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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Anyone have a crazy posessed touchpad?

Anyone have a crazy posessed touchpad?
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s4iscool
Forum Regular
Join Date: Nov 2003
Status: Offline
Dec 30, 2003, 07:23 PM
 
Ive noticed my touchpad gets outta wack all of a sudden these days. All of a sudden it will jump around and you cant control it. you stop it, then it jumps back an inch on the screen. Doesnt get back to normal till i tap the touchpad multiple times, or hit th ekeyboard, or do who knows what to the computer...
15" PB/1.25 G4/1gb ram/80gb hd/Superdrive
+ special screen with white spots AND dimmer right side than left. 2 Keyboard replacements, warping Al case wobbles on a flat table, squeeks when typing...etc.etc.etc. Superb!
     
ae86_16v
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Oakland, CA
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Dec 30, 2003, 08:48 PM
 
Yup mine is exactly like that. But that is only when in the presense of my Bluetooth Mouse. When I have BT turned off or away from my mouse, just using my Trackpad it seems okay.
     
gif32
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Dec 30, 2003, 09:33 PM
 
My 15" AlBook does the same thing probably 3 times a week. I don't have 'tooth enabled. It behaves exactly like you say -- when I pick up my finger the cursor just slides 200-300 pixels off in whatever direction it feels like that day. Unlike you though, I can't get it to reset by itself (although I certainly try) - but.... (and this may help you)... if I put the computer to sleep then wake it right back up it always works. Every time. Weird though... glad I'm not the only one.
     
s4iscool  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: Nov 2003
Status: Offline
Dec 31, 2003, 12:48 AM
 
I tell you things like this remind me of how buggy Win2k was, makes me want to go back to a PC.
15" PB/1.25 G4/1gb ram/80gb hd/Superdrive
+ special screen with white spots AND dimmer right side than left. 2 Keyboard replacements, warping Al case wobbles on a flat table, squeeks when typing...etc.etc.etc. Superb!
     
AlbertWu
Professional Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: boulder, co
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Dec 31, 2003, 04:58 AM
 
its probably wet, or you've got something jammed into the corner of your touchpad.

my trackpad does that if my hands are wet.
Ad Astra Per Aspera - Semper Exploro
     
sktrdie
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Dec 31, 2003, 09:06 AM
 
it some kinda of interferences!
     
madmacgames
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Dec 31, 2003, 12:09 PM
 
mine sometimes does it for other people, but never does it for me.

It is very very sensative... you have to have the right touch
     
stevek
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Northern Virginia
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Dec 31, 2003, 02:20 PM
 
*raises hand*
yeah it does it to mee too sometimes... I don't get it... all of the sudden the pointer is jumping all over the screen out of my control! it's almost the same kind of result as you get if you've ever put two fingers on the touchpad and started tapping the touchpad withone while keeping the other finger down on the touchpad. Not sure if this indicates there's some part of the trackpad getting 'stuck' somewhere? ah well. yes, it is frustrating. yes, it does seem to go away. but why is it happening? i don't know
I have a TiBook. I have an iPod. Life is good.
     
webcookie
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York
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Dec 31, 2003, 03:02 PM
 
I get this sometimes on my iBook G4. the only way to stop it is to put it to sleep and wake it back up.
iBook G4: 800mhz, 640mb, 40gb ("Astrid")
iPod: 30gb Photo ("Gordon"), 1gb Shuffle ("Tinker Bell")
For the record: I am female
     
bmhome1
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Join Date: Jul 2003
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Dec 31, 2003, 10:24 PM
 
.
     
bmhome1
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Join Date: Jul 2003
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Dec 31, 2003, 10:26 PM
 
Wintertime low-humidity and use of hand-lotions can affect trackpads. Try cleaning trackpad with alcohol wipe, same with finger tip touching trackpad.

I once had a tiny cat hair in the pad's corner make it act like it was possessed until removed.

Also, really taxed CPU/RAM can cause temporary poor tracking response for me.

And really bizarre, my left hand doesn't work with trackpad at all, just right.
     
Oneota
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Location: Urbandale, IA
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Jan 1, 2004, 12:32 AM
 
I've noticed this sometimes with my PB, mostly when I get a static-electricity shock from the touchpad (when touching it for the first time after walking on carpet, or something like that).
"Yields a falsehood when preceded by its quotation" yields a falsehood when preceded by its quotation.
     
blacksheep
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Jan 1, 2004, 01:07 AM
 
Yup, it does happen once in a while. Sometimes, it just stop working. Notice that it happens when my 17" PowerBook heats up. A cool down and restart, gets it back to work properly again. I have two more pointing devices, a Kensington Wireless Pocket Pro and a Wacom Intuos 2 6 x 8 tablet. Don't think that they affect the trackpad.
     
bkb
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Jan 1, 2004, 01:29 PM
 
Originally posted by s4iscool:
Ive noticed my touchpad gets outta wack all of a sudden these days. All of a sudden it will jump around and you cant control it. you stop it, then it jumps back an inch on the screen. Doesnt get back to normal till i tap the touchpad multiple times, or hit th ekeyboard, or do who knows what to the computer...
Thank you. I was not sure if this was me being pedantic - but since so many of you are having the same problem - sounds like this is a real issue. My touchpad does get a little "jumpy" once in a while. Nothing to loose sleep or hair over, but it does bother me quite a bit. Whenever it happens, I try to spend a couple minutes to recreate the "jumpiness" but I can never get it to jump on command. This is a bit of a pain - since I can't take it to the Apple Store - they will ask me to recreate the effect, and since I am unable to do it, they will not want to fix it.

I assure you my trackpad is sound as a pound - no hair stuck in the sides, clean, dry, and so is my right index finger. BT off - and no external mice are attached.

Any suggestions?
     
yticolev
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: MA
Status: Offline
Jan 1, 2004, 06:18 PM
 
My Al15" does this on a regular basis. Seems to be directly related to how long since logout (maybe 10 days with many applications open). A logout and in fixes it. External mice exhibit the same problem as the touchpad and fixed at the same time by logout. Still running 10.2.8.
     
pdovinh
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Jan 1, 2004, 07:23 PM
 
It goes something similar to this:

"...one atom told a second atom that he lost an electron. The second atom asked 'Are you sure?'. The first atom responded: 'Yes, I am positive.'..."

I believe the little loose electrons are playing games with us. ;-e)

Good grounding and proper dissipation of charges normally will reduce the touchpad hyper activities.

pd
     
bkb
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Jan 2, 2004, 01:15 PM
 
Originally posted by pdovinh:
Good grounding and proper dissipation of charges normally will reduce the touchpad hyper activities.

pd
How do we do this? I would have thought that since I am touching the ground (with my ass or with my feet) that grounding takes place automatically. Please explain.

Thanks,
BKB.
     
nick_coday
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Location: Eugene, OR
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Jan 2, 2004, 05:12 PM
 
Originally posted by bkb:
How do we do this? I would have thought that since I am touching the ground (with my ass or with my feet) that grounding takes place automatically. Please explain.

Thanks,
BKB.
Touch something metal, such as a door handle
--------------------------------------
15.2" 1.25Ghz AlPBook
512MB RAM, SuperDrive
     
nayr x
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Location: Earth, Mostly.
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Jan 2, 2004, 08:12 PM
 
I have definitely noticed since updating to 10.3.2 that when I am copying files, my trackpad goes haywire. It is unsmooth, skips around and for some reason clicks itself, cycling through windows and highlighting stuff.

(Perpetuating detached, existentialist ennui since 2001)
     
bkb
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Jan 2, 2004, 09:43 PM
 
Originally posted by nick_coday:
Touch something metal, such as a door handle
Hm...
I thought my PowerBook is metal?! Doesn't touching it ground me? And what about my comment about being grounded through my feet or my ass? Please explain further.

Thanks,
BKB.
     
NY152
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Location: Toronto
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Jan 6, 2004, 10:48 AM
 
My trackpad over the past few days has gone haywire as well. I have a first generation 17" PowerBook. Even when I put one finger in the middle of the trackpad and don't move it my pointer acts like a mexican jumping bean. My trackpad is clean as well as my hands so that is not the culprit. Has anyone called Apple to see what they recommend?
<over-large signature edited by management>
     
whoosh
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Jan 6, 2004, 11:29 AM
 
I have noticed the same problem with my trackpad, but only when my hands are wet (clammy). Also I have noticed that when the PB has just woken from sleep, the pointer sort of 'jitters' around a bit. However, I read somewhere that when the pointer jitters like that, the powerbook is just calibrating the pointing system. But as long as my hands aren't moist, the trackpad works just fine.
     
chu-ka-pi
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Status: Offline
Jan 6, 2004, 04:42 PM
 
I've experienced similar problems with my mouse (Logitech traveller I think its name is...). Sometimes, the cursor moves towards one of the lateral edges of the screens and... The cursor MOVES BY ITSELF!! :-) That's right! The cursor seems the climb the edge... Weird... very weird... Sometimes, the mouse does not respond at all (particularly when some text is selected in a document), I mean, the cursor follow the mouse motion but it is impossible to deselect the text, whatever you do, the cursor is linked to the selected text... (Am I making sense? I'm tired...) Fortunately, tapping the trackpad deselects the text... and gives back the control of the cursor...

Anyway, there is indeed some problem with OSX as far as trackpads (and mouses) are concerned... But I can live with that! :-)

(Off topic:
Oh by the way, dissapointing keynote today... I was at least expecting bumped G5s... Not that I'm on the market for one, mind you... I am waiting for a PbG5... At least, two G5s in a 1U rack bolds well for the feasibility of PbG5s...
)
     
mylifenp
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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Apr 17, 2008, 05:41 PM
 
Hi guys
even my touchpad is going crazy.......mouse seems to be working fine........i have done almost everything possible to eliminate this problem,
reinstalled OS , formatted it twice.....flashed bios....put it in refrigerator to cool it...cleaned with alcohol...uninstalled drivers...nothing helps.....

I am running VISTA and Fedora on my lappi (i know this forum is for mac, but since the problem is of touchpad and are similar i am posting it here)

At first the problem was only in VISTA ...Fedora seemed unaffected, but now it is going crazy there too.....

any more idea tht could bring my touchpad back to me from the ghost running it (it is really going crazy......)
     
ibook_steve
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Apr 17, 2008, 06:28 PM
 
Please don't revive zombie threads. I've created a new thread for you.

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
   
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