Adjusting Laptop TouchPad Sensitivity

I recently had a client tell me that they were frustrated that their laptop TouchPad was so sensitive it always was opening up new windows all the time. The slightest touch and it navigated away from the application or window  they had open. Another client had a problem when they moved their cursor over an icon or link, the "hover" made the window or link open. I find laptop TouchPads and trackballs to be difficult to control myself so I appreciated their frustration.

If your fingers are nimble and you have the TouchPad under control, there's no need to read any further.

One very simple solution is to avoid using the TouchPad altogether and get a small external USB mouse and attach it to the laptop using one of the many USB ports. Most office supply stores sell smaller size versions of a standard mouse. These are portable and are much easier to use, for me at least, than the trackball.

If  you're like most laptop users you're likely using it on the road  in coffee shops and in other locations where you want quick access. You don't want to carry around one more piece of hardware like a mouse, after all that's why you got a laptop right?  Virtually all laptop computers have a TouchPad adjustment for the sensitivity and some other optional settings which may be helpful.

I have a Dell, but HP, Toshiba, etc. all have similar settings to adjust the TouchPad. To get to it you do the following:
select Start
go to Control Panel
for XP - select Printers and Other Hardware then select Mouse or Mouse Properties (it may vary depending on your hardware)
in Vista look for Hardware and Sound - and you should have Mouse link to select also

You should get a window that opens with several tabs that allow you to adjust various Mouse settings. Select the TouchPad Tab and you will see a slider that will allow you to adjust the sensitivity based on a "light" to "heavy" touch.

In addition there is a selection box to turn on the Tap to Click which will allow you to "tap" your TouchPad for clicking and avoid using the actual buttons on your Touchpad.

Then there may be a "PalmCheck" slider and selection which is used to reduce chance of accidental contact with the TouchPad being interpreted as a "touch."

Experimenting with these adjustments should give you more control over your TouchPad and make your laptop easier to use.