I have a new Dell work laptop with the pointstick (the button in the keyboard that works as a mouse). I HATE it! I remember these damn things from the 90s and thought they went away with trackpads.
So far, it is only good for accidentally hitting while I’m typing and sending the cursor off to some other place, causing me to have to retype.
I can turn it off, but doing so makes my trackpad buttons stop working, also, it resets when the computer is turned off.
Check the Dell website for the touchpad/pointing stick driver software. You don’t need it, of course, just to use the touchpad and pointing stick as mice, but installing it should allow you to turn off one or the other. You can also disable both when you have an external mouse connected.
Thanks, I’ll give it a shot. The Dell program that controls the Pointstick and Trackpad is really wonky. I can’t get the trackpad scrolling to work. Normally, none of this is an issue since I usually use the computer in a dock with separate keyboard and mouse.
I don’t have Dell Quickset, but instead have Dell Touchpad under Control Panel. This opens a program that controls (poorly) the pointing devices. For some reason, everything resets when the computer is turned off, yet opening the program shows all the settings being as I had them. Very strange/poorly written program.
Your poll has no choice for someone without a clit mouse. I like them better than trackpads, which seem to randomly work and usually not when you want them too.
Yes, I have a Lenovo. But the pointstick is quite recessed (between the G, H, and B keys) and stiff to move so it never moves accidentally and I don’t use it on purpose. I’m all trackpad, all the time. I just ignore it, doesn’t bother me.
I held on to my “Certified for Windows 2000” Thinkpad until 2010 because I am totally in love with the TrackPoint.
Using the track pad or whatever it is has been an awful experience. Every time I go to use it, the icon turns into a picture of a scrollbar and nothing happens. When I want to use the scrollbar feature, it never comes up.
Is this an update of the old school erasertip “mice”? Those sucked.
My current laptop (old) has a regular pad, with, thankfully, the ability to turn off clicking using the pad. I hate that feature. Way, way more than the thing mentioned in this thread.
My previous one was actually okay. It was like the eraser, but larger (0.75-1 inch diameter) and plastic. And below, not in the middle of the keyboard.
I could always mouse much more accurately with the clit mice or trackball vs a touchpad, so it baffles me why basically all new laptops/netbooks come with only a touchpad. That said, my newest laptop has only the touchpad and I just use a wireless mouse generally.
I’ve never gotten along well with touchpads (except for my personal netbook, I lucked out there), so I used the ‘dot’ mouse almost exclusively when it’s available. My issue is that I use it left handed, so I have to contort my hand to click the mouse button. I much prefer a regular mouse to either.
Can’t you change the handedness of the ‘dot’ mouse?
For me, my work laptop (Dell latitude) has one, but I never use it, and it doesn’t get in the way. I think I tried it once or twice, but found it awkward. My personal laptops don’t have one.
Yes, and I use it - but I also hate it. It’s rough on the fingers and very fatiguing. This laptop also has a touchpad which I hate even worse. I use an external mouse whenever I cna.
Mine does not have one, but I wish it did. I hate touchpads and almost always use a mouse, but if it had a stick I might use it occasionally. They are nowhere near as good as a mouse, but better than a pad.