Each laptop is equipped with a special manipulation field called a touchpad. In fact, this module replaces the physical mouse, the use of which is not always possible. And so, by swiping your finger across the surface, you can easily carry out any action. We will talk about what the touchpad is, how to configure it on a laptop so that working with your computer is as comfortable and effective as possible, in this article.
How is the touchpad arranged?
So, outwardly we perceive the virtual pointer as a field with two keys, highlighted on the panel under the keyboard of our laptop. In fact, this control zone does not stand out with anything special, except for some symbols or frames (in some cases).
At the same time, from the very beginning, we understand how the touchpad functions. How to set up a coordinated work on a laptop, we also often do not think about it, because after the computer starts up everything functions at the proper level.
The logic of the device is also extremely simple - a finger that moves along its surface corresponds to the direction of cursor movement on the screen. In addition, there are other features, such as the recognition of multiple touches at the same time. To get acquainted with them, however, is not important.
How to enable the touchpad?
Since the field for controlling the cursor is located directly below the keyboard, it is natural to be accidentally grabbed by the user. This is unpleasant, especially when you type text or watch a movie, and the cursor constantly changes its location. To prevent this, a touchpad mute function has been developed.
This is done either by using a separate button placed on the surface of the laptop, or using the Fn hot keys and the one that is responsible for the operation of the module. If you see that your touchpad doesn’t react to anything, you don’t know how to turn it on - try these options, one of them will definitely work. Remember that the procedure for activating a virtual mouse is the same as disabling it.
Touchpad setup
Most often, the touchpad works in the computer in normal mode. How to configure it on a laptop, as a rule, no one thinks. In this case, situations happen when the cursor does not move, and the user does not understand why this is happening. In this case, you need a special program for the touchpad. Simply put, we are talking about a driver that will establish a “contact” between your software and hardware, coordinating their work. Let's just say that if your laptop was initially offered with an operating system that did not contain the specified drivers, they would need to be installed “on top”. This is done from the official website of the company that released your laptop.
Other problems
Of course, there may be other reasons why the touchpad has stopped working (not related to drivers). To understand the situation and establish them, you need to spend more time studying. First of all, experts recommend starting with the “Properties” of such a module as the “Mouse” (and in our case this is the touchpad). How to configure it to work on a laptop is another matter: you need to go to the “Control Panel”, the “Mouse” tab, where you can edit the settings of your virtual mouse module in the “Device Settings” submenu.
The variety of available parameters depends solely on how “sophisticated” your laptop is and, accordingly, the touchpad installed on it. For example, on newer models of computers there is a multitouch function (the ability to read several touches at the same time), as well as the ability to turn pages while reading according to a simplified scheme. All these and other options are available in this section, you can customize them to ensure comfortable operation. You can immediately establish whether the device is physically connected and whether it is accessible. Perhaps if your touchpad does not respond to commands, the reason for this problem will be described in this tab.
Alternative to a virtual mouse
Just because you have a laptop doesn't mean you have to use the touchpad. How to turn on the physical mouse is described in many instructions, despite the fact that this procedure is quite simple. All you need to do is purchase a mouse that will appeal to you in its appearance and capabilities more, as well as connect it to a computer’s USB port. Further, your pointer will either function in normal mode without unnecessary problems, or it will require the installation of an additional driver package. After that, you can get to work.
In fact, whether it is worth using the mouse, or you can do with the touchpad, depends entirely on the user. This is a purely individual matter. There are different categories of operations that we carry out with our computer: normal mode of use, work in graphic editors, online games. Each of them implies a certain set of actions that need to be performed: if the touchpad is enough to work in the browser, then playing your favorite Counter-Strike game without a mouse, of course, will be very difficult.