Cannot launch First Aid

[paieye]

This MacBook Air has developed these maddening complaints: in Chrome, 2-finger scrolling does not work, and moving the mouse-pointer makes it highlight text. Even when I am not using Chrome, if I move the mouse-pointer over the home-screen or along the dock, it sometimes marks out a rectangular selection. When I play cards, moving the mouse-pointer will drag the card under it, unless I double-click.

When I go to Disk Utility, I cannot launch First Aid, as the button is unresponsive.

Any help will be most welcome !

 

[Bruno09]

Hi,

it looks like your trackpad has a permanent "click" engaged, thus moving the pointer makes a selection or a drag, as if you were clicking while moving your finger.

This might be because your battery is expanding or swollen and press on the trackpad from beneath.

You could run CoconutBattery to get some useful infos.

 

[paieye]

Hi,

it looks like your trackpad has a permanent "click" engaged, thus moving the pointer makes a selection or a drag, as if you were clicking while moving your finger.

This might be because your battery is expanding or swollen and press on the trackpad from beneath.

You could run CoconutBattery to get some useful infos.

Thank you for coming to my help, I have done that, but CB reports that my battery is 82% healthy.

 

[Bruno09]

Ok.

Which model of Macbook Air exactly ?

 

[paieye]

Ok.

Which model of Macbook Air exactly ?

MBA 11-inch, late 2010. I may meanwhile have found the answer, though it embarrasses me to say what it is. Acting on a hint in another thread, I ran my finger-nail around the joint between the case and the track-pad, and there is now a distinct improvement. It looks as though my troubles were due to the track-pad's sticking down merely when it was touched, my failure to carry out basic cleaning being to blame. Please accept my apology if you feel that I have wasted your time, and again thank you.

 

[Bruno09]

The first model with the multi-touch trackpad.

I personally would open the beast to check the battery (remove it to see its upper side).
I think it is swelling and pressing on the trackpad.

 

[paieye]

The first model with the multi-touch trackpad.

I personally would open the beast to check the battery (remove it to see its upper side).
I think it is swelling and pressing on the trackpad.

Thank you again, I am now able to launch First Aid, but I shall try what you suggest and report back.

 

[Bruno09]

I read somewhere that this kind of problem could be caused by a defective power adapter.
So you need to try with nothing connected to the Macbook (no power adapter, no peripheral at all).

Just in case you can do an SMC and a NVRAM reset, but those are no supposed to control the trackpad behavior.

If you open the Mac : https://fr.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Air+11-Inch+Late+2010+Teardown/3745

Good luck.