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kevin222

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 27, 2006
35
0
I got a new aluminum Macbook on Friday and every now and then my trackpad seems to stop responding for a brief second or so. Usually it just involves me lifting my finger off and placing it back on to correct it. Every time it happens my arrow just stops moving on the screen. I thought perhaps there was a "dead" spot on my trackpad, but it seems to happen randomly and on different parts of the trackpad. It seems to happen pretty regularly - Anyone else experiencing this?
 
Hey there,

I just picked up a new MB last night and have seen the same behavior. I think it is caused by letting another finger touch the trackpad thus making the computer think it is doing a two finger gesture. The only way to fix this state is to lift your finger and reset the trackpad.

What do you think?
 
Hey there,

I just picked up a new MB last night and have seen the same behavior. I think it is caused by letting another finger touch the trackpad thus making the computer think it is doing a two finger gesture. The only way to fix this state is to lift your finger and reset the trackpad.

What do you think?

Yes this is exactly why it is happening. We are use to resting our thumbs (usually) on the button. But when you had two fingers on the pad now, it thinks you are trying to use two fingers. If you do rest your finger towards the furthest part of the bottom (closer to you) its fine.
 
Yes this is exactly why it is happening. We are use to resting our thumbs (usually) on the button. But when you had two fingers on the pad now, it thinks you are trying to use two fingers. If you do rest your finger towards the furthest part of the bottom (closer to you) its fine.

Ah, that could be the case - I didn't even think about it. I came from the previous macbook iteration, so it's definitely going to take some getting used to the new buttonless trackpad. I will have to play with it some more when I get home and make sure I'm not resting any other fingers on the pad. Somehow I still feel like it may have happened once or twice without a second finger touching, but I'll have to confirm.

To answer the other question - yeah, I used migration assistant to move from my old macbook.
 
Mine started up off of a Time Capsule boot.

Worked great.

Great, though I'm not sure there would be any connection between this and the trackpad studdering issues I've seen. I kind of just thought perhaps it was a software issue. I'm going to play with it a lot tonight to see if I can reproduce the issue with just one finger.
 
Yeah every once and a while I try to use the touch/tap select (not clicking the trackpad) and it doesnt seem to respond. It doesnt really happen all the time but I have noticed it. Dont know if it something worth taking it in for or if it is more in my head.
 
I noticed that the trackpad doesn't always register a click. It's especially annoying when you're editing text in an email or a forum post and want to move the cursor. I think that it worked, but I end up typing in an unexpected place.
 
Yeah every once and a while I try to use the touch/tap select (not clicking the trackpad) and it doesnt seem to respond. It doesnt really happen all the time but I have noticed it. Dont know if it something worth taking it in for or if it is more in my head.

Yeah, I hear ya - I'm testing it now to see if in fact I was resting my thumb/another finger on the pad while I was trying to scroll...I noticed a lot of posts on Apple's forums about the same types of issues though, so I'm beginning to think it may be a small software related issue. I'd hate to have to return and reconfigure a new one...
 
Just wondering if anyone else has had this same issue yet (since it's been a few more days). I've read at least a couple other people saying they've had the same issue but I'm wondering how wide-spread it is. I have an appt at the genius bar tomorrow (Friday) evening but I hate wasting my time if it'll be addressed in a software update...
 
New aluminum Macbook Pro and doing the same thing here.

Driving me CRAZY! All the suggestions I've read say to turn off 'Ignore accidental trackpad input', but the new multi-touch machines do not have that option.

I find myself feverishly 'scribbling' back and forth on the trackpad for a second or two before it starts moving the pointer. More often than not :-(

I do notice that it seems to happen when trying to scroll with the side of my thumb (the part that would tap the spacebar). Index fingertip straight down it and it works.
 
mine did it at first too, but it was because i was resting my thumb where the button was on my old macbook by habit. you get used to the new trackpad and suddenly the problem goes away.
 
mine did it at first too, but it was because i was resting my thumb where the button was on my old macbook by habit. you get used to the new trackpad and suddenly the problem goes away.

yea, I had read some suggestions about it sensing multiple fingers and that was the reason. I've made sure I don't have any other touch-points. I think the flat side of my thumb is causing confusion and is being seen as a 2-finger touch. If I use the tip of my thumb, the cursor moves as expected.

Sounds like a sensitivity or calibration issue... hrmmmmmm

Thx for your reply :D
 
Opposite for me, Same problem

Hey there,

I just picked up a new MB last night and have seen the same behavior. I think it is caused by letting another finger touch the trackpad thus making the computer think it is doing a two finger gesture. The only way to fix this state is to lift your finger and reset the trackpad.

What do you think?
I used to be having the same issue, but it was very intermittent, so we brought it in to the apple store and they could not try to get it to mess up so they could fix it, and it never happened again. Until now. I am having the same issue, but resetting the trackpad isn't working. Do you think it could do with heat, and if my hands are cold? Or is the new trackpad STILL not heat sensitive? Also, I sometimes have absolutely no problem, but it is really jerky. I have the latest updates, and actually currently becoming a genius, which means I have access to the service support site, where I downloaded the MacBook Aluminum (Late 2008) Manual, and in my case, following the steps there, I need to replace the logic board. :eek: I don't know if that is possible in the new MacBook (it isn't in the MacBook air, I'll tell you that!).
But the trackpad is clean, the computer is in a good %40-45 Humidity, and a premium operating temperature, and my hands are scrubbed to the limit. It works, then it starts getting jerky, then having one finger on the trackpad, it thinks I have four. Lifting off and resetting does nothing. :confused::confused:
HELP!!!!!!!!!
I am currently forced to use an external mouse which is getting on my nerves. Maybe I could just ask apple to replace my Trackpad, reinstall the trackpad software, then replace my keyboard for a squeaky period key. But in the end, They may have to replace the top case, and if not the logic board, where as they might as well just give me a new computer!:mad:
Hopefully they will migrate my apps and data over. RRRRGGGG
But as odly as it seems, if I DO put my thumb down where the original button used to be, iy works fine just a little jerky. I REALLY don't like having to keep my thumb down. This is so frustrating that I actually made an account here.
 
I had this happen to me today. It's the first problem of any kind I've had with the alum Macbook in 2.5 months of use. It was working fine, I put it to sleep by closing the lid, and when I opened it again the trackpad would not work to move the pointer. Double-clicking in the place the pointer was pointing did work, but the only way I could recover the system was to connect a USB mouse. Then a system restart brought it back to normal. This was not intermittent; the trackpad was dead as far as moving the pointer went.
 
Fixed it!

It's been a little while but I finally figured it all out.

The reason my Mac was going crazy was because I had a plasma lamp on my desk. When it was on, I had this happen. So that's why it seemed intermittent, but really just happened whenever I had the lamp on.

Thanks,
Max:apple:
 
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