Issue 36.14
The first time I saw this problem, my wife was upset that the cursor in documents she was typing on her laptop would jump to a different part of the page and add the things she was typing in the middle of the text there instead of where she wanted it. I tried to figure out why it was happening and had little success. The best I could do was encourage her to be sure she didn’t brush the touchpad while typing and try to keep the cursor off the typing area of the document. This was frustrating and time consuming.
Then I came up with the idea of taping a square of plastic or thin cardboard on one side of the touchpad so she could flip it over and cover the pad when she was typing. This was not an elegant or cosmetically pleasing solution. Finally we disabled the touchpad and hooked up a mouse.
When it started to happen on my computer, I decided I had to look for a better solution. (I know, I know – I should have done that when my wife was struggling with it. I’m still learning but I get it.)
As I searched the internet for the problem and attendant solutions, I found many ideas but no real solutions until this week when I stumbled on a small program someone wrote because they were having the same problem. It is called TouchFreeze and is available by going to https://code.google.com/p/touchfreeze/downloads/list
It is a simple download and install and my experience is that it has solved the problem for both laptops – mine and my wife’s. It simply disables the touchpad on your laptop while you are typing and then reactivates it when you stop for more than a second or two. I have had no trouble with it so, even though I have only used it for a couple of days, I thought I would share it with all my readers in case they have the same problem.
If you have a problem you can’t seem to fix and it is something that I can find a cure for, I would be happy to cover it in a future article. Just contact me through the info at the end of this article and remember to always back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 32 years, 25 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.