Touchpad: how to set up a device on the laptop that replaces the physical mouse

Each laptop is equipped with a special field for manipulation, which is called the touchpad. In fact, this module replaces the physical mouse, which can not always be used. And so, having traced a finger on a surface, you can easily carry out any action. About what is a touchpad, how to configure it on a laptop in such a way that working with your computer was as comfortable and effective as possible, we'll tell in this article.

How does the touchpad work?

So, outwardly we perceive a virtual pointer as a field with two keys, allocated on the panel under the keyboard of our laptop. In fact, nothing special, this control zone is not allocated, except for some conventional notation or framework (in some cases).

At the same time, from the very beginning of the work, we understand how the touchpad functions. How to configure the laptop on its well-coordinated work, we also often do not think about it, since after the computer starts everything is functioning at the proper level.

The logic of the device is also very simple - the finger that moves along its surface corresponds to the direction of moving the cursor on the screen. In addition, there are other possibilities, such as recognizing multiple touches at the same time. With them, however, it is not important to get acquainted.

How do I enable the touchpad?

Since there is a field for cursor control directly below the keyboard, it is natural to be accidentally touched by the user. This is unpleasant, especially when you type text or watch a movie, and the cursor is constantly changing its location. In order to prevent this, a function to disable the touchpad was developed.

This is done either with a separate button on the surface of the laptop, or using the "hot" keys Fn and the one that is responsible for the module. If you see that your touchpad does not react to anything, how to turn it on you do not know - try these options, one of them will work just fine. Remember that the procedure for activating a virtual mouse is the same as turning it off.

Setting the touchpad

Most often on the computer in normal mode, the touchpad works. How to configure it on a laptop, as a rule, no one thinks about it. In this case, there are situations when the cursor does not move, and the user does not understand why this happens. In this case, you need a special program for the touchpad. In simpler terms, we are talking about a driver who will establish a "contact" between your software and hardware, coordinating their work. Let's just say, if your laptop was initially offered with an operating system that did not contain the specified drivers, they should be installed "from above". This is done from the official website of the company that released your laptop.

Other problems

Of course, there may be other reasons why the touchpad stopped working (not related to the drivers). To understand the situation and establish them, you need to spend more time studying. First of all, experts recommend starting with the "Properties" of a module such as "Mouse" (and in our case it's a touchpad). How to configure it on a laptop is another thing: you need to go to the "Control Panel", the "Mouse" tab, where in the submenu "Device Settings" you can edit the settings of your virtual mouse module.

The variety of options available depends solely on how "heaped" you have a laptop and, accordingly, the touchpad installed on it. For example, on newer computer models, there is a "multitouch" function (the ability to read several touches at the same time), as well as the ability to flip through pages while reading through a simplified scheme. All these and other options are available in this section, you can customize them for comfortable work. Immediately you can determine whether the device is physically connected and whether it is available. Perhaps, if your touchpad does not respond to commands, this tab will describe the cause of this problem.

Alternative to a virtual mouse

The fact that you have a laptop - does not mean that you have to use the touchpad. How to turn on the mouse is physical, described in many instructions, despite the fact that this procedure is quite simple. All you need is to purchase a mouse that you like more in appearance and features, and also connect it to the USB port of your computer. Further, your pointer will either function in normal mode without unnecessary problems, or it will require an additional driver package. After that you can start working.

In fact, it is up to the user to decide whether to use the mouse, or you can do without the touchpad. This case is purely individual. There are different categories of operations that we conduct with our computer: the usual mode of use, work in graphic editors, online games. Each of them implies a certain set of actions to be taken: if there is enough touchpad to work in the browser, then it will be very difficult to play your favorite game Counter-Strike without a mouse.