Trackpad Clicking Issue (just the "left" click)

[alwclimbs]

So this is a new one for me. Most Trackpad issues seem to be when your battery swells up or your battery goes bad... however, the click works, but just the Control+Click.

Meaning, if I want to "right" click something, I usually use Control+Click. And that works. But I can't simply click a link, or double click an icon. I'm using a USB Mouse at the moment and that's fine. Just don't know what setting I screwed up.

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
500GB MAC HDD
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB

 

[DeltaMac]

Did you actually take your battery out and check for swelling (and try the trackpad while the battery is removed, too)?

 

[alwclimbs]

No, because why do I need to check for swelling if the physical clicking is actually working?

Control click works for right clicking. No single click response.

 

[DeltaMac]

But - if you checked, you can come back and tell us that there is nothing physically wrong with the battery...
(I suspect that you are just tapping the pad, which does not move the trackpad physically on the older multitouch pads. The click SHOULD also work, but pressing on the front edge to do the mechanical click may not be functioning, or not reliably working. The battery CAN be interfering, and might be intermittent about that interference.)

Make sure that in the trackpad settings that Clicking (in Gestures) is turned OFF, so that the only click that the trackpad will provide is the mechanical click when the trackpad is pressed down. You may simply be getting a tap that only works when the control key is pressed. You SHOULD get the same response if you you touch the pad with only one finder, and then press the trackpad button (the front edge of your trackpad, eh?)

Have you tried a different user account, which would tell you if it is just a setting (because your click works), or a mechanical problem (the click does not work any better.) It's a good reason to make a new user just as a test for the trackpad.