My computer clicks away while I type

I don't know if this is a common occurrence or not, but it's driving me crazy and I need to figure out what's going on...

While I'm typing, be it an online form just like this one or a word document, something will happen and the prompt will go to wherever it is that the pointer is at the moment, as if I were by mistake clicking on my touchpad or nonexistant mouse.

Have I mentioned it's driving me bonkers? Is this normal? Can anyone give me any kind of idea of what it might be?

I somehow suspect that installing the intellimouse 2.0 software on this computer might have had something to do with it, but neither the mouse nor the trasnmitterwhatchamacallit thingie are connected, or even anywhere near the computer.

I'd really appreciate any kind of input, seriously, since I'm such a newbie AND kind of computer illiterate...

I have an Inspiron 6400 on WinXP Pro, if that's any help.

Thanks in advance

 

yeah the way dell design the touchpad is not very good. the touch pad is too close to the keyboard so when you type you will accidentally touch it so it becomes a mouse click...

thats the only drawback of my system thou

 

touchpads are heat sensitive (this is why you can't use a prosthetic hand to use a touchpad). you are probably brushing the touchpad with your palm and it's registering the heat from you palm as an input command.

turn the sensitivy down in the mouse settings.

 

OR, do like me and turn off the "tap to click" feature. I hate that feature anyway because it almost always taps where I don't want it.

 

Good info I never new that. Thanks

 

Thank you SO MUCH for your help...

Now, drumfu and 05Edge, I hope you don't think I'm a total tool for asking this... but where do I change these settings? I went to the control panel, but on Mouse I onlly have the settings for the microsoft mouse I installed, which isn't even on the computer, like I said before.

 

do you have the touchpad software installed?

 

Hmm... I didn't install it myself... Does it come with the computer? I haven't uninstalled it either.

Before I installed the microsoft stuff, a tiny touchpad would show on the task bar next to the clock when I used the touchpad, but it isn't there anymore. Could that be the software in question?

How do I look for it?

 

Microsoft stuff? You mean Windows? Go to support.dell.com and download the touchpad driver for your computer. Just installing that may fix your problem.

 

Thanks everyone for your help... I reinstalled the touchpad driver and disabled the "tap to click" feature, and my problem is now long gone!

Thanks again!