Touch pad troubles

[ecookman]

For my entire life, i have used a mouse, now that i have a laptop, the touchpad is really begining o piss me off, because when i type my thumbs usually hit it and then when i am typing, i will then accidentally be typing in the middle of another paragraph.

HOW DO I DISABLE THIS THING!!!

[md]

Get a thinkpad - the trackpoint is a superior mouse

likely there is a software setting somewhere to disable it if you have your OEM install on there - failing that you should also be able to disable it in the bios.

[endless]

the glass touchpad on my macbook is soo nice.
but i know what you mean about other touch pads, i hate them.

[andrew.]

Just disable tap to click in the control panel. That way when you accidentally hit it, it won't click into another window.

[ecookman]

ooh ...ummm where would i find the tap to click option... I have looked...but no dice.

[andrew.]

Just go to Control Panel > Mouse > Hardware Tab > Properties and it should be somewhere there. At least that's where it is for Synpatics touchpads (most laptops have a Synaptics touchpad).

EDIT: I am not 100% sure that's where it is because I'm on Windows 7 and my MBP doesn't have a Synaptics Touchpad. It's somewhere in the Mouse in Control Panel.

[Insectoid]

hmm...Win7 on mac, I hadn't thought of doing that. I have the partitions already from my fail Linux install.

And most ASUS trackpads are nice, if a bit small. Mac touchpads are great, though I don't like the 'push to click' feature that is on the new ones (it's not like on other trackpads, the button is underneath the trackpad). Do what I did and get a trackball. The kind where you move the ball around with you fingers or thumb. Takes some getting used to, but when you get it, it's amazing in first person shooter games.

[andrew.]

insectoid @ Thu May 21, 2009 7:16 pm wrote:

hmm...Win7 on mac, I hadn't thought of doing that. I have the partitions already from my fail Linux install.

How'd the Linux installation fail? All you have to do is install it through Boot Camp and then boot into Mac OS X after it's done. Install a program called rEFIt (which is an EFI boot loader) and it will automatically detect your Linux installation. You can now boot into Mac or Linux. You can also have more than 2 OSes as well.

[DemonWasp]

@insectoid: Wait, what? You're saying your trackball can outperform my mouse in a first-person-shooter? En garte then, good sir, for you have besmirched my honour!

I also have to say, I've tried using the touchpad on my girlfriend's MacBook and it's garbage. Variable response, completely insensitive (if I can't cross the screen in one swipe it's faulty), no real way to right-click or middle-click. The only saving grace is that it's rather large, a feature I wish I had on my own laptop.

The keyboard is also a fiasco; while it works just fine, the miniscule arrow keys are a major ****up and using command-arrow key for home/end/pgup/pgdn is stupid given as it's impossible to hit only one arrow key at a time. For a company that prides itself on user interface, I was surprised to see how awful their keyboards are. Someone please tell me that the new ones are better...?

Nevermind. Just went to the Apple site, looked at their keyboard layout. Looks like the layout is the same as ever, though at least the touchpads have improved.

To the OP, let me just say that it's surprising how fast you'll get used to a touchpad. When I first got my laptop, it only took me about two weeks to get used to the touchpad; I never hit it unintentionally anymore.

[Insectoid]

No, there is no right-click or middle-click. That is a major fault with mac trackpads. Actually, it's an issue with macs across the boarder. I'm starting to think that Steve Jobs is missing a finger, and as such cannot right-click, and in his jealousy declines to put a right-click button on his macs. The new ones will right-click if you click with two fingers though.

As to not being sensitive enough, you can adjust it in the System Preferences menu (along with nearly everything else). I have mine set to go across the screen in one swipe, a feature you seem to believe of great importance.

The keyboards are actually exactly the same as the keyboards the the iMac and Mac Pro, so don't blame the laptops, blame mac in general. I don't see it as a problem, myself. Actually, I find most other laptop keyboards very cluttered. The arrow keys are only small compared to the macbook's larger than average keys. Compared to most other laptops they are about the same.

[ecookman]

lol I have had my laptop for almost 8 months and i still hate it.

and i found it...i had to run the touchpad setup program from DELL that was hidden on my hard drive, then disable all of that stuff. I even went the extra mile to disable the touchpad while the mouse connected ^_^ thanks

[Insectoid]

Quote:

touchpad setup program from DELL

Well, there's you're problem. It's Dell.

[DemonWasp]

@insectoid: I prefer to have my touchpad be more-or-less a 1-to-1 mapping to my screen, so yes it's pretty important. I'm the same way with a regular mouse - picking it up and putting it back down means I need more mouse room or higher sensitivity. I'd change the sensitivity on the Mac, but I only ever use the system for a few seconds and my girlfriend likes it as it is.

I've also compared my keyboard with the Mac's keyboard, and I have to say that the keys on mine are wider; the arrow keys are the same size as all the character keys (larger than my desktop keyboard). I think this is probably because they have less space in between individual keys.

My experience with my Dell touchpad has actually been pretty positive. The only things I'd change are that it's too small and that it's a little too eager to click while the machine is charging; with 5 hours of battery life, I can forgive it that small issue. Then again, I don't run Windows on it, so no stupid touchpad setup program (back when it was a Windows machine, ye gods were those programs ever awful).

I'd be fine with Mac touchpads handling alternate-clicks with multi-finger-tap, but then why include a clicky-button with it?

[rdrake]

DemonWasp @ Thu May 21, 2009 8:18 pm wrote:

The keyboard is also a fiasco; while it works just fine, the miniscule arrow keys are a major ****up and using command-arrow key for home/end/pgup/pgdn is stupid given as it's impossible to hit only one arrow key at a time. For a company that prides itself on user interface, I was surprised to see how awful their keyboards are. Someone please tell me that the new ones are better...?

No, the new ones are not better. I'm stuck with the latest iteration of this:



Glad I'm not the only one who hates the command+arrow key nonsense.

[wtd]

For what it's worth, I find two fingered tapping on Apple's trackpad vastly preferable to a dedicated right button, as the right button is now located wherever my fingers are. But then, I have long fingers, so it is painful for me to use my fingers for tracking and a thumb for button presses.

Also, Apple's trackpads would greatly help with the accidental press issue. Apple provides a handy option to ignore accidental presses, without having to actually deactivate any functionality.