't be able to do anything in the meantime.I'll look again in control panel and see if I can get to mouse.
Thanks, Will

[will]

I found something that looks like it will work but now it says "unable to open Synaptics device driver". I did a search before this problem was able to foul up my search and it found what I think I need. All I did was a search for DellTpad.exe and it found the program that I think I need but I clicked on "Touchpad settings" and it said the above error message and I was still unable to do anything.
I'm afraid if I uninstall the driver for the pointing device and get a new one that after I removed it I wouldn't be able to do anything in the meantime.I'll look again in control panel and see if I can get to mouse.
Thanks, Will

[will]

I found it! But "snap to" was already turned off (un-checked). I went where you said
but it says "pointer options" when I was looking for a button that said "properties".
I unchecked the only box in there that was checked it said " enhance pointer precision".
The problem is its clicking on whatever the pointer is resting on. Its still doing it.

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

If you tap on the corners of your mouse do they do anything? I know there is something call tap zones that focus the mouse to a spot on the screen and clicks. Its likely this is enabled. For example the top left of my touch pad will click on the file menu. The top right minimizes windows. The bottom left opens the start menu.

Does it seem to be random things it clicks on or the same thing multiple times?

[will]

I tried tapping the corners of the touchpad and it didn't open or do anything.
Yeah, the unintentional clicking on stuff seems random.
Depending on where the pointer is resting, it does things like highlighting text like I'm copying and pasting to clicking links, it doesn't discriminate. It might be a defect in the computer. I googled my problem earlier and I think it was saying that it could be a defect with whole lines of Dell laptops. I'm hoping that isn't the case because it stinks to be frank.
I might need to resign to having an aloof touchpad.

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

Or send it back to Dell if its under warranty still.

[will]

Thanks for trying to help me with this.
Yeah, I'll look into sending it back. I got it in April and I've moved since then and the box and everything to it might not be available anymore.
Everything else as far as I can tell is working properly. Its funny, you know how device manager puts a red exclamation mark next to devices that need attention and aren't working properly, it says the pointing device is working properly, haha!
Oh well, what can ya do?!
And Michael Dell is one of the richest people in the world.
Its probably something I'm over-looking.
Something just occurred to me. I'm wondering if all this tapping and rolling on the touchpad is acting like an inadvertant clicker on links and such?
I see that the cursor will be placed you know at the end of a sentence or where-ever, say you want to go back in the middle of a paragraph and add a letter. I sometimes just tap the touchpad where I want the cursor.
I wonder now if that has some kind of relation to this inadvertant clicking on stuff?
I'm gonna have to ponder on this, I hope my head don't explode!
Have a good one,
Will

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

Its possible that Tapping is enabled. That too is under the properties on the Mouse in the control panel. It should be on the Device Settings tab. Click advanced. Then click on "Tapping". This is usually enabled by default.

[will]

I think I figured it out, unfortunately not a solution, but why it does it.
I believe that by default the tapping on the touchpad is so sensitive it is doing my regular actions and finger movements on the touchpad as enuff pressure to activate the "clicking" part.
Since I have been thinking about that I've been watching what it does, and it seems to be doing just that. And I don't care much for that feature at all.
It messes up far more than it is convenient.
I can see where it would be better for people who can slide their fingers lightly on the touchpad, but that can't be but maybe half of people or so.
If anyone knows how to turn that off (if its possible, I'm all ears).
To sum it up its maybe called something like "Touchpad enabled for clicking and cursor placement" or something like that.

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

You can also decrease the sensitivity as well.

I use the touchpad "tap" feature all of the time.

[will]

Thanks. I can't find it where you say. Maybe Vista has different locations for stuff.
Now that I know whats happening, I might be able to work with it. It really isn't such a bad feature I don't suppose. I have used that tapping on the touchpad more successfully now. Now I don't leave the cursor way up at the top or some spot that t won't click on anything.
I feel like a dummy kinda, I'm pretty computer savvy but I haven't used laptops that much if at all over the years. I was always against using a touchpad on a laptop instead just plugging in a mouse.
I have an open mind though, I think I'll keep this feature going. But if I can find it, I might just turn the sensitivity down a tad so I don't have to be so light and careful on the touchpad.

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

Take a screenshot of the mouse properties window from the control panel and attach it or link us to it.

[will]

Thanks. I got to it. I remembered I had removed DellTpad from the Quicklaunch taskbar on the lower right so I tried going back to msconfig and turning it back on then I opened it up and set all my preferences for the Touchpad. So everything is good in Gatesville again.
Thanks for the encouraging words and tips.