Trackpad Problem

Question

Level 1

0 points

Trackpad Problem

My trackpad has become erratic in the first 30 seconds or so of use after being away from the computer for a time. Basically when I come back to it after a few minutes or so, the trackpad behaves as if I'm using two fingers on it. If I've left a window open in Safari or something, it scrolls as If I'm using two fingers or else the pointer moves very slowly. This behavior keeps up for about 30 seconds or so and then the trackpad becomes normal again.

I've tried to repair my disk with no problems found, I have ignore accidental input selected and I've tried to find a corrupted .plist via this suggestion from Cornelius:

"My guess is that you have a corrupted .plist, although there is no specific trackpad .plist. I suggest that you go to Home > Library > Preferences. Locate the file com.apple.systempreferences.plist and drag it to the desktop and restart. The computer will create a new .plist. See if that remedies the situation. When you are satisfied everyting is working to your satisfaction, you can drag the file to the Trash and empty the Trash."

I could not find that file in the location indicated.

Everything is to no avail. Right now, I'm hoping it's still something simple since I don't have the time or the money to deal with an upgrade.

12" PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11), 1.5 Ghz. G4, 748 MB Ram

Posted on Mar 13, 2008 8:39 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Mar 14, 2008 5:14 AM in response to CMU_Bueller

Hi,

Question: do you have your computer go into the sleep mode while you are away? Or is the display set to 'dim' or go into a *screen saver*? Is your Drive set to rest after inactivity also? Another, how many *back ground* things are running? Like: mail checks, widgets, monitors, etc. And, what is your processor set on in 'power management'?

I ask these questions because all of this means your computer is "Dividing Up" it's CPU resources to do a lot of things all at the same time (not really, it breaks down to nano-seconds tho). By your post, it would appear that on your return the computer has a bunch of things to do (other then mind your finger on the track pad) to get the unit up-to-speed... which seems to take near 30 seconds... when things get back to normal, almost like booting up. And in a semi-sleep mode, the hard drive may be off... and that too takes a few seconds to get up to speed for access.

Check some of those settings and try to go for the gusto rather then saving energy and see how your return works out.

Reply

Answer 2

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Mar 14, 2008 6:23 AM in response to CMU_Bueller

CMU_Bueller:

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

I could not find that file in the location indicated.

Although I am not sure if that solution is applicable to your situation, here's how to find it:
Open a Finder Window
Click on House Icon in sidebar
Double click on Library
Double click on Preferences Folder
Follow all the com.apple files all the way down. It takes some searching. If you can't find it please post back.

Cheers 🙂

cornelius

Reply

Answer 3

CMU_Bueller Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 18, 2008 6:15 PM in response to The Bohemian

Thanks for the suggestion, my hard disk was set to go to sleep whenever possible. I also typically have Mail, a Safari window and iChat open at all times. I've unchecked the option to make the hard disk sleep whenever possible and made sure my processor is set to run at the highest speed. I also took the opportunity to wipe down the trackpad and keyboard as they were getting a bit dirty/greasy from heavy use. Hopefully this solves my problem as I really don't want to mess around with the .plists. Thanks for the help.

Message was edited by: CMU_Bueller

Reply

Answer 4

Mar 19, 2008 6:26 AM in response to CMU_Bueller

I really don't want to mess around with the .plists.

You should learn to do this. It is harmless as long as you only delete .plist files. Deleting preference files is first in the line of fixes for most funky behaviors.

Reply

Answer 5

Mar 19, 2008 7:04 AM in response to CMU_Bueller

Hi again,

All that should help speed things up some. Chat is a good CPU user due to all the checks it does.

Now, if you are away for any length of time, it may pay to put the computer to sleep... let everything rest a bit ( drive included ). I find also, to get the memory use back down ( have a monitor that watches it ), I have to re-start the computer about once a week, but I only put to sleep for the evenings during the week. If you are concerned about someone else getting into your computer while you are away, you can 'password' it in *System Preferences* > Security, toward the bottom is "Require password to wake...", the password is your main computer login password. If you are not concerned about this, you do not have to even get into it.

Good Luck, and yes, a lot of 'little things' can add up...

Reply

Answer 6

CMU_Bueller Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 19, 2008 10:31 AM in response to The Bohemian

I put it sleep at night as well and restart it every couple of days when things get a bit sluggish. At this point in time, the power use isn't a big concern for me as I live in a college dorm and don't pay the electric bill (my tuition and room are at a fixed rate, so I really don't pay for rising costs).

My main concern with this issue is that it just sprang up after 2.5 years of having the computer. One thing I haven't tried is replicating the problem with an external pointing device. It could be that I'm dealing with an entirely different issue than the one I'm trying to problem solve right now.

Message was edited by: CMU_Bueller

Reply

Answer 7

Mar 19, 2008 11:04 AM in response to CMU_Bueller

Hi again,

You seem to be doing the right kinda things for your situation.

Question: You do your updates when they come in... right? I have had a few change some of my settings back to default... have you looked in the System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse... and there make sure you have all the check marks where you want them for the Track Pad. You do not want to have checked the 'Ignore Trackpad when Mouse is Present'... It will look for a mouse and not finding one will let the Trackpad work.

Hope they are ok...

Reply

Answer 8

CMU_Bueller Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 19, 2008 11:10 AM in response to The Bohemian

Yeah, I've had that happen, too, and it was one of the first things I looked at. This is all slightly confusing as I've never experienced anything like this on any computer before.

Reply