I just got my wife (who, I swear, is like a kid when it comes to caring for expensive items in her possession) a brand new laptop, which she, against my instruction, left out on the bed for twenty minutes so the cats could walk back and forth over it. And now, the mouse button can’t be moved. We turned off the computer and turned it back on, to no avail.
So, what can we do about it, if anything, short of taking it in to be repaired?
Try an external mouse. I use a Logitech wireless which I like a whole bunch more than those touchpads. Otherwise, I got nuthin. Sorry.
What type of a computer is it? My HP has button on it that deactivates the mouse, presumably so you can plug in an external mouse and not have competing mouse inputs.
Thanks. It may come to that. I’m just ready to fucking scream right now because: a) I hesitated buying her the laptop in the first place because of her proven (very proven) record of breaking big ticket items in the past due to out and out negligence, and b) the fact that she’s seemingly done it again, even though I warned her about keeping it out, unattended, where the cats will walk on it, and this after owning the thing less than a week.
As to the specific issue with the laptop, I’m assuming that the cats have pressed some button or other that’s done this, but I have no fucking idea which button that might be, if, indeed, my theory holds true.
What’s the make & model of the computer?
It’s a Dell Inspiron i1764-60750BK.
Surely it would be covered under warranty. Just don’t mention the part about the cats walking over it. As long as there is no obvious physical damage on the laptop, most companies will honor the warranty.
Is there a function key at the top with an X on it?
Sounds like the way forward would be to get a new wife, perhaps one without cats. 
I understand your pain. I have a daughter that destroys any electronics you give you through casual abuse. Having said this it’s very unlikely to the point of impossibility that the cats broke the touch pad by walking or lying on it.
Look at the touch pad. On some there will be a button near the touch pad that will turn it off.
Seconded. Or possible a function key combination that toggles the touch pad on and off… but Dell’s website isn’t being particularly helpful so far.
Yeah, thats where I am. In one of the reviews online, it said you could disable the touchpad by holding FN + X. I think, anyway.
Page 25 of your manual.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1764/en/index.htm
I can’t speak to keyboard combinations, secret mouse buttons, or your particular model of computer, but if you press F2 (or F10 on some) during reboot, you can enable and disable the trackpad in BIOS.
Failing that, try an external mouse, go the the Mouse/Trackpad Control Panel, and check the settings there.
Thanks, all of you.
This was the case. After I wrested the thing from wifey’s clutches, I looked closely at the keys and saw what appeared to be a key with a picture of a mouse with an “x” on it, pressed the key, and, voilà, problem solved.
And, no, I won’t be getting rid of the wife. Not so sure about the cats, though. 
Again, I thank all of you profusely. You are all the salt of the earth, etc., etc.!
On a separate note, if you have cats in the house, you also need to be mindful that you don’t leave the notebook near any ledges they could pull it off by yanking on the adapter cord.
As a final point, free advice is worth what it cost you. Here’s your freebie. My daughter’s causal abuse and destruction of notebooks is unending., She did not grow out of it and at 23 is still grabbing notebooks one handed by the screen to tote them around and stuffing them unprotected into messenger bags to carry them around. As a result of this and other hard living for her gizmo’s, her electronics tend to simply disintegrate or conk out over the course of 2-3 years.
For a long time I would jump up and down and blow my top when she busted yet another notebook, but I realized I was the one giving her new toys. She never begged me for new items, she just kept threatening to spend hundreds to repair some unit she had tuned into a POS and I would tell her this was crazy and get her new one. Over time I came to consider whatever I gave her as disposable and by giving her anything I’m essentially saying goodbye to it on every level.
I had to be like the cold hearted IKEA mannot matter how much it pained me.
Expecteding your wife will change her ways is foolish. She’s a destructor. You need to consider the notebook already destroyed or you will go mad and damage your relationship.
I’m not sure how much evidence we have of that. Leaving a laptop open (especially on a passed surface like a bed) and letting a cat walk across is should be WELL within the normal tolerances of a device (although expecting keys to get pressed is reasonable); being paranoid about this is bizarre to me. (I’m assuming, of course, that the OP’s cats aren’t Bengal Tigers or somesuch). Most laptop are designed to withstand short drops – I’d worry far more about overheating from the soft surface blocking the vents than I would about some curious felines.
Cats are yummiest in a thick, white sauce.
Going forward, a netbook might be a safer alternative to a laptop in the future. They’re generally less powerful, but they’re also a lot cheaper. Not quite disposable, but you can afford to replace them a lot more frequently. Just make sure that the netbook fits her needs, and you’re golden. As a bonus, talk up the advantages of the netbook (“It’s cute! It’s light! It’s portable!”) rather than selling it as a cheaper item that can be destroyed more frequently.
Wasn’t worried so much about the depressing of keys; I was more worried about the cats knocking it off the bed or chewing on the housing (as a couple of our cats just love to chew on anything).
And thanks for the heads up about the possibility of overheating whilst on the bed. Now I’ve got something else to worry about! 