V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
Level 1 (14 points)

Q: A NEW TRACKPAD DRIVER IS OUT

I've got a good news for Macbook Pro / Air owners: a new multitouch trackpad driver for Windows 7 is out.

This driver (codenamed 'Trackpad++') neither contains, nor modifies the original Apple code.
However, it relies on Apple drivers stack for raw hardware access, that's why Boot Camp 3.1 shall be installed first.

Features of the Trackpad++ driver (vs. Boot Camp 3.1 driver):

1. Improved pointer ballistics (pointer movement can be very slow or very fast, depending on the finger speed);

2. Dramatically improved two-finger scrolling experience: Mac OS X-similar (accelerated) scrolling model implemented;

3. Elimination of the most annoying Windows issue of Apple Multitouch Trackpad, i.e. false detection of drag'n'drop actions;

4. Trackpad++ Control Module for adjusting the Trackpad settings.

Supported Macbook Pro generations: Early 2008, Late 2008, Early 2009, Mid 2009;
Supported Macbook Air generations: all generations;
Supported Windows versions: Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit (Boot Camp 3.1 shall be installed first).

You may visit http://trackpad.powerplan7.com for details.

Just by the way: there was an extensive beta-testing phase, and a lot of volunteers have tried Trackpad++ already, so I can assure You that the driver is rock-stable.

P.S. I wrote this driver. My another project is Power Plan Assistant - a popular utility for Boot Camp-enabled Macbook Pro and Air notebooks.

Cheers, and enjoy Trackpad++, something Apple definitely have had to implement a while ago... but I know and You know - it never would...

Posted on May 21, 2010 1:05 AM

by Vlad-imir,Solvedanswer
Vlad-imir Vlad-imir
Level 1 (10 points)
A:

@ALL: I recommend to verify the installer with VirusTotal.com, you will see that the package is 100% clean, as reported by more than 50 antivirus and antimalware engines. As for the reputation scores, they are not the best measure - e.g. I update the files weekly, so there will never be enough users of the same (bit exact) executable to really gain the reputation thing, as calculated by some institutions. Website hosting location does not really matter, because the files are anyways hosted via FileCluster.com, with the mirrors both in the USA and EU.

 

Yes, I agree, the thread is too old, and too outdated. Not only the first pages, but I would say pages 1 to 60 contain the discussions which are not relevant anymore. The software has evolved dramatically, and now has the simple automatic installation, fully configurable multitouch gestures, etc., etc. - all of the things it had obviously missed initially.

 

So I feel it's time to close the topic. I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the discussion! For any questions, feedback, critics :), please feel free to contact me directly via support email.

 

Cheers,

Vladimir

Posted on Jul 21, 2014 2:46 AM

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V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

Q: A NEW TRACKPAD DRIVER IS OUT

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  • by JHEY...,

    JHEY... JHEY... Jan 4, 2012 9:50 AM in response to JHEY...
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 4, 2012 9:50 AM in response to JHEY...

    Vladimir,

     

    I did some additional real life testing with the 2.1a-x86 beta you posted on December 22 in the past couple of days. The only real issue I ran into is that the 4-finger vertical swiping is slightly too sensitive. It frequently happens to me a few times a day that all windows suddenly hide without actually applying the "4-finger swipe up" gesture. Coming close to the trackpad with four fingers (without actually touching/swiping) sometimes already tringers all windows to hide... You might want to decrease the sensitivity for 4-finger swiping just slightly to avoid this problem.

     

    Otherwise: An excellent piece of work!

  • by Skye19,

    Skye19 Skye19 Jan 4, 2012 10:02 AM in response to JHEY...
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 4, 2012 10:02 AM in response to JHEY...

    I agree, great piece of work, the only issue I'm having is with the over-sensitive swiping. Sometimes with one or two fingers hovering above the trackpad it will suddenly clear the desktop or switch to flip 3D unexpectedly. For this reason I actualy have gesture swiping deactivated at the moment.

     

    However, this is probably not something that can be rectified easily. I think it was pointed out in an earlier post that the sensitivity is controlled at a much deeper level of coding.

  • by V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r,

    V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r Jan 5, 2012 7:14 AM in response to JHEY...
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 5, 2012 7:14 AM in response to JHEY...

    A new build is coming. Watch for an update of the trackpad software to version 2.2b (later today).

     

    This new version totally fixed the 4-finger accidental issue for me (please let me know if for you it doesn't!). Basically, it was not just about the sensitivity, rather a small defect...

     

    Also, the gestures can now be chosen individually.

     

    And a new gesture has been introduced, 4-finger horizontal swiping. It stands for "good old-school" window switching. It's disabled by default, though, so please go to advanced gestures menu and enable if you wish to try it.

     

    Ah, and finally: accidental input filtering now works for the 3+ finger gestures as well (well, in the previous build it didn't ).

  • by V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r,

    V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r Jan 6, 2012 1:42 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 6, 2012 1:42 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Updated now.

  • by JHEY...,

    JHEY... JHEY... Jan 6, 2012 2:08 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2012 2:08 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Installation of version 2.2b (32 bit) went like a charm.

     

    4-finger swiping works perfectly now (both horizontally and vertically), so does the new 3-finger tap. What is a little bit confusing with that one though is that the scrolling direction does not follow the settings for inverse scrolling/swiping. I might get used to it over time, but probably will not use the 3-finger tap scrolling feature too often anyway.

     

    Again, thanks for your great work.

  • by Skye19,

    Skye19 Skye19 Jan 6, 2012 2:19 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2012 2:19 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Thanks for the update Vladimir. I downloaded 2.2b a little while ago and have been using it for an hour or so. I'm still having the "sensitivity" issue with the 4 finger vertical swipe activating suddenly. Not sure if using 64-bit version makes any difference to 32-bit for this issue since JHEY's issue is fixed. It doesn't happen consistently though - I've tested hovering 2-4 fingers above the trackpad and it will "show desktop" only on the odd occasion... so perhaps there is an improvement there. I think I would need to use it for a longer period to see properly. on the other side of this issue - I noticed that I sometimes have to repeat the 4 finger gesture for it to activate so it seems the sensitivity has decreased in general? But again, these issues are not consistent.

     

    However, since you've enabled each gesture independantly in the options, at least the 4-finger vertical swipe can be disabled while keeping all the others. 4-finger horizontal gesture is much appreciated too!

     

    Overall, a solid improvement.

  • by Skye19,

    Skye19 Skye19 Jan 6, 2012 3:00 AM in response to Skye19
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2012 3:00 AM in response to Skye19

    Update: I had a feeling my installation didn't complete properly (I forgot to close the control module before upgrading to 2.2b) and after installation I didn't receive the confirmation message that it was installed successfully.

     

    So I have now reinstalled successfully and no issues with 4 finger gestures activating suddenly

  • by inter4ever,

    inter4ever inter4ever Jan 8, 2012 10:53 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 8, 2012 10:53 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Thanks for your work on this tool. I am thinking of getting a Magic Trackpad for my Windows machine, and I am wondering if you have any ETA on supporting it. The trackpad's main attraction is gone without the 3 and 4 fingers gestures. Thanks again!

  • by gr4z,

    gr4z gr4z Jan 9, 2012 3:06 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 9, 2012 3:06 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Hi

    I have finally upgraded to 2.2b and the new gestures work very well. I am finding though when using my normal wireless logitech mouse and not using the trackpad the pointer is jumping around the screen. Is this normal? Can I disable trackpad++ when using an external mouse? Thanks

  • by V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r,

    V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r Jan 10, 2012 1:36 AM in response to gr4z
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 10, 2012 1:36 AM in response to gr4z

    Good to know the multifinger gestures are working very well

     

    To temporary disable the trackpad, right-click the '++' icon in the notification area of the Windows 7 taskbar (as you probably know, this icon with two pluses is the icon of Trackpad++ Control Module). Now choose 'Disable Trackpad Surface' option from the menu.

    Note that to re-enable the trackpad you shall do the same action again, or just reboot the system. Because trackpad is always enabled by default after the reboot.

  • by bootcamptramp,

    bootcamptramp bootcamptramp Jan 14, 2012 11:51 PM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 14, 2012 11:51 PM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Reporting a troubled installation here.  (Macbook Pro 6,1 mid 2010, Bootcamp 3.3).   I eventually did get your Power Plan 7 and Trackpad++ working.  But first I had to run this utility to force Windows 7 into test mode and allow unsigned drivers:

     

    http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

     

    Prior to that, I followed all steps, but Windows would not allow Power Plan 7 to install drivers in spite of me clicking the red "allow these unsigned drivers" box.  The option to control the keyboard backlight showed up in the menu, but did not function.  (Other functions such as turning off the screen did work.)  Upon restarting, windows popped up a dialogue box saying it detected Unsigned Drivers and they had been deactivated.  Of course installing Trackpad++ did not work under these conditions.  It could be installed but 2 dialogue boxes saying "Unable to communicate with Trackpad++ Drivers!" appeared at startup.  However that Test Mode utility did allow Power Plan 7 to be properly installed and then Trackpad++ could be properly installed. 

     

    My hope was to get improved dragging, as you mentioned a substantial improvement over the bootcamp drivers.  Probably this is referring to the 2x Dragging Speed option.  That is a good option, but there is another weird bug.  If you hold down the trackpad (physical button press dragging, not tap to drag) and drag a window back and forth, it affects other windows.  For example if you have 2 Windows Explorer windows, and you drag one window back and forth, it will hit the other window and minimize it, then maximize it again out of the tray.  That is weird behavior.  I tested it with and without dragging, drag lock, or both.  I also tried enabling and disabling Drag Lock in windows mouse settings and Bootcamp mouse settings, the bug still persists.  

     

    Bravo on this ambitious project.  But as you say, Trackpad++ only extends Apple's terrible dragging functionality. There isn't much you or anybody can do about it.  As a programmer you understand the importance of dragging so sorry but I can't use your drivers.  But it is very cool and inspirational anyway.  Cheers.

  • by V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r,

    V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r Jan 15, 2012 12:24 AM in response to bootcamptramp
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 15, 2012 12:24 AM in response to bootcamptramp

    DRAGGING BEHAVIOR IS NOT A DEFECT - IT'S THE FEATURE FROM MICROSOFT!!!

    Yes, just drag a window back and forth ("shake" the window), this affects other windows, i.e. minimizes them, then maximizes them back.

    This can be done with any mouse, and of course with the trackpad, since it emulates the mouse. This has been introduced by Microsoft in Windows 7. You can find in internet information about this feature. It's not related to Trackpad++!!!

     

    Improvement of two-finger dragging is that you can move both fingers freely. In Boot Camp, you cannot. Boot Camp driver will just trigger right-click on an attepmt to move both fingers longer than just a few millimeters.

    Also, note that none of the Boot Camp's driver features is decreased in quality in Trackpad++. ALL of the features are improved, at least to some extent. And, of course, the true multitouch support is there, unlike in the Boot Camp-native driver which will not let you use more than two fingers.

     

    Finally, it's extra-strange that you experienced the unsigned driver thing. The same setup procedure worked perfectly for many thousands of people. But I realize, computers are computers, something went wrong in your specific case... Very strange...

     

    I would like to thank you for the feedback. I highly appreciate it, either good or bad. No software is perfect, of course... There is always a space for improvement. So, watch for the future updates.

     

    Cheers

  • by FrederiQ,

    FrederiQ FrederiQ Jan 17, 2012 11:48 PM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 17, 2012 11:48 PM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Hey... I've been using some old version of the Trackpad++ (v1.3a, I think) for  a year or so. And yesterday I accidentally noticed there's an update! Astonishing. Superb. I can't find the words. I love you man. All the navigation and window switching with 3/4 fingers and especially middle-mouse emulation with autoscrolling (yeah!!) made my Boot Camp even more usable than stock OS X without BTT. Great, just great. But I still have one enquiry . How about the perfect dragging? I know, dragging with two fingers works very well now (yeah, unlike in BC). But how about the as you call it 'tap-style', or single finger dragging?

  • by V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r,

    V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r Jan 19, 2012 12:27 AM in response to FrederiQ
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 19, 2012 12:27 AM in response to FrederiQ

    Thank you! The better trackpad driver for Windows has always been the dream #1 for the Boot Camp users, I know  

     

    Regarding the dragging. Correct. By now, tap-style, i.e. 1-finger dragging has been improved only from the side of accidental drag'n'drop actions filtering (and this is already something - it's better than Boot Camp uber-sensitive offering anyways).

     

    Some time ago the 3-finger and 4-finger gestures were only the dream. Then they came true, and, no doubts, made Windows 7 Macbook Pro/Air trackpad experience competitive with OS X! Let's pray sometimes the same thing will happen again, to dragging... You know, it's an extremely complex programming task to remove the Boot Camp's unfamous dragging delay, especially because the Trackpad++ integrates into Boot Camp HID driver stack, and does not fully replace the entire stack. I am skipping the technical details, but just trust me, if it was easy, then the tap-style dragging would have been perfect already.

     

    P.S. Please note, 2-finger dragging (with 'hardware' click) works perfectly with the Trackpad++ and has been dramatically improved vs. Boot Camp 3.3/4.0 native driver. So, it's highly recommended to use it. Also, you could try to combine it with the '2x Dragging Speed' setting. Some of the users really like it.

  • by FrederiQ,

    FrederiQ FrederiQ Jan 20, 2012 1:37 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 20, 2012 1:37 AM in response to V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r

    Yes, it works perfectly! Thanks again for this superb driver!

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