If you’re on Windows 7 and your touchpad suddenly stops working, you’re not alone. Many Windows users are reporting this problem as well. But no worries, it’s possible to fix.
Here are 3 fixes for you to try. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down until you find the one works for you.
Method 1: Roll Back Driver
Method 2: Perform a hard reset
Method 3: Update Touchpad Driver
Method 1: Roll Back Driver
If your touchpad stops working suddenly, you should roll its driver back to its previous stage:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
2) Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
3) Right-click the device name and select Uninstall.
4) Check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device. Then click OK.
5) Restart your PC as soon as possible.
Method 2: Perform a hard reset
A hard reset is a procedure that helps you clear the driver instructions. You laptop will reload all the instructions from the drivers and software stored in your operating system which can help to solve some problems.
This procedure will not erase any data from your computer since it is not a reformat of the operating system. Please be relaxed.
Here is how you could do the hard reset.
1) Turn off the computer.
2) Remove the computer from any port replicator or docking station.
3) Disconnect all external connected peripheral devices such as USB storage devices, external displays, and printers.
4) Unplug the AC adapter from the computer.
5) Remove the battery from the battery compartment.
6) Press and hold down the Power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electrical charge from the capacitors that protect the memory.
7) Insert the battery and plug the AC adapter back into the notebook computer, but do not connect any of the peripheral devices.
8) Press the Power button to turn on the computer.
9) If a startup menu opens, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally, and then press the Enter key.
10) After reconnecting each of the peripheral devices, run Windows Update to update all device drivers.
Method 3: Update Touchpad Driver
Your touchpad problem is probably being caused by driver issues. The steps above may resolve it, but if they don’t, or you’re not confident playing around with drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to the flagged touchpad to automatically download and install the correct version of its driver (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
