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Trackpad++: Alternate Trackpad Driver for BootCamp

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vagaerg

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2015
11
0
doynton said:
It is not a matter of trusting Vladimir at all (I do, but that is irrelevant). If you allow one unsigned driver you allow every unsigned driver.

And if you don't understand this then yes, I do think you are wrong.
Click to expand...

Well, that is not exactly the case. You are disabling the enforcement of drivers to be signed. However, every single time you try to install an unsigned/untrusted driver you will be alerted by a big, red box where you can abort such installation, so I would say it is not that risky. You can always disable such enforcement and reject every single unknown driver installation except for TrackPad++, and nothing else will be installed. You are not consenting to installing every driver any program wants to install, you are only telling windows: "Do not automatically reject unsigned driver installations", so you will be prompted on every single unsigned driver. Once you have installed Trackpad++ you can start rejecting any other driver installation window that pops up, which is not common though, I have not had any software trying to install any driver on my Bootcamp partition.

I'd say that it is, as long as you trust Vladimir and act carefully after enabling test signing, as secure as having it disabled :)
 
D

doynton

macrumors 6502
Oct 19, 2014
299
17
vagaerg said:
Well, that is not exactly the case. You are disabling the enforcement of drivers to be signed. However, every single time you try to install an unsigned/untrusted driver you will be alerted
Click to expand...
Perhaps I was wrong. I thought disabling signature verification let any driver be loaded at boot time (nothing to do with installation).

It is a shame you can't self-certify things on Windows like you can on OSX. But you can't (AFAIK). It costs (at least) $500 pa.
 
V

vagaerg

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2015
11
0
doynton said:
Perhaps I was wrong. I thought disabling signature verification let any driver be loaded at boot time (nothing to do with installation).

It is a shame you can't self-certify things on Windows like you can on OSX. But you can't (AFAIK). It costs (at least) $500 pa.
Click to expand...

It allows you to install any driver, but when you try to install it you will get a warning, and you will get a warning every time you install a new unsigned driver, and you can always cancel driver installation individually, so you can install Trackpad++ and reject any other driver installation from there onwards.

Yes, that's a shame! I guess it's mostly because of economic reasons, maybe you can create a (fake) CA and install it on windows and sign it using that fake CA? It probably won't work as I guess it has to be signed by an authority that is trusted by Microsoft, but it might work
 
D

doynton

macrumors 6502
Oct 19, 2014
299
17
vagaerg said:
It probably won't work as I guess it has to be signed by an authority that is trusted by Microsoft, but it might work
Click to expand...
That is what you have to pay for ($500+ a year). On OSX you can self-sign your own things (eg if you change a .app after deleting all the foreign languages for example). On windows you can't (as far as I know).

My problem is on Windows it is all or nothing. Anyway, I am distracting from this thread, I only meant to say it was something to consider, that is all.
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@ALL: The email feedback about the latest beta version was strictly positive, so it has been released today officially, as Trackpad++ 3.1a (stable), with almost no changes since the last beta. Just to remind, here are the main new features of the new version:
- Force Touch trackpad of the Early-2015 Macbooks supported;
- Most of the new Windows 10 Technical Preview features supported.
 
C

calkenneth

macrumors member
Apr 27, 2015
34
1
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r said:
@ALL: The email feedback about the latest beta version was strictly positive, so it has been released today officially, as Trackpad++ 3.1a (stable), with almost no changes since the last beta. Just to remind, here are the main new features of the new version:
- Force Touch trackpad of the Early-2015 Macbooks supported;
- Most of the new Windows 10 Technical Preview features supported.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this release! Two questions for you:
1) I'm using this on a late 2014 MBP 13" running Windows 7 in Boot Camp. Every time I install this, the settings are reset and I have to put them back to what I like. Is that supposed to happen?
2) Whenever I install, the notification area shows all icons, and I have to go to the start menu and hide them again. Also supposed to happen?

I was having some issues with trackpad input while typing with the previous version, but it looks like 3.1a has a slightly longer wait time before the trackpad works again.
 
V

vagaerg

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2015
11
0
calkenneth said:
Thanks for this release! Two questions for you:
1) I'm using this on a late 2014 MBP 13" running Windows 7 in Boot Camp. Every time I install this, the settings are reset and I have to put them back to what I like. Is that supposed to happen?
2) Whenever I install, the notification area shows all icons, and I have to go to the start menu and hide them again. Also supposed to happen?

I was having some issues with trackpad input while typing with the previous version, but it looks like 3.1a has a slightly longer wait time before the trackpad works again.
Click to expand...

I'm having the same problem as you with the icons showing again. I recommend you donate so that you don't have to reinstall :D, but apart from that, I assume it's the way TPP is made.

What I just cannot understand is why the installer sets all the icons on the notification area (systray) to show every time you install it... Why should it do that? It also happened on my computer, but I do not get the reason why Vladimir would want it to be that way
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@calkenneth: Correct, as of today the Trackpad++ settings aren't kept after each upgrade. In one of the next versions I'll start providing the 'keep settings' checkbox option during install.
@vagaerg: Endless times I've been receiving emails with questions such as 'I start the program and nothing happens'. Since Trackpad++, and especially Power Plan's UIs are much concentrated around their tray icons, and the number of people who are so new to Windows exceeded any of my estimations, the decision was taken to make all the tray icons visible. People with skills can set this back in 5 seconds, while so many people who do not know what is tray can see the icons now. :)
 
G

GalaxyMaster2

macrumors newbie
Apr 29, 2015
1
0
Exit trackpad++ when plugging macbook in?

Hi vladimir,

I started using your driver about a week ago, and I must say I absolutely love it. Now, I noticed that it also affects tracking speed for my USB mouse. I found that when I right clicked on the tray icon and clicked on exit the tracking for the mouse went back to normal. I only really use the trackpad when I have my macbook unplugged, so I had the brilliant idea to automatically exit trackpad++ when I plug it in, and to automatically start it back up again when I unplug it. The starting back up part I already have working with the help of Power Plan Assistant. I have it set to switch to balanced power mode when I unplug it, and to start up "Trackpad++ Control Module.exe" when switching to balanced mode. Now all I need is a way for it to properly exit trackpad++ when switching to the high performance power plan. I tried writing a very small batch file that kills the process "Trackpad++ Control Module Process.exe", and found that it doesn't fully reset the settings the way it does when exiting it from the tray icon. Is there any way to make it so that it properly exits trackpad++ when plugging my macbook in?

Thanks for your help and sorry for the wall of text.
 
C

calkenneth

macrumors member
Apr 27, 2015
34
1
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r said:
@calkenneth: Correct, as of today the Trackpad++ settings aren't kept after each upgrade. In one of the next versions I'll start providing the 'keep settings' checkbox option during install.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response - that would be a great little feature!
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@GalaxyMaster2: Hi, sorry, but such scenario is very exotic and is supported nowhere in the code... Killing the process is the bad idea. Other ways to properly exit the Trackpad++ Control Module (except of from the context menu of tray icon) are not available.
 
C

calkenneth

macrumors member
Apr 27, 2015
34
1
Hi - me again. A small request - when the driver is done being installed it would be great if the reboot is done AFTER an user prompt. Right now it forces a reboot past all other dialog boxes such as whether u want to save unsaved changes in Excel or other apps. I completely understand why we need to do the reboot - and I'm sure users might wonder why things don't work without the reboot - but I think it could be done more "gently" if you know what I mean :)
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@calkenneth: Thank you. Actually, this is the very important topic, it was discussed in the past, I even have a screen shot collage from the old pages of the forum: http://powerplan7.com/warnings.jpg So the user is warned several times about the reboot. As for the true reason of such post-install reboot, many people would not like it. But alright, I'll tell: trackpad input might stop working after driver update and until reboot. So the reboot is absolutely necessary, it isn't something optional. Yes, would be optimal to put one more warning, like 'click OK to reboot right now', but you should be able to click it :) Whereas the automatic procedure itself is very reliable, and not only according to my internal testing results. More importantly, there have been zero issues reported during all 2014 and now almost half of 2015.
 
V

vagaerg

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2015
11
0
Vladimir, I am having an issue with the driver. It is sometimes a bit annoying but definitely not serious :) . I have 3-finger drag and "On lift fingers, release... (no delay)" checked, however, when I do a 3-finger drag there is still a delay, similar to the delay with dragging on the Bootcamp drivers. If I uncheck the no delay checkbox, check it again and them save changes, the delay is gone for a few minutes, but starts showing again in around 5-10 minutes. ¿Any ideas?
Thank you :)
 
Last edited:
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@vagaerg: Thank you for reporting; re-testing the latest build (today) I couldn't detect such behavior. I mean, when the no-delay mode is activated, there is absolutely no delay in Trackpad++ 3-finger drag. When this mode is not activated, there is a small delay (introduced on purpose to allow any distance dragging without dropping the object, similarly to old OS X implementation). But I think you are talking about a different kind of delay, some delay of pointer motion. So far I was unable to detect such behavior. Will be testing more.
 
V

vagaerg

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2015
11
0
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r said:
@vagaerg: Thank you for reporting; re-testing the latest build (today) I couldn't detect such behavior. I mean, when the no-delay mode is activated, there is absolutely no delay in Trackpad++ 3-finger drag. When this mode is not activated, there is a small delay (introduced on purpose to allow any distance dragging without dropping the object, similarly to old OS X implementation). But I think you are talking about a different kind of delay, some delay of pointer motion. So far I was unable to detect such behavior. Will be testing more.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your reply ;)
My problem is that I cannot move the pointer during a small fraction of time, but if I continue dragging with 3 fingers, everything is fine. It is just as if the no-delay mode was not activated, but I have re-checked and it is :confused:
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@vagaerg: Just to confirm, after using the Macbook trackpad for many hours during the weekend, I have been unable to catch such delay issue. So unless there are more reports I'm closing the investigation.
 
B

BofA

macrumors newbie
May 14, 2015
1
0
@V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r: first of all, thanks for the great driver! It is really great. But I have a small problem - I feel discomfort using Windows in test mode with driver signature disabled :) When I use another custom unsigned drivers, it always be like that: disable driver signature enforcement, then install custom driver, and after that enable driver signature enforcement again. After that, custom driver continues working. But in case Trackpad++, enabling driver signature enforcement breaks it also after it was already installed. Could you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks in advise!
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@BofA: That's strange, I don't know the way of temporary enabling / then disabling, as you described. All of the 64-bit drivers should behave identically, i.e. being not signed, should only load if the TESTSIGNING is enabled. If anybody knows the way to let the non-certified driver be loaded without enabling the TESTSIGNING, please let me know. The problem is, the 64-bit driver should not be simply signed, but signed with an authority cross signed by Microsoft (!). Because of this there appears to be no way to tell system to trust your own signature for driver code (but for non-driver code, it's possible, because Microsoft cross-signature is not the requirement for the non-driver code).
Also please see the discussion on the previous page of this topic.
To summarize, Microsoft left the 64-bit drivers developers no choice, but to engage the TESTSIGNING ('Test Mode'), or bow and pay again and again to selected certification authorities supervised by Microsoft. Strangely, this applies only to 64-bit drivers. Yes, 32-bit drivers can be loaded in 32-bit OS without the TESTSIGNING. But Apple has dropped 32-bit Windows support from Boot Camp, and also the 32-bit architecture has the sad RAM limitation anyways.
 
C

CocaCoca

macrumors newbie
Jan 29, 2010
25
0
Hey Vlad, will the just released 15 inch rMBP with Forcetouch be supported kinda instantly? I'm going to get one next week :cool: BTW running the last Windows 10TP leak on MBA I found Trackpad++ already supports everal Windows 10 new features! Thank U for making that possible!!! :D
 
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amcelroy

macrumors newbie
May 20, 2015
1
0
Review of Trackpad++

Problem:

  • OSX has a better desktop environment

  • OSX has vastly better trackpad support

  • I do all my programming in Windows (C#, Java, Labview, C/C++)

  • My eGPU setup only works under Windows

Solution:

  • Windows 10

  • Trackpad++

Trackpad++ and Windows 10 are a perfect solution to getting all the benefits of OSX with none of the Virtual Machining and dual booting that was required before. Trackpad++ gets things 98% and is a really nice piece of software. Viewing all desktops and swiping between desktops in a Windows environment is almost surreal, but Trackpad++ pulls it off with ease.

I am almost hesitant to write about the 2% functionality that is missing since Trackpad++ gets so much right. Some features require disabling other features, such as 3 finger drag or 3 finger swipe, but this is a trivial compared to what is done right.

I was a little leery of the Power Plan Assistant but did some research and did not ultimately see any issues. I would say that is my biggest complaint, but it is pretty minor.

Anyway, I'm super happy with the software and tipped the dev because of his efforts, it is money well spent!
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@CocaCoca: As of today, not clear yet. Could somebody who already got the new 15" model contact me, a very simple assistance could make it possible to support the new model quickly. If the trackpad is the same as in already supported 13" and 12" models, of course.

@amcelroy: Thank you very much for the good feedback.
 
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CupCakeArmy

macrumors newbie
May 26, 2015
1
0
Drag'N'Drop Problems..

Hey everybody,
First of all, big thanks to Vladimir for making BootCamp actually usable!!
I'm really impressed with how good it works. There is just 1 thing, which I apparentely cannot get to work: Drag'N'Drop with tapping, so basically double tap and then move around. Apple has one, but it has that ********* delay!! For me this really is the most important thing. Am I missing something? If not, does anyone know a way around that :)
Cheers
 
V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 28, 2012
431
110
Israel
@CupCakeArmy: Thank you for the feedback. This specific feature (I call it simply 1-finger dragging) was there in Trackpad++ quite a while ago. It however had the issues with accidental drag'n'drop operations, very frustrating thing. So I decided to remove it after the reliable 3-finger drag had become available in Trackpad++... I think it's better to include only the reliable, high quality gestures. During the next stages of development I hope to return to this feature and put it back (if reworked successfully).
 
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