girdownthelane
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: touchpad goes haywire constantly

I have a 2009 macbook pro, up till recently it's been great. But lately the touchpad goes crazy and the cursor flies on it's own around the screen. It will even make folders etc... all by itself. like it's possessed.

Any fixes? or do I have to get it replaced?

thanks

MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 12, 2012 3:53 PM

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girdownthelane

Q: touchpad goes haywire constantly

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  • by ifixexpress,

    ifixexpress ifixexpress Nov 12, 2012 4:02 PM in response to girdownthelane
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Nov 12, 2012 4:02 PM in response to girdownthelane

    I would say it probably needs replacing. It is very differcult to get into the Macbook as you needs Apple's sepcial screwdriver to get the battery out. It is under there where the tracker pad is located. It is possible its just not sat properly inside the unibody casing. I would sugest popping along to the Apple store or a local Apple repair shop that can take a look at it for you.

  • by girdownthelane,

    girdownthelane girdownthelane Nov 12, 2012 4:15 PM in response to CMCSK
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 12, 2012 4:15 PM in response to CMCSK

    thanks, i have tried plugging it in with different adaptors and at different locations but it still occurs. maybe I do need the teflon applique?!

  • by girdownthelane,

    girdownthelane girdownthelane Nov 12, 2012 4:15 PM in response to ifixexpress
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 12, 2012 4:15 PM in response to ifixexpress

    will take it to the apple store... thanks for your help!

  • by GrimmMedia,

    GrimmMedia GrimmMedia Nov 13, 2012 6:03 PM in response to girdownthelane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 13, 2012 6:03 PM in response to girdownthelane

    Hi everyone,

     

    I had this exact problem and used this thread as a guide and actually got mine fixed so I wanted to share my experience.

     

    I have a 2011 late model MBP.  I bought it in February 2011 and it was about 9 months old in November and I didn't have any extended waranty.  One day my trackpad just starrted going nuts (click on it's own, i couldn't move it right, would highlight stuff) just not ususable.

     

    So after reading around I took into the Apple Store.  Right away the guy said "yeah you have to replace your trackpad" like it was a common problem.  He took my information and i saw that the repair and cost would be $90.  It took 3-7 days to fix (5 actually) and when i got to the store they just gave me back the laptop all fixed and the bill was $0.

     

    It still said $90 on the form with amount due $0, i guess to keep track of how much Apple is losing in these repairs.  They checked for water damage (I had none) and they noticed i had a small dent on the case (backside, no where near the trackpad).

     

    I hope that helps you in the future.  If you are having a simulair experience I would say take it in, worst case scenario it seems, is that you would have to pay $90.

     

    Good luck out there!

  • by Dale Weisshaar,

    Dale Weisshaar Dale Weisshaar Nov 13, 2012 8:17 PM in response to girdownthelane
    Level 6 (15,865 points)
    Nov 13, 2012 8:17 PM in response to girdownthelane

    How old is your battery? This weird trackpad action was the same thing that happened to me when my 3 year old battery started to swell. As it swelled it pressed up on the trackpad and caused all sorts of almost ghost like mouse pointer movements...many all on it's own. The battery itself still held a charge.

    I took the battery out and could barely see where it had swelled. I then ran my MacBook Pro with battery out on the MagSafe adapter. No more ghost mouse pointer movements, resizing, dragging and clicking.

    If you can remove the battery DIY, try what I did.

    I then installed a new battery and everything is back to normal.

     

    DALE

  • by girdownthelane,

    girdownthelane girdownthelane Nov 14, 2012 4:56 AM in response to GrimmMedia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 14, 2012 4:56 AM in response to GrimmMedia

    Thank you, this community is amazing... it's great to get so much help.

    I will be taking it in this week.

    Dale's DIY battery removal sounds good too if I was a more confident do-it-yourselfer...

    thanks everyone.

    s

  • by Fancytricks,

    Fancytricks Fancytricks Nov 14, 2012 8:30 PM in response to girdownthelane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 14, 2012 8:30 PM in response to girdownthelane

    Ok I have had this issue for months. I figured out that it was a folder workflow that I put on the machine.

  • by aichf,

    aichf aichf Nov 17, 2012 10:45 PM in response to Dale Weisshaar
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 17, 2012 10:45 PM in response to Dale Weisshaar

    After reading your post I did the same and all is good thanx Dale. Henry.

  • by Fancytricks,

    Fancytricks Fancytricks Nov 18, 2012 12:29 AM in response to aichf
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 18, 2012 12:29 AM in response to aichf

    Great!

  • by Dale Weisshaar,

    Dale Weisshaar Dale Weisshaar Nov 18, 2012 9:59 AM in response to aichf
    Level 6 (15,865 points)
    Nov 18, 2012 9:59 AM in response to aichf

    aichf wrote:

     

    After reading your post I did the same and all is good thanx Dale. Henry.

    Great! Happy computing!

  • by Samuel Goldenberg,

    Samuel Goldenberg Samuel Goldenberg Nov 3, 2014 10:41 PM in response to girdownthelane
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 3, 2014 10:41 PM in response to girdownthelane

    Here's one possible cure for trackpad not tracking properly:

     

    I've had the problem after using an external HDMI monitor (TV). My problem solved by connecting the HDMI adapter cable back on and off again.