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Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?



 
 
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  #31  
Old September 13th 13, 01:46 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Danny D.
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Posts: 40
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

Art Todesco wrote:

They both use a proprietary control key that must be held while hitting
a number key or a function key.


I don't know if that control sequence exists for my Dell XPS M1730
laptop, but, luckily, I don't need the control sequence because it's all
automatic now that I loaded the (supposedly optional) driver for the
touchpad from Dell.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/...duct/xps-m1730

IMHO, it's a MANDATORY download, since the keyboard is essentially
useless with the touchpad in the way, moving the cursor all over the
place in the middle of your sentences.

Ads
  #32  
Old September 13th 13, 06:14 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Char Jackson
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Posts: 10,449
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

On Tue, 10 Sep 2013 23:31:18 +0100, choro wrote:

No it ain't! The taskbar SHOULD be hidden unless you want to use it.


Alternatively, it SHOULDN'T be hidden if you don't want it hidden. I think
most of us probably don't want it hidden.

What is the point of having all that space if you cannot use it or if it
hides a good proportion of whatever it is you have up and running.


If the taskbar takes up an objectionable amount of your screen real estate,
you might consider a bigger monitor, or perhaps you've expanded your task
bar to multiple rows. Shrink it back down to just one or two rows and it
won't use much screen space at all.

Besides in Windows 8 you have the option of displaying the taskbar on
the LHS of the screen


As others have said, that's been there since '95.

--

Char Jackson
  #33  
Old September 13th 13, 09:01 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general,alt.os.linux
Danny D.
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Posts: 40
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

Char Jackson wrote:

If the taskbar takes up an objectionable amount of your screen real
estate,
you might consider a bigger monitor, or perhaps you've expanded your
task bar to multiple rows. Shrink it back down to just one or two rows
and it won't use much screen space at all.


What I do, on Windows, is move the taskbar to the sides.

This is to protect the vertical (up:down) real estate, which is 50 times
more precious than side-to-side real estate on most HD screens.

On Linux, unfortunately, it can't be done due to Gnome bugs that make
putting the menus on the sides impossible to use once you open 7 or more
windows.

  #34  
Old September 13th 13, 01:07 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

Danny D. wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

Isn't there a button alongside the edge of the touchpad to physically
enable/disable it? You don't identify the touchpad. Is it in a laptop?
If so, which one (make and model)? Is it a standalone device?


I don't see a manual disable button.

It's a Dell XPS M1730.

The darn touchpad is smack right where your hands go!

Reviews:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Dell-X..._Laptop_review
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/dell-xps...-32687269.html


I went to the Dell support site but their manuals really suck to
describe how to use their product. With the identification of the make
and model, I found an online picture of the keyboard at:

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/...0-keyboard.jpg

I don't see any disable button near the touchpad. None of the Fn key
combos look to disable the touch pad. So Dell has not provided an
easy-of-use feature for their touchpad.

I can't tell from the above pic if those are 4 programmable buttons at
the top right of the keyboard.

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/...30-open-on.jpg
http://images.hardwarezone.com/uploa...4eae82cd6f.jpg

From those pics, it doesn't look like any of the media buttons on the
front edge will disable the touchpad.

So it looks like Dell didn't bother providing an easy disable/enable
button for the touchpad. Guess they didn't realize that uses of this
product might want to use external keyboards and mice.

So I'd focus on using Microsoft's devcon utility to disable hardware.
This is their command-line version of Device Manager. You could create
shortcuts (on the desktop, in the Start menu, or in a toolbar in the
Windows taskbar) to run devcon with parameters to disable or enable a
hardware device. No reboot should be needed to disable or enable a HID
(human interface device).

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272/fi

Use the regular graphical Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) to select the
device (the touchpad, in this case), right-click on it, select
Properties, and under the Details tab find the Hardware ID of the device
(select "Hardware ID" from the drop-down list). You use that string in
the 'disable' and 'enable' parameters to devcon.exe. You might be able
to get away with shortening the hardware ID to remove the REV portion.
For example, the hardware ID might look like:

USB\VID_06E6&PID_C200&REV_0044&MI_04

but maybe the following would work:

USB\VID_06E6&PID_C200

That way, if you update the driver, your shortcut to run devcon won't be
tied to a revision of the device. You can use the 'find' parameter to
make sure that devcon can locate the device by the hardware ID you
specify.
  #35  
Old September 13th 13, 01:09 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

VanguardLH wrote:

Danny D. wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

Isn't there a button alongside the edge of the touchpad to physically
enable/disable it? You don't identify the touchpad. Is it in a laptop?
If so, which one (make and model)? Is it a standalone device?


I don't see a manual disable button.

It's a Dell XPS M1730.

The darn touchpad is smack right where your hands go!

Reviews:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Dell-X..._Laptop_review
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/dell-xps...-32687269.html


I went to the Dell support site but their manuals really suck to
describe how to use their product. With the identification of the make
and model, I found an online picture of the keyboard at:

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/...0-keyboard.jpg

I don't see any disable button near the touchpad. None of the Fn key
combos look to disable the touch pad. So Dell has not provided an
easy-of-use feature for their touchpad.

I can't tell from the above pic if those are 4 programmable buttons at
the top right of the keyboard.

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/...30-open-on.jpg
http://images.hardwarezone.com/uploa...4eae82cd6f.jpg

From those pics, it doesn't look like any of the media buttons on the
front edge will disable the touchpad.

So it looks like Dell didn't bother providing an easy disable/enable
button for the touchpad. Guess they didn't realize that uses of this
product might want to use external keyboards and mice.

So I'd focus on using Microsoft's devcon utility to disable hardware.
This is their command-line version of Device Manager. You could create
shortcuts (on the desktop, in the Start menu, or in a toolbar in the
Windows taskbar) to run devcon with parameters to disable or enable a
hardware device. No reboot should be needed to disable or enable a HID
(human interface device).

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272/fi

Use the regular graphical Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) to select the
device (the touchpad, in this case), right-click on it, select
Properties, and under the Details tab find the Hardware ID of the device
(select "Hardware ID" from the drop-down list). You use that string in
the 'disable' and 'enable' parameters to devcon.exe. You might be able
to get away with shortening the hardware ID to remove the REV portion.
For example, the hardware ID might look like:

USB\VID_06E6&PID_C200&REV_0044&MI_04

but maybe the following would work:

USB\VID_06E6&PID_C200

That way, if you update the driver, your shortcut to run devcon won't be
tied to a revision of the device. You can use the 'find' parameter to
make sure that devcon can locate the device by the hardware ID you
specify.


Oh, I see in your reply in another subthread that using the Dell drivers
gave you a disable/enable function. So go with that. Since the disable
is automatic when a USB HID device is attached then it's easier to use
and you don't have to remember to click on the shortcut(s) to devcon to
disable and later reenable the touchpad.
  #36  
Old September 13th 13, 04:45 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general,alt.os.linux
Ken Blake[_4_]
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Posts: 3,318
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 08:01:11 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote:


What I do, on Windows, is move the taskbar to the sides.

This is to protect the vertical (up:down) real estate, which is 50 times
more precious than side-to-side real estate on most HD screens.



Same here, and for the same reason.

  #37  
Old September 13th 13, 07:52 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general,alt.os.linux
J.O. Aho
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Posts: 130
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

On 13/09/13 10:01, Danny D. wrote:
Char Jackson wrote:

If the taskbar takes up an objectionable amount of your screen real
estate,
you might consider a bigger monitor, or perhaps you've expanded your
task bar to multiple rows. Shrink it back down to just one or two rows
and it won't use much screen space at all.


What I do, on Windows, is move the taskbar to the sides.

This is to protect the vertical (up:down) real estate, which is 50 times
more precious than side-to-side real estate on most HD screens.

On Linux, unfortunately, it can't be done due to Gnome bugs that make
putting the menus on the sides impossible to use once you open 7 or more
windows.


Of course you can do that, I have been able to do it since the mid 90's
with no issues at all, just see to have a window manager or desktop
environment which isn't done by people thinking a document they wrote is
the answer to all desktop issues.

KDE works fine having panels at the sides, if you think it's too heavy
environment, then you can use CTWM which allows you to configure
elements where ever you want them, these two are the extremes.


For the OP, if he would use kcm_touchpad, he could disable the touchpad
quite easily when ever he wants.


--

//Aho
  #38  
Old September 14th 13, 10:44 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Stan Brown
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Posts: 2,904
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 07:07:46 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:
I went to the Dell support site but their manuals really suck to
describe how to use their product. ...
So it looks like Dell didn't bother providing an easy disable/enable
button for the touchpad. Guess they didn't realize that uses of this
product might want to use external keyboards and mice.


I hear you brother! And if mine is representative, it's not just the
documentation that sucks, but their keyboard design as well.

My current Inspiron laptop (1784, if memory serves) has a key with an
undecipherable icon between F12 and Insert. I discovered by accident
that that turns the touchpad on and off.

There's a battery icon on the F3 key, but I've been unable to
discover what that does -- if it even does anything.

There's no Pause/Break key. (This matters because Windows+Break is
the keyboard shortcut for System properties.)

Home, PgUp, etc aren't shown on the numeric keypad keys, so you just
have to know which is which.

The biggest annoyance: there's no indication at all of whether Caps
Lock and Num Lock are on or off.

I have a nice Logitech illuminated keyboard with none of those
deficiencies, and when I'm at my desk that's what I use.


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...
  #39  
Old September 14th 13, 01:28 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Art Todesco
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Posts: 330
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

On 9/12/2013 8:46 PM, Danny D. wrote:
Art Todesco wrote:

They both use a proprietary control key that must be held while hitting
a number key or a function key.


I don't know if that control sequence exists for my Dell XPS M1730
laptop, but, luckily, I don't need the control sequence because it's all
automatic now that I loaded the (supposedly optional) driver for the
touchpad from Dell.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/...duct/xps-m1730

IMHO, it's a MANDATORY download, since the keyboard is essentially
useless with the touchpad in the way, moving the cursor all over the
place in the middle of your sentences.

Gee, someone who knows how to type! Yeah, I have the same problem with
my little Dell. When we travel in the motorhome, we take it, but have a
cordless mouse that goes along too, and we disable the touchpad. But,
if I'm using it sans rodentia, and have to type a lot, I will disable
the touchpad. BTW, the control sequence doesn't really involve the
regular cntl key, but a special key labelled Fn that is on both the Dell
and Gateway.
  #40  
Old September 14th 13, 03:59 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Ken Blake[_4_]
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Posts: 3,318
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

On Sat, 14 Sep 2013 05:44:12 -0400, Stan Brown
wrote:

I hear you brother! And if mine is representative, it's not just the
documentation that sucks, but their keyboard design as well.

My current Inspiron laptop (1784, if memory serves) has a key with an
undecipherable icon between F12 and Insert. I discovered by accident
that that turns the touchpad on and off.

There's a battery icon on the F3 key, but I've been unable to
discover what that does -- if it even does anything.

There's no Pause/Break key. (This matters because Windows+Break is
the keyboard shortcut for System properties.)



Interestingly, the keyboard on my wife's new Dell *Desktop* doesn't
have a Pause|Break key either. I wonder why they decided to omit it..

Yes, Windows key + that key gets you to System Properties, but as far
as I'm concerned, since there are other ways to get there and most of
us don't need to get there very often, it doesn't matter a whole lot.
If it mattered to my wife (who has probably never touched that key in
the several years she's had her own computer), I could easily replace
that keyboard with any of several others I have here.

  #41  
Old September 15th 13, 03:50 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Bob I
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Posts: 9,943
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?


On Sat, 14 Sep 2013 05:44:12 -0400, Stan Brown
wrote:

I hear you brother! And if mine is representative, it's not just the
documentation that sucks, but their keyboard design as well.

My current Inspiron laptop (1784, if memory serves) has a key with an
undecipherable icon between F12 and Insert. I discovered by accident
that that turns the touchpad on and off.


Looks like a - with a triangle above it?
Ejects optical drive.


There's a battery icon on the F3 key, but I've been unable to
discover what that does -- if it even does anything.


Fn+F3 opens Battery Meter.
  #42  
Old September 15th 13, 05:25 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Henry[_4_]
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Posts: 82
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

Danny D. wrote:

Art Todesco wrote:


They both use a proprietary control key that must be held while hitting
a number key or a function key.



I don't know if that control sequence exists for my Dell XPS M1730
laptop, but, luckily, I don't need the control sequence because it's all
automatic now that I loaded the (supposedly optional) driver for the
touchpad from Dell.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/...duct/xps-m1730

IMHO, it's a MANDATORY download, since the keyboard is essentially
useless with the touchpad in the way, moving the cursor all over the
place in the middle of your sentences.


I've looked for a similar driver for a Dell NC-6000 and can't find one. I
would appreciate any help finding it because like the rest of you the
touchpad gets in the way. Right now I have it covered with a piece of
cardboard.

I've looked for a key to press to turn the touchpad on and off and I've
looked under mouse to find a turn off option and I can find neither.

Thanks
  #43  
Old September 15th 13, 06:42 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Henry[_4_]
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Posts: 82
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USBmouse is connected?

Mea Culpa. I meant a Compaq NC-6000 laptop. Sorry. I really looked for a
Compaq driver.




Henry wrote:

Danny D. wrote:

Art Todesco wrote:


They both use a proprietary control key that must be held while hitting
a number key or a function key.




I don't know if that control sequence exists for my Dell XPS M1730
laptop, but, luckily, I don't need the control sequence because it's
all automatic now that I loaded the (supposedly optional) driver for
the touchpad from Dell.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/...duct/xps-m1730

IMHO, it's a MANDATORY download, since the keyboard is essentially
useless with the touchpad in the way, moving the cursor all over the
place in the middle of your sentences.


I've looked for a similar driver for a Dell NC-6000 and can't find one.
I would appreciate any help finding it because like the rest of you the
touchpad gets in the way. Right now I have it covered with a piece of
cardboard.

I've looked for a key to press to turn the touchpad on and off and I've
looked under mouse to find a turn off option and I can find neither.

Thanks

  #44  
Old September 15th 13, 11:02 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

Danny D. wrote:

IMHO, it's a MANDATORY download, since the keyboard is essentially
useless with the touchpad in the way, moving the cursor all over the
place in the middle of your sentences.


Methinks you have sensitivity set way too high so any nearby position of
your palm is detected as a touchpad press. I know lots of laptop users
that can type just fine. I've known some that had sensitivity way too
high so them naturally flexing at the wrist places their palms too close
to the over sensitive touchpad; however, once they properly configure
sensitivity then the problem goes away. If the touchpad is too
sensitive for approximate position by your hands triggering touchpad
events then it's also too sensitive for when you want to use the
touchpad. Reduce sensitivity.
  #45  
Old September 15th 13, 12:43 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.windows7.general
Stan Brown
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Posts: 2,904
Default Is there freeware to turn OFF the sensitive TOUCHPAD when a USB mouse is connected?

On Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:50:49 -0500, Bob I wrote:

On Sat, 14 Sep 2013 05:44:12 -0400, Stan Brown
wrote:

I hear you brother! And if mine is representative, it's not just the
documentation that sucks, but their keyboard design as well.

My current Inspiron laptop (1784, if memory serves) has a key with an
undecipherable icon between F12 and Insert. I discovered by accident
that that turns the touchpad on and off.


Looks like a - with a triangle above it?


No.

Ejects optical drive.


I already told what it does -- you even quoted me.


There's a battery icon on the F3 key, but I've been unable to
discover what that does -- if it even does anything.


Fn+F3 opens Battery Meter.


That would be logical, but it doesn't.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...
 




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