Trackpad problem.

[Sad Cure]

Hey guys, I'm really just a regular lurker here. I've only posted maybe once or twice in the past couple of years. Anyway, I have a question (or a concern, really).

I have a 2008 unibody aluminum Macbook. It has worked with no problems until tonight. Basically, I was in Bootcamp playing Team Fortress 2 (with a USB mouse, of course) when right-clicking started just happening all of a sudden. A lot. I thought the game was messing up, so I quit and even in Windows there was a lot of random right-clicking. I unplugged the mouse, so it was the trackpad that was right-clicking all over the place. I also tried to move the cursor, and it barely moved.

After a few minutes of this, the trackpad returned to normal. It worked perfectly again for a few minutes, and then it completely crapped out again for a few minutes. I figured it was a virus in Windows, so I restarted in Snow Leopard only to find the same thing: a few minutes of crazy, sluggish cursor, then back to normal for a few minutes, and then back again.

All of a sudden, the trackpad went back to normal. It has been behaving normally for the past hour and a half or so. Here's the question: what in the world is happening? Has anyone ever experienced something like this? If so, what causes it? Is there any way to prevent it? I so hope my trackpad isn't dying (something similar happened to my dad's old 12" PowerBook G4 and the trackpad ended up just dying, not returning to normal) because this computer is too important to me to be crapping out 1.5 years after having purchased it.



tl;dr: My trackpad went crazy, first in Windows and continued into Snow Leopard. I could not control the cursor. Suddenly, it's back to normal. What's up with this?


Thanks guys for any help, tips, or info. This forum really is a goldmine for mac users.

 

[Bacong]

IIRC there were lots of problems with trackpads on your generation of MB, don't quote me on it though. It is probably a hardware issue.

You can turn off the trackpad and just use the mouse just in case this happens again.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Try wiping it clean with a damp cloth.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1449

 

[Sad Cure]

...

Thanks guys. I'll wipe the trackpad more often. Can sweat and stuff like that affect it so much? Even when the trackpad isn't noticeably dirty?

Anyway, I was aware that there were some trackpad problems with this generation of Macbook, but they fixed those when they were still new. I remember having some small quirks during the first couple of months, but nothing until now. Nothing this bad, either.

I suppose I just wanted some sort of reassurance that my trackpad was not going to die on me. My livelihood is practically in this computer and I can't afford a new one, so I'd be terrified if anything dies or deteriorates. Thanks again.

And to anyone else: please feel free to contribute if you've ever experienced something similar, or if you have any other advice or info. Anything is appreciated.