Demonically Possessed Laptop

[Jerry]

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I am back to using my old HP laptop for a while. Now, since I never took typing in school (it was considered a girl's course, like home ec.), I do have typos from time to time. I try and catch them but sometimes miss a few. But this $&^%% laptop has a mind of its own. Sometimes it jumps from the point where I was typing, to the middle of the text box and picks up there. (see example below) Other times, it just quits typing, and I have to retype everything I just did. Then when it is really feeling evil, it just jumps back to the main forum and I have to start over. So far, this has taken me at least 5 minutes to get this far. Oh well, I hope to have my desktop back online by Monday. My personal "Geek Squad" is coming in from Roanoke this weekend, with a new power supply. That is, my daughter who is a computer tech for a large insurance company.

example:

em but some times It will jump from the times miss a few. But this $&^%% laptop has a mind of its own. point where I was typing to the middle of the text box and pick up there. Other times, it just quits typing, and I have to retype n it is really being Everything I just did

[The Supreme Canuck]

This happens to me every now and then. Do you have one of those touch pad cursor things just below the keyboard? I find that sometimes I'll accidentally hit it, sometimes without even noticing, and the cursor will jump to where it shouldn't be while I type. An easy solution is to turn the pad off if you have an attached mouse.

[Galician]

While that might be helpful for this problem, having the touchpad active has saved me when my mouse started acting up!

[The Supreme Canuck]

Sure. You can always navigate to the control panel using the keyboard, though, if your mouse quits.

[Jerry]

This happens to me every now and then. Do you have one of those touch pad cursor things just below the keyboard? I find that sometimes I'll accidentally hit it, sometimes without even noticing, and the cursor will jump to where it shouldn't be while I type. An easy solution is to turn the pad off if you have an attached mouse.

I am using an attached trackball. So, how do I turn off the pad?

[The Supreme Canuck]

Go into Control Panel. Double click on "Mouse." Click on the touchpad tab. Click "Disable." Click "OK."

See if it helps.

[Makeitstop]

Aye, I have not one, not two, but three ancient computers which are held together entirely by duct tape, paperclips and voodoo. Luckily the laptop doesn't have a touchpad, just a nub. Whenever I use someone else's I always get screwed up by that evil thing.

Anyway, I recommend offering it a cookie, and/or threatening it with a baseball bat

[ccga3359]

On my laptop I use a seperate keyboard & mouse. Just can't use the laptop keyboard to great effect and forget the touchpad/nub.

[TheKiltedWonder]

Have you tried an exorcism? I'm just throwing it out there. That's what I always use on my demonically possessed home-electronics. But never my daemonically possessed ones...

[ccga3359]

Have you tried an exorcism? I'm just throwing it out there. That's what I always use on my demonically possessed home-electronics. But never my daemonically possessed ones...

Ctrl, Alt, Delete - C:/format ?