Trackpad++: Alternate Trackpad Driver for BootCamp

[CocaCoca]

Will the new force touch trackpad be supported anytime soon? Thanx

 

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

@CocaCoca: Yes, hopefully within the next few months.

 

[vagaerg]

I am now using Trackpad++ and it works great on my macbook, and I would like to know if it will be updated to better support Windows 10, as it will bring new gestures for trackpads, as well as the Precision Touchpad APIs to allow for butter smooth scroll & zoom. Are any of these features planned? Thank you

 

[Quantus]

I am now using Trackpad++ and must really say it is a HUGE improvement over Apple's drivers on my Mid-2014 rMBP 13", so thanks a lot!

Apart from that, I have now read the new gestures Windows 10 will bring for trackpads as well as the Precision Touchpad APIs to allow for butter smooth scroll & zoom. Are any of these features planned? Thank you

Interesting how many of the positive reviewers in this thread have a single, or very few, posts. Almost as if they are creating accounts for no purpose other than the review. Nothing suspicious about that. Nothing at all.

 

[vagaerg]

Interesting how many of the positive reviewers in this thread have a single, or very few, posts. Almost as if they are creating accounts for no purpose other than the review. Nothing suspicious about that. Nothing at all.

I am not an account created for this purpose, indeed my main idea was to ask that question about the W10 issues/improvements, but I thought that if he managed to create this software which works great, it was fine to say so and to say thank you for doing something that Apple hasn't done. I can remove that if you like, but I just thought it was fair to say thank you for creating this and then asking the question.

If you do not trust me, just go ahead to xda-developers or to HTCMania (Spanish forum) and look for my username

 

[khaneliman]

Interesting how many of the positive reviewers in this thread have a single, or very few, posts. Almost as if they are creating accounts for no purpose other than the review. Nothing suspicious about that. Nothing at all.

There isn't anything suspicious about that. The only reason I got directed to this forum was because I found this driver. Which is excellent, by the way.

 

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

@vagaerg: Thank you for the feedback. Yes, there are hopes to support the pixel-fine scroll/zoom and also catch the new Windows 10 gestures. But in fact the current version of the Trackpad++ is working fine with Windows 10 Technical Preview. I think the version targeted specifically for Windows 10 may arrive soon after the official release of the new OS.

I do not intend to write a lot of good words about my own projects. I'm more into writing the quality code. Today, as an exception, I have to tell, the good feedback about the Trackpad++ should not be too surprising. The driver is very stable. It got the rich and customizable 3/4 finger gestures support for all 2009-2014 Macbooks Pro/Air running Windows via Boot Camp. The driver has NO adware/malware of any sort (not only my words - proudly clean VirusTotal report is your prove). And, as announced in February, the prerequisite Power Plan Assistant has no installer ads anymore to avoid false positives from some antiviruses. All of those things - aren't they on the not-that-bad side?

Cheers,
Vlad

 

[vagaerg]

@vagaerg: Thank you for the feedback. Yes, there are hopes to support the pixel-fine scroll/zoom and also catch the new Windows 10 gestures. But in fact the current version of the Trackpad++ is working fine with Windows 10 Technical Preview. I think the version targeted specifically for Windows 10 may arrive soon after the official release of the new OS.

I do not intend to write a lot of good words about my own projects. I'm more into writing the quality code. Today, as an exception, I have to tell, the good feedback about the Trackpad++ should not be too surprising. The driver is very stable. It got the rich and customizable 3/4 finger gestures support for all 2009-2014 Macbooks Pro/Air running Windows via Boot Camp. The driver has NO adware/malware of any sort (not only my words - proudly clean VirusTotal report is your prove). And, as announced in February, the prerequisite Power Plan Assistant has no installer ads anymore to avoid false positives from some antiviruses. All of those things - aren't they on the not-that-bad side?

Cheers,
Vlad

Ok, thank you very much. I hope to see that interesting feature of the pixel fine scroll in the future, as having tried it with my Surface Pro it is really impressive, it is just like scroll on os x

 

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

@ALL: A solution similar to Trackpad++ has finally become available for an Apple Magic Trackpad. The project is codenamed 'Extramagic'. See the topic https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1850762/

Just to make it clear: Trackpad++ is being developed by me solely, for Macbook Pro / Air internal trackpads in Boot Camp. Extramagic is the result of collaboration between me and a few other geeks. The Extramagic is only for Apple wireless (Magic) Trackpad, works even with PC (with compatible Bluetooth). The Trackpad++ is still evolving, but is the mature and very stable solution. To the contrary Extramagic has just transitioned from version 0.9 to 1.0 beta. I suggest to keep the current topic focused on the Trackpad++ discussion, as in reality those are two much different drivers: made for different hardware, not equal in features and gestures, etc.

 

[westcoast1]

I couldn't get Trackpad++ 3.0b working with Early 2015 MacBook Pro 13". Mine is the custom fully packed model with i7 processor and 1TB storage. The error says simply 'hardware not supported yet' and then the installer is closed. The trackpad is awesome in OS X, but the Boot Camp trackpad drivers are buggy and stripped. Please help!

 

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

@westcoast1: What is written is correct, because the new 13" Early-2015 Retina Macbook Pro is really not supported yet. Actually this has been indicated on the current page of this topic. Very hopefully the new Force Touch trackpad will be supported before summer.

 

[marielladeno]

@westcoast1: What is written is correct, because the new 13" Early-2015 Retina Macbook Pro is really not supported yet. Actually this has been indicated on the current page of this topic. Very hopefully the new Force Touch trackpad will be supported before summer.

Haha, I wanted to ask the same question. Eagerly waiting for such driver for the new Macbook. If there is anything to test, I can do that. Also emailed you today

 

[cceenntt.iinnoo]

Haha, I wanted to ask the same question. Eagerly waiting for such driver for the new Macbook. If there is anything to test, I can do that. Also emailed you today

Another vote for the force-touch trackpad support! Because Bootcamp drivers right-click badly. ANd no features, no gestures, what a ****!

 

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

@ALL: Dear All, I'm working on the new version. Currently I'm making all of the Trackpad++ gestures for 3/4/5 fingers work with the Force Touch trackpad. When ready, I will publish the new version. And in the future I'll try to somehow add the force click feature. It's not straightforward, as (of course) there is no documentation from Apple regarding the new trackpad protocol (especially in Windows).

 

[obomadz]

Thank you! I've received 12" Macbook with force touch, Windows 8.1 is surprisingly usable but the trackpad is too limited. I'll be happy to try your drivers!

 

[doynton]

Do remember that using Trackpad++ means you have to turn off driver signing. There is a risk in doing this.

 

[vagaerg]

Do remember that using Trackpad++ means you have to turn off driver signing. There is a risk in doing this.

While the "risk" exists, it is not something to be worried about, you are just enabling the possibility to install a self-signed driver. Even though you WILL be able to install such a driver, windows will alert you with a big red box telling you, and asking you if you're sure you want to continue.

If you feel unsure of what to do, what I did was running

bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING ON

from an elevated command prompt, that way you do not have to work with the obscurity of whatever PowerPlan Assistant may or may not be doing to your computer. To remove the watermark there are loads of options online, just google them and it's quite straightforward.

If it were really a risk don't you think Microsoft would have also disabled testsigning on 32-bit Windows?

 

[Lourayad]

Hey vladimir, there's a small issue with the driver, I don't know if anyone has experienced this or not, but whenever I reboot my computer, I have to reset my mouse cursor speed to maximum, the driver somehow resets it to its default value while I like to have it at maximum. Any solution to this? Thanks for the great work!

 

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

@Lourayad: Shared system pointer speed setting is the limitation of the current architecture of the driver. I know, a bit egoistic to the mice, sorry Speaking seriously, this is something to rework for the next generation of Trackpad++ driver.

@vagaerg: Thank you, very good explanation regarding the safety of test signing.

@ALL: Good news! Noticeable progress is achieved in supporting Force Touch Trackpad found in 2015 Macbook 12" and 13" Retina. Also good progress in supporting Windows 10 Task View, Desktop Switching, etc. The next version of the Trackpad++ is almost knocking the door.

 

[doynton]

If it were really a risk don't you think Microsoft would have also disabled testsigning on 32-bit Windows?

The only reason Vladimir does not pay for signing his drivers is it is (very) expensive and he would rather keep the money. If you allow unsigned drivers you do. Your choice.

If you think there is no risk from doing this then you are an idiot.

 

[vagaerg]

The only reason Vladimir does not pay for signing his drivers is it is (very) expensive and he would rather keep the money. If you allow unsigned drivers you do. Your choice.

If you think there is no risk from doing this then you are an idiot.

If your argument is so strong it can only hold by calling me an idiot, then you've already proven how far your intelligence goes, however, I'll try to be somewhat more respectful than you and provide with an actual explanation.

I have no relationship whatsoever with Vladimir, but there are some points that you've made that are not ok. Yes, of course he does not pay for signing his drivers, mostly because it is probably more money than what he gets from donations, as I shall remind you that the driver is free-to-use for everyone (it is a bit annoying to have to reinstall every week, but you can use it)

Whether the driver is signed or not, you're going to install it anyhow (if you want to use Trackpad++), so I do not think it makes that much of a difference. Yes, you are right in that if Microsoft were to sign it as a valid driver, it would be inspected to make sure no malicious code is run. However, I'm sure you gran admin privileges to loads of unknown or uncertified software everyday. Yes, this is a driver, and that makes it more important, but no one is forcing you to install it.

Your initial point was about disabling the signature enforcement policy, and I told you that there should be no problem with disabling it, and even gave you another way to do so if you did not trust or did not want to have to install PowerPlan Assistant. Disabling this enforcement policy does not expose you to any risks other than those you want to accept, as I already stated in my previous post, whenever a self-signed driver is going to be installed you will be alerted by a big, red box, and you are always free to abort that installation. So no, enabling test signing will not make your computer unsafe by any means, unless you knowingly accept to install drivers from unknown locations.

The point is that you have to accept to install TPP driver and that is where you have the choice of either trusting Vladimir and installing it or not installing it. Enabling test signing is not a problem, but you will be installing an unsigned driver for TPP, and that's your choice. I personally think that if no antivirus has shown anything suspicious with it, there's no problem. We all know that AVs are not perfect, but I do not think that Vladimir is a cybercriminal trying to make unidentifiable viruses and hides them as a driver, that'd be silly! What kind of virus is one for which you have to take so many steps to install?

Well, now do whatever you want, if you want TPP go ahead, enable test signing and install it, and if you don't, just forget about it. No need to insult anyone to stress your point, but hey, that's your choice!

 

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

@ALL: Trackpad++ 3.1a (BETA version) is out! Direct download link: http://trackpad.powerplan7.com/BETA4_Trackpad_Plus_Plus_Driver_Control_Module_Setup_30b_04212015.exe

What's new in this build:
- Force Touch trackpad supported (more specifically, 12" Macbook and 13" Macbook Pro 2015)
- Windows 10 gestures supported, no matter if you use the classic multitouch trackpad or the new trackpad (currently supported: Task View, desktops switching, Notifications Center)
- Minor UI tweaks, gesture precision tweaks, etc.
- Specific fix: pinch-to-zoom can now be disabled (or you can lower its sensitivity, as before)

Could somebody who has the Windows 10 Technical Preview installed on Macbook Pro or Air confirm the gestures can be selected from the list and actually work. Also the right-edge gesture should show the Windows 10 Notifications Center (very similarly to OS X).

Thank you in advance for the feedback!

P.S. As always, nobody forces you to install the driver, especially the BETA version (Although it looks very stable from here).

 

[vagaerg]

@ALL: Trackpad++ 3.1a (BETA version) is out! Direct download link: http://trackpad.powerplan7.com/BETA4_Trackpad_Plus_Plus_Driver_Control_Module_Setup_30b_04212015.exe

What's new in this build:
- Force Touch trackpad supported (more specifically, 12" Macbook and 13" Macbook Pro 2015)
- Windows 10 gestures supported, no matter if you use the classic multitouch trackpad or the new trackpad (currently supported: Task View, desktops switching, Notifications Center)
- Minor UI tweaks, gesture precision tweaks, etc.
- Specific fix: pinch-to-zoom can now be disabled (or you can lower its sensitivity, as before)

Could somebody who has the Windows 10 Technical Preview installed on Macbook Pro or Air confirm the gestures can be selected from the list and actually work. Also the right-edge gesture should show the Windows 10 Notifications Center (very similarly to OS X).

Thank you in advance for the feedback!

P.S. As always, nobody forces you to install the driver, especially the BETA version (Although it looks very stable from here).

Sweet! Using W8.1 so cannot help, but just a question: does it also include smooth scroll? Just asking

By the way, is the hardware too different? Should users with the classic trackpad loose compatibility in future versions of TPP or is it similar aside from the force-touch thing?

Thanks

 

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

@vagaerg: Pixel-fine scroll is not implemented yet. There are some problems adding such scroll in Windows, even in Windows 10. But this doesn't mean I'm not trying. In fact I hope this feature will become available this year, at least for Windows 10.

Force Touch trackpad of the Early-2015 12" Macbook and 13" Macbook Pro is much different from the classic Apple Multitouch trackpad found in all Macbooks Pro/Air since 2009/2010. The new trackpad is not connected via internal USB interface anymore, it uses much more exotic SPI serial bus, so the old driver couldn't be compatible. Also the new trackpad has different data format. So now two drivers are included in one Trackpad++ installer. I plan to keep both drivers up-to-date and with the same 2/3/4/5-finger gestures for as long as possible. Will be more difficult, but at least for the new Macbooks there is no need to support Windows 7, only 64-bit Windows 8.x/10, because Apple does not support Windows 7 anymore in Boot Camp.

 

[doynton]

If your argument is so strong it can only hold by calling me an idiot, then you've already proven how far your intelligence goes, however, I'll try to be somewhat more respectful than you and provide with an actual explanation.

I have no relationship whatsoever with Vladimir, but there are some points that you've made that are not ok. Yes, of course he does not pay for signing his drivers, mostly because it is probably more money than what he gets from donations, as I shall remind you that the driver is free-to-use for everyone (it is a bit annoying to have to reinstall every week, but you can use it)

Whether the driver is signed or not, you're going to install it anyhow (if you want to use Trackpad++), so I do not think it makes that much of a difference. Yes, you are right in that if Microsoft were to sign it as a valid driver, it would be inspected to make sure no malicious code is run. However, I'm sure you gran admin privileges to loads of unknown or uncertified software everyday. Yes, this is a driver, and that makes it more important, but no one is forcing you to install it.

Your initial point was about disabling the signature enforcement policy, and I told you that there should be no problem with disabling it, and even gave you another way to do so if you did not trust or did not want to have to install PowerPlan Assistant. Disabling this enforcement policy does not expose you to any risks other than those you want to accept, as I already stated in my previous post, whenever a self-signed driver is going to be installed you will be alerted by a big, red box, and you are always free to abort that installation. So no, enabling test signing will not make your computer unsafe by any means, unless you knowingly accept to install drivers from unknown locations.

The point is that you have to accept to install TPP driver and that is where you have the choice of either trusting Vladimir and installing it or not installing it. Enabling test signing is not a problem, but you will be installing an unsigned driver for TPP, and that's your choice. I personally think that if no antivirus has shown anything suspicious with it, there's no problem. We all know that AVs are not perfect, but I do not think that Vladimir is a cybercriminal trying to make unidentifiable viruses and hides them as a driver, that'd be silly! What kind of virus is one for which you have to take so many steps to install?

Well, now do whatever you want, if you want TPP go ahead, enable test signing and install it, and if you don't, just forget about it. No need to insult anyone to stress your point, but hey, that's your choice!

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.