I have been a laptop user for years. Recently I switched over to a Netbook for several reasons. Ever since Laptops started with the touchpads I have had the problem of my hands brushing the touchpad while I'm typing and sending the cursor to a place on the screen I didn't want it to and whatever I was typing would appear there instead of where I wanted it. In a few cases it would actually overtype large chunks of text as well. Or send the cursor into a paragraph above where I was typing. This all depended of course on where the cursor was resting when my hands would brush the touchpad.

It was annoying at best, and downright productivity destroying at worst when it would happen several times within the same document. However I tried, I could not train myself to type with my hands above the touchpad rather than resting on the computer.


Well apparently there has been an app out there for sometime that eliminates this nasty and annoying little problem. I honestly can't believe it doesn't come auto-installed on every touchpad Laptop and Netbook as I really don't see a downside to using it at all.

It's called Touchfreeze. It's Google code and it works amazingly well. I have had zero issues with this problem since installing the tiny little app. Best thing is, it works smoothly in both XP, Vista, and Windows 7. I DLed Windows 7 to my Netbook recently and not only do most things run better in Windows 7 than it did on XP, but I've had zero issues with this little app saving me the frustrating problem of a rogue cursor. I love it when you can find something so simple and effective.

Whenever I have that problem I just turn my touchpad off.

This is under the assumption you don't use a USB mouse of some sort, right?

Yes, but then you can't use the touchpad until you turn it back on again and that is troublesome if you aren't using a mouse on the laptop/netbook. That is what makes this tiny little app so awesome. Its the best of both worlds.

OK, I just learned something new today! I didn't know you could do that. THANK YOU!

Well of course when you are traveling or using the laptop/netbook on your lap you don't use a mouse. But even while using a mouse on the desk you have to physically go in and disable the touchpad in order for this not to happen.

Sounds like the problem is you've got tap-to-click turned on. Otherwise, why would it matter where your pointer moves to when you're tying?

BTW, the project you linked to is hosted on Google Code but it's not actually from Google.

Yes, you are correct. But having tap-to-click turned on shouldn't be a 'problem'. It should be able to work without the annoying drawback of the rogue cursor. Otherwise, why have tap-to-click at all if you can't experience its full functionality while simultaneously using the keyboard. I find tap-to-click very useful so I leave it turned on. So what this app allows is for you to be able to experience the full functionality of the touchpad and all the features that currently are able to be utilized on a touchpad....without the drawback of the rogue cursor. As I said in the initial post, I find it amazing that they don't actually build in this function into the touchpad automatically because I honestly haven't seen a drawback or conflict with any of the other functionality. Which, if you take any of the alternate suggestions above(turning off touchpad, turning off tap-to-click, using USB mouse, etc) you don't get the full functionality of the touchpad.

Thus...why I was so impressed with the simplicity of the fix and the actual usefulness of keeping all functionality and not having to sacrifice one thing for another.

Which is understandable, but I almost always have a USB mouse with my laptop, so I leave it off normally.


Glad to be of assistance.

Most touchpad drivers I've run across have an option to automatically disable when it detects a USB mouse. (Or was that keyboard...?)

But since you said you aren't using one, there ya go.

Neat gadget. I don't have this problem - in a somewhat terrifying expression of intelligent engineering, my touchpad toggle is actually set into the frame around the touchpad itself - but I could see how this could be quite useful.

And I find I frequently need that tap-to-click bit. Sometimes all you have on hand is one finger, y'know? To complicate matters, the mouse buttons are touch-sensitive instead of actually needing to be depressed to click, as well, so it's really kind of irrelevant whether or not that's turned on in the first place.

I use this thing I found at Walmart. It´s like a mini-trackball. It´s shaped like a large ring with your two mouse buttons inside the ring where your pointer finger goes. You use your thumb on the little track ball and it works great with laptops. You never need a flat surface for a mouse. It takes a little getting used to, but once you have it down, you´re good to go.