# Computers



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Geeze I hate these thingsound:: Ten days ago my previous laptop didn't recognize me. ound: So I get my $80 an hour geek friend in. Long story short, hard drive pooched. And like a moron I didn't have all my stuff backed up . So now I have to figure out how to work this new laptop. How do I adjust the sensitivity of the touchpad? When I am typing in this box the palms of my hands are brushing lightly on the touchpad and causing the cursor to jump all over the place?


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

I hate laptops. I have to turn the mouse touch pad completely off or else the cursor jumps all over the place like some sort of spastic chicken and I'm not even touching it!

I have an external hard drive that i have everything backed up on. Unfortunately, when my computer decided to give it up, it decided to take the (almost brand new) external hard drive with it so I still ended up losing everything.

I ordered a new computer, had it up and running for not even 2 weeks and the video card on it died. Then I had to decide if I wanted to pack it all up, ship it back, to have them replace the video card with another of the same type. In the end, I decided to just purchase a new and slightly better card rather than try to warranty it. Anyhow, after over a month I finally have a computer at home again.

_*So, short version: I hear ya...computers can be a pain!*_


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I hear ya. Seems to me \I had this cursor problem before , it does jump all over the place. Trying to figure out how to adjust the sensitivity.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

awwwwww, so sorry Dave! we missed you!!!
If we lived closer I'd hook you up with my free IT guy ... ound: he works for food


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

My dh hates laptops and prefers a mouse to a touchpad, I'm the opposite, love my macbook  Although, I do have some weird cursor disappearing that happens every so often after I upgraded to Lion


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

Dave - I lost TWO laptops to the "dancing cursor with a mind of its own" disease!!!!! I couldn't find anyone who could fix it either time. There are about 2 dozen "fixes" you can find if you google "jumping cursor." Not one of them has anything to do with the touch pad. Good luck with this! (If you figure out a fix that actually fixes it, please let me know!!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

So....the jumping cursor thing is not just me?! DH got me this laptop for Christmas so I could have it downstairs - the main computer is upstairs. I have tried to figure out how to disable the touch pad, because I HATE it! I got a mouse for it. I do not like the keyboard either. Still, after 7 months, can't type nearly as well on it as I did on my old nearly ten year old computer. But the jumping cursor is a major pain. Is this a common thing then with laptops? What causes it? I thought I must be somehow brushing against the touchpad too, but it seems to happen when I am not near it, like it is possessed. I guess it is somewhat comforting to know it is not just me....sorta.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I have a solution to your problem. If you type like I do one finger at a time it doesn't jump at all .ound: PS I hope you didn't loose all your resurch


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I love my laptop. You need to find the little search box and type in mouse. It should bring up some suggestions. Or, see if you can find the control panel, the mouse system should be in there. I am not on my laptop at the moment so I am just throwing out suggestions. I think you can also chick on right clicker on the main screen and that should bring some stuff.

I do remember several times when my mouse was acting crazy jumping all over the place without me hardly touching the mouse and it was some type of bug. 

Google is good at finding solutions. 

When I get home I will let you know what kind of Ad Ware removal program I use.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

My IT guy at the office ordered me a laptop the last time. I hated it from the start. But I had a really good large screen moniter and added a regular mouse and just use the laptop like it was a regular computor. I don't take it anywhere. What is hooked up to it stays hooked up to it. All the people at the office have docking stations so they can take the laptop with them. So my recommendation is to at least get a regular keyboard and mouse.


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

Can't live with 'em, can't live 'em! My family, including my DD's have nicer computers then me. I love my computer except for the fact that my "x" key fell off. Glad it's the "x" and not the "e". PC or Mac?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

thanks for the suggestions ,I've tried all of the suggestions with no luck. Even the keyboard is offset more to the because it has nos. on the right and i can't get used to that. lol


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

You can't use a 10-key with your right hand? I am left-handed and I run a 10-key with my right hand. Course if you had learned to type your numbers in high school on a regular typewriter, you wouldn't have any use for the number keys on the right. Yeah right huh. lol


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Luciledodd said:


> You can't use a 10-key with your right hand? I am left-handed and I run a 10-key with my right hand. Course if you had learned to type your numbers in high school on a regular typewriter, you wouldn't have any use for the number keys on the right. Yeah right huh. lol


yeah Lucille us old dogs have to learn to change ehh. I was never a good typer to begin with but this is really going to take some time to get used to. lol


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Can you change out your keyboard? I have changed out my keyboard once because of wearing out some of the buttons. 

I use AVG Adware Removal. Did you not find the mouse thingy on the computer?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Also, folks, unless all you do is play on the internet on your computer, please, PLEASE, *PLEASE* get in the habit of backing up to an external HD REGULARLY. If you can't remember, get one of the many inexpensive programs that back up automatically for you.

If you have important records on our computer, and 13 years worth of digital images the way I do, there is just WAY too much to take a chance on. My Mac backs up to an external HD periodically throughout the day. Photos are backed up every time I import them via Lightroom. Once a week, I manually back up to a second external HD which is not kept attached to the computer (to guard against viruses and/or lightning strikes. (and yes, we had one once that fried the (turned off) computer as well as a TV and answering machine) This second HD is a small 1TB drive and I make sure that my LR catalog is up to date on it too, so that all my keywords, collections and any adjustments I've made to photos can be easily moved from my desk top to my lap top when I travel.

Once a month, I make a third back-up of everything to another external HD which is kept off-site at my DH's office. It would be bad if I lost even a month's worth of data, but FAR better than losing everything in a fire.

Hard drives are cheap these days, and with the software that will back up automatically for you, there is no reason for people to be losing data. This should jest be standard operating procedure, just like keeping you antivirus software up to date.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

HavaneseSoon said:


> Can you change out your keyboard? I have changed out my keyboard once because of wearing out some of the buttons.
> 
> I use AVG Adware Removal. Did you not find the mouse thingy on the computer?


yeah actually I did Linda. I think I've got it fixed. I was reluctant to try anything else. before all avenues were tried. Keep your fingers crossed .


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## sashamom (Jan 12, 2009)

My solution was to buy a wireless mouse and key board. Just plug into your laptop it makes life much simpler. LB


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

right on Karen , I learned the hard way. My geek had to do a forensics lobotomy and I am definitely getting a backup harddrive that does it automatically.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> right on Karen , I learned the hard way. My geek had to do a forensics lobotomy and I am definitely getting a backup harddrive that does it automatically.


:thumb::clap2:

I just wish people would learn to back up BEFORE they lose their data!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

:brick:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> :brick:


Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! But *I'd* prefer to use a clicker...:biggrin1:


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Yea.... I am guilty too. I fried my other computer, but tech was able to save all my millions of pictures. I need to get in the habit of backing my laptop too.


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