touchpad doesn't work, please help

[mmoin]

So I just got my iBook yesterday, and it's great, but the touchpad no longer works. My USB mouse works perfectly, but the touchpad (the pad and the button) doesn't work at all, since this morning when I installed a 256MB DIMM in the laptop. I've tried powering down and then turning on the computer without the usb mouse attached, and I lifted the keyboard, and the touchpad cable (I think it's the touchpad cable, the brown thing) is attached. Any ideas? I'm getting a bit worried about this.

Thanks, Andrew

[mmoin]

I figure I will probably just call apple tomorrow, but hopefully there's some way to fix it without having to call up support.

[alset]

Call support. There is no reason I can think of for this to happen. BTW - you have the mouse unplugged, right? I believe there is a setting to disable the track-pad when a mouse is plugged in. check System Preferences.

Dan

[mmoin]

Originally posted by alset
Call support. There is no reason I can think of for this to happen. BTW - you have the mouse unplugged, right? I believe there is a setting to disable the track-pad when a mouse is plugged in. check System Preferences.

Dan

Well, when I detach the mouse the trackpad still doesn't work, also, when I try restarting and then detaching the mouse, it still doesn't work (I can't really restart without the mouse in since I can't use the trackpad). I've heard about that setting in sys. preferences, but it doesn't seem to be there. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[MacBandit]

I know this is a worn out fixall but have you tried repairing your disk permissions?

[rainman::|:|]

I see one of three possibilities.

First, there's a problem with the trackpad device or cable connecting it. That it's connected is a good sign that this isn't it, but there could be a short somewhere in the device.

Second, there's a problem on the logic board, whatever hardware interprets trackpad movement is fried. Or the connections to the rest of the system.

Thirdly, it's a lower-level software issue. Reparing permissions might actually work, if your system isn't able to read some internal driver or something correctly. If you don't want to take it in right away, you could try performing a clean install or installing on another disk, and booting from there. Or booting from 9, if you have it.

You're probably SOL and going to have to take it in. Sorry :(

pnw

[mmmdreg]

Well I don't know how exactly RAM could affect it but since you claim it started happening after you intalled the extra RAM, perhaps try taking it out..

[mmoin]

Hmm, now it's working again, I suppose because I unplugged the USB mouse before I went to sleep.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by mmoin
Hmm, now it's working again, I suppose because I unplugged the USB mouse before I went to sleep.

I still recommend repairing permissions. Does it continue to work even after you restart? If not boot up off the 10.2 installation disk. Does it work while running off this disk? If so it's purely a software problem.

[idkew]

actually, my pop's ibook did this also.

have you installed RAM yourself? if so the track pad/clicker may have lost contact with the socket it is in.

in my pop's case, the whole entire socket became unsoldered formt he motherboard amazingly enough.

call apple, get them to fix it. it is prolly not a software issue.

[mmoin]

Originally posted by idkew
actually, my pop's ibook did this also.

have you installed RAM yourself? if so the track pad/clicker may have lost contact with the socket it is in.

in my pop's case, the whole entire socket became unsoldered formt he motherboard amazingly enough.

call apple, get them to fix it. it is prolly not a software issue.

That's what I initially feared, but the fact that the trackpad works now indicates that it's probably a software problem rather than hardware. I'm probably going to try repairing permissions, but otherwise, the trackpad seems to be working now. very odd.

[GeeYouEye]

This happened to me a couple weeks ago. At the time, I thought that the trackpad might have frozen (literally, I had just gotten back from Yosemite). Hearing this though, I wonder if it's a more widespread issue.

BTW, not only was it not working in X, it wasn't working in 9. It's definitely a hardware issue.

[idkew]

Originally posted by mmoin


That's what I initially feared, but the fact that the trackpad works now indicates that it's probably a software problem rather than hardware. I'm probably going to try repairing permissions, but otherwise, the trackpad seems to be working now. very odd.

same with my pop's. it would connect and disconnect randomly. this happend for a week until it stop entirely.

[mmoin]

Originally posted by idkew


same with my pop's. it would connect and disconnect randomly. this happend for a week until it stop entirely.

Weird stuff- well, if it stops working again I'm definitely going to call apple then.

[Ifeelbloated]

Pound it with your fist a couple of times.:D