Scroll option on Synaptics Touchpad not working

My computer crashed about a week ago and I took it into the local repair shop and they said I had viruses and that they needed to wipe my Dell Inspiron 6000 clean and reinstall XP. When I picked it up they said it worked fine and from first start up it appeared that it did. The only problem I have encountered is that the scroll function of my touchpad does not work in any program. This isn't the worst problem one could have, but I do enjoy the scroll function and would like it back. I checked mouse settings via the control panel and it reads "Standard pointing device on PS/2 port". I do not know what the PS/2 port is, but that menu makes it look like the computer thinks I am using an actual mouse, not the touchpad on the laptop. I am thinking that the version of XP the repair shop installed was not specifically for my dell computer and thus I am having issues. I have downloaded the drivers for my computer via Dell.com and no luck. I downloaded the Synaptics Touchpad driver for my version of XP and no luck.

Before the viruses took down my computer the Synaptics touchpad tray icon would light up when I touched the pad and moved the cursor around. Now it only registers when I push the left and right buttons of the touchpad. I know this is not the biggest problem, but I love to scroll and want it back.

You can get the updated Synaptics drivers from here.

These are the 32bit drivers for Windows XP. Install these on your computer.

Open up the device manager and click the plus next to pointing devices. You will see "Standard pointing device on PS/2 port". Double click on this and click on the drivers tab. Click on update driver and let the computer look for the updated synaptics drivers. If the computer says it's already using the best driver, click the back button. This time, tell the computer "don't search I will choose the driver". Click next and when the list of compatible devices shows up, you may or may not see the Synaptics PS/2 Mouse in the list. If you do not see it, take the check mark out of "show only compatible devices".

Pick out the Synaptics PS/2 Mouse and click next. Finish the installation and reboot your computer.

You should now have your scrolling and synaptics system bar icon working properly.

Hope this helps,

Edited by techextreme, 15 November 2009 - 03:26 PM.

To Techextreme,

Thanks, but that did not work. The tray icon is still not registering and the scroll function isn't as well. Do you have any other tips?

Go into the control panel and double click on "Mouse".

In the top you will see "button properties" and will show the "devices". In the Devices, what does it say?

I went back into the device manager, pulled up the driver window for pointing devices and unmarked the box that said show compatible devices. when I did that the menu gave me three options for synaptics and they were:

DummySectionForWHQL,
Synaptics PS/2 Port Pointing Device, and
Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad

I wanted to choose the last one since it is the touchpad that i am trying to fix but a window popped up that says this installation might make your system unstable. Should i choose the touchpad option? It seems logical since that is what I am trying to fix, not a external pointing device like I am getting the feeling the computer thinks I am trying to use. Could this be because the version of XP that was installed on my computer was not specifically made for laptops?


Hope this helps.

There is no tab that says button properties but devices says standard pointing device on PS/2 Port.

Choose the Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad.

Continue installing the driver on your system even after the warning.

There really isn't a "made for laptops" version of Windows XP. XP pro and XP Home will work on both laptops and desktops. It all depends on the drivers.

I did that and restarted yet still no scrolling or action on the animated tray icon.

Go into the device manager. Click the plus next to Mice and Other Pointing Devices.

You should not see "Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad".

Double click on that. The second tab should say "Advanced Settings". Next to "Wheel Detection" make sure it says "Assume Wheel is present".

Click on OK. Go back into the control panel and double click on Mouse. Click on the Device Settings tab and look at the bottom of that screen. Check which tray icon is enabled.

Click on the "wheel" tab. Does it say to roll the wheel the following number of lines "3"?

Also, when in the mouse properties, click on the device settings tab. Then click the "Settings" button on that tab.

You should now see the Properties for Synaptics Touchpad screen.

Click on "Virtual Scrolling". Make sure there is a check mark next to "Enable Vertical Scrolling' and click apply then ok.

Try your scrolling now. It should work.

So the device manager does read "Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad" should it not like you say?

Assume wheel is present is there and the "animated tray icon in taskbar" is selected.

The wheel tab reads like you say, "3" lines.

Sorry, I posted this right after.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ind...t&p=1500701

There is no tab for virtual scrolling it just says enable buttons. The device settings tab says that it is still a standard pointing device via the PS/2 port.

did you get that last reply. No virtual scrolling option within device settings, settings. Any other ideas?

please don't shut this post down. I am leaving now, but hope to get a reply.