Inspiron 8100 touchpad, stick and buttons not working

[news.rcn.com]

Any one come across a problem with Synaptics Touchpad, buttons and
TouchStick not working on XP on an Inspiron 8100? Just got this unit in and
none of the input devices work. Have downloaded the latest drivers from the
Dell site but to no effect: Is there a problem with SP2? Or if there was,
would they have put out a patch for this already?

USB mouse works perfectly but it is annoying having so many input devices
not working all at once. Device Manager shows everything hunky dory although
right clicking on MY COMPUTER takes a full 20 seconds to bring up a menu and
a further 60 to show the 'PROPERTIES' to see Device Manager.

It is also annoyingly slow: every command takes 5-15 seconds to START
executing and sometimes up to a few minutes. I know I am trying to run XP at
1GHz with only 128 Meg Ram (and a 384 mb swapfile) but the slowness doesn't
seem affected by (for example) the number of applications multitasking at
the same time.

Have run NAV, TrendMicro, MicrosoftUpdate, Spybot, Adaware, and SFC /SCANNOW
to no substantial effect (perhaps 40% improvement in speed) and defragged on
both Norton and Microsoft. Interestingly Microsoft saw the drive as being
almost completely full while ScanDisc saw the proper reading that I only
have software files on it and THEY only take up about 25% of the 30 Gig
drive.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You need to open the BIOS and enable the touchpad setting...

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"news.rcn.com" <news.rnc.com> wrote in message | Any one come across a problem with Synaptics Touchpad, buttons and
| TouchStick not working on XP on an Inspiron 8100? Just got this unit in and
| none of the input devices work. Have downloaded the latest drivers from the
| Dell site but to no effect: Is there a problem with SP2? Or if there was,
| would they have put out a patch for this already?
|
| USB mouse works perfectly but it is annoying having so many input devices
| not working all at once. Device Manager shows everything hunky dory although
| right clicking on MY COMPUTER takes a full 20 seconds to bring up a menu and
| a further 60 to show the 'PROPERTIES' to see Device Manager.
|
| It is also annoyingly slow: every command takes 5-15 seconds to START
| executing and sometimes up to a few minutes. I know I am trying to run XP at
| 1GHz with only 128 Meg Ram (and a 384 mb swapfile) but the slowness doesn't
| seem affected by (for example) the number of applications multitasking at
| the same time.
|
| Have run NAV, TrendMicro, MicrosoftUpdate, Spybot, Adaware, and SFC /SCANNOW
| to no substantial effect (perhaps 40% improvement in speed) and defragged on
| both Norton and Microsoft. Interestingly Microsoft saw the drive as being
| almost completely full while ScanDisc saw the proper reading that I only
| have software files on it and THEY only take up about 25% of the 30 Gig
| drive.
|
|

 

[sbb78247]

Any one come across a problem with Synaptics Touchpad, buttons and
TouchStick not working on XP on an Inspiron 8100? Just got this unit
in and none of the input devices work. Have downloaded the latest
drivers from the Dell site but to no effect: Is there a problem with
SP2? Or if there was, would they have put out a patch for this
already?
USB mouse works perfectly but it is annoying having so many input
devices not working all at once. Device Manager shows everything
hunky dory although right clicking on MY COMPUTER takes a full 20
seconds to bring up a menu and a further 60 to show the 'PROPERTIES'
to see Device Manager.
It is also annoyingly slow: every command takes 5-15 seconds to START
executing and sometimes up to a few minutes. I know I am trying to
run XP at 1GHz with only 128 Meg Ram (and a 384 mb swapfile) but the
slowness doesn't seem affected by (for example) the number of
applications multitasking at the same time.

Have run NAV, TrendMicro, MicrosoftUpdate, Spybot, Adaware, and SFC
/SCANNOW to no substantial effect (perhaps 40% improvement in speed)
and defragged on both Norton and Microsoft. Interestingly Microsoft
saw the drive as being almost completely full while ScanDisc saw the
proper reading that I only have software files on it and THEY only
take up about 25% of the 30 Gig drive.

doood you got a dell! BWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!

enough said

get more ram, get more knowledge, and google is over there------> it is
your friend.

michael dell just ****ed you up the poop chute.

hand, hth, and gfia!

 

[Galen]

In Carey Frisch [MVP] had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

You need to open the BIOS and enable the touchpad setting...

No Microsoft will not put out a patch for a Dell laptop. Dell updates Dell's
drivers.

Slow? Already?

Seeing as you just got it (and I don't recommend this often) reformat it and
then install security software and ensure the firewall is running (kill
Norton if you'd like - you'd likely be better off for it) and THEN go
online.

Malware Cleaners and Repair:
http://kgiii.info/windows/all/general/malwarefix.html

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/

"I am glad of all details, whether they seem to you to be relevant or
not." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[Fixer]

Any one come across a problem with Synaptics Touchpad, buttons and
TouchStick not working on XP on an Inspiron 8100? Just got this unit in
and none of the input devices work. Have downloaded the latest drivers
from the Dell site but to no effect: Is there a problem with SP2? Or if
there was, would they have put out a patch for this already?

USB mouse works perfectly but it is annoying having so many input devices
not working all at once. Device Manager shows everything hunky dory
although right clicking on MY COMPUTER takes a full 20 seconds to bring up
a menu and a further 60 to show the 'PROPERTIES' to see Device Manager.

It is also annoyingly slow: every command takes 5-15 seconds to START
executing and sometimes up to a few minutes. I know I am trying to run XP
at 1GHz with only 128 Meg Ram (and a 384 mb swapfile) but the slowness
doesn't seem affected by (for example) the number of applications
multitasking at the same time.

Have run NAV, TrendMicro, MicrosoftUpdate, Spybot, Adaware, and SFC
/SCANNOW to no substantial effect (perhaps 40% improvement in speed) and
defragged on both Norton and Microsoft. Interestingly Microsoft saw the
drive as being almost completely full while ScanDisc saw the proper
reading that I only have software files on it and THEY only take up about
25% of the 30 Gig drive.
You need to install the chipset drivers and just make sure the keyboard
connector is seated properly

 

[news.rcn.com]

You need to open the BIOS and enable the touchpad setting...

Neither enabling it nor disabling it and then re-enabling it did anything

And annoyingly, while i was trying to trouble shoot, the unit stopped
providing real power to its USB port. MY mouse started working
intermittently. If I press the plug in, the optical light on the mouse
would go on, then go to a quarter strength. SO I carried on by plugging it
into the PS2 port

And it cant read a USB 2.0 flash memory disc (though it doesn't have any
problems with a USB 1.0 disc) It DID have Adapted USBControl on it so I
deleted it and all that happened was that I stopped getting the error
messages telling me that I hadn't got any USB 2.0 devices attached to the
system.

Is this just a system which is so new but is starting to fail endemically?

 

[news.rcn.com]

No Microsoft will not put out a patch for a Dell laptop. Dell updates

Dell's drivers.

I wondered if Dell had done this, not Microsoft

Slow? Already?

Seeing as you just got it (and I don't recommend this often) reformat it
and then install security software and ensure the firewall is running
(kill Norton if you'd like - you'd likely be better off for it) and THEN
go online.

Malware Cleaners and Repair:
http://kgiii.info/windows/all/general/malwarefix.html

I have already run Kaspersky, TrendMicro and Sophos to no apprecaible
result.

Interestingly enough, at all times, of 128 meg, 110 is always occupied with
between 18 and 21 meg available. Swap file usage remains. And this
situation remains almost the same however many programs I am running

 

[Fixer]

">

Is this just a system which is so new but is starting to fail endemically?

No this system is so OLD it needs an overhaul, try removing the keyboard and
reseating the zif connectors that attach the keyboard to the motherboard

 

[news.rcn.com]

try removing the keyboard and

reseating the zif connectors that attach the keyboard to the motherboard

Are there any disassembly instructions anywhere please?

 

[Pen]

try removing the keyboard and

Are there any disassembly instructions anywhere please?

Here;
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8100/en/sm_en/remove.htm#1024986

 

[news.rcn.com]

Many thanks: I tried it with Linux yesterday and they keyboard was
recognised but the TouchStick (and mouse and buttons) didn't work either so
there might well be a problem with some of the wires in the cable not being
seated properly

If that works, I will have to figure out the infinitely more difficult
problem of why every command (such as pressing START) takes between 15 and
60 seconds to execute BUT DOESN'T DO THIS IN SAFE MODE! I wonder if this is
the type of problem which DrWatson would debug?

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8100/en/sm_en/remove.htm#1024986>>

 

[Fred Tehbot]

Many thanks: I tried it with Linux yesterday and they keyboard was
recognised but the TouchStick (and mouse and buttons) didn't work
either so there might well be a problem with some of the wires in the
cable not being seated properly.

Maybe you should try it with linux yesterday, news.rcn.com.

If that works, I will have to figure out the infinitely more difficult
problem of why every command (such as pressing START) takes between 15
and 60 seconds to execute BUT DOESN'T DO THIS IN SAFE MODE! I wonder
if this is the type of problem which DrWatson would debug?

What do you mean by difficult?

http://support.

If you're not paranoid, you don't know what is going on around here.

No. I can always tell when I'm going to have another fit. I get a
really bad headache and my scalp tingles, burns and itches.

Book a padded cell.

dell.

Most of the people who get good things don't deserve them.

com/support/edocs/systems/ins8100/en/sm_en/remove.

It's so sad, isn't it?

I'll have what the guy on the floor is having.

I am here to mock you, not diagnose your problems or play agony aunt.

htm#1024986>>.
Hogwash.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I am a 10.

My heart bleeds for you.

<aside>
LMFAO

 

[news.rcn.com]

Well that certainly did the trick in a somewhat dramatic way: I found that
the keyboard and touchstick cables were plugged in correctly but that there
was a flat panel hanging loose by the side which obviously connected the
touchpad to the MoBo. When I plugged it in, immediately:
1 everything started working
2 the sluggishness problem completely disappeared as the keyboard stopped
telling the OS that there was a touchpad and stick there which the OS
installed in device manager but then flailed around desperately trying to
find to use every time I pressed any command on the keyboard.

Obviously the person (I think I know who it was, principally because he
always gets it so completely wrong, and his present identity is now on my
block list again) who advised getting more memory and blaming Dell when the
symptoms were so totally at variance with this did get it completely wrong
as usual.

More baffling is Dell's technical support not identifying this problem
immediately and having me reinstall drivers, reboot, and do various other
'put-more-air-in-the-tyres' solutions. What I was doing was to waste both
my AND THEIR time with that call to India where the person seemed well
trained, helpful, courteous and articulate. He just hadn't been properly
primed on this obvious problem

Thanks again pen and fixer

Fellow pen
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8100/en/sm_en/remove.htm#1024986