annoying keyboard input thing

[netmouse]

Thought I'd post this and see if anyone has advice.

Lately sometimes when I'm typing, the insertion point will suddenly change - generally to eight or more characters back from where I had initially started typing. This is especially annoying when I go to type a URL and hit enter and find I have magically typed something like

.comwww.yahoo

so, it's really annoying. I'm on a laptop (DELL inspiron 2500) running Windows XP. I've occassionally wondered if the touchscreen isn't to blame. But there doesn't appear to be a control panel on the touchscreen.

So, I thought I'd ask: Does anyone have an idea why this is happening, or how to stop it?

Comments

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

My Dell laptop has been doing the same thing, so I hope someone has an answer.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I'll have a similar sort of thing happen, but it's usually because I've accidently touched the touch screen with my thumb.

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

well, and I wouldn't be surprised if something like that is happening here. But I'd like to be able to tell the machine "if you have a mouse plugged in, please ignore the touchscreen, unless I say otherwise". That shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?

[mishamish.livejournal.com]

It's not. Go into the C-MOS set-up screen. I used to have that model, and I think it's there. If worse comes to worst, you can always open the case and unplug the touchpad. It's a bit EXTREME, but eh.

[shadowriderhope.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks, I'd always wondered how to do that. :) I *hate* touchpads (speaking as someone with RSI).

[mishamish.livejournal.com]

De nada. Nice bike, by the way. :-) I'm considering something similar for my next vehicle.

[ex-erikvolso370.livejournal.com]

It's a dell thing. They picked a touchpad that is *extremely* sensitive, and it's very easy to send a mouse click.

A workaround is to turn off the "tap-to-click" feature. I personally hate that, but some people thing it's great. I don't have the fine motor control to use it, though -- I keep sending mouseclicks.

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

If you could tell me *how* to turn of the "tap to click" feature, I would be most grateful. The help index doesn't even have touchpad as a keyword.

[ex-erikvolso370.livejournal.com]

Alas, it depends on which touchpad driver is installed. Look in the control panels for the "mouse" control panel, or a touchpad control panel, which could be named lots of things.

Many touchpads also have a control in the dock. One notable one changes color, depending on how hard you're pressing on the pad, so watch the start bar by the clock and push on the touch pad. If one of the icons starts changing, that's your control panel.

Without seeing it first hand, though, it's hard to offer more help -- there's lots of things I know, but I don't know I know -- I just look at it and figure it out, and explaining how I do it is almost impossible.

If you tell me the model of the notebook, and what version of Windows, I might be able to find some info on Dell's site, or even better, get lucky and have one in the office, and be able to go look.

[elizilla]

My office is full of Dell laptops, and every single one of them has a strip of cardboard about a half inch wide taped to cover the top edge of the touch pad.

For mine, I just turned off the tap to click function.