Can I add the trackpoint to a Dell Inspiron 8600

I just got a new Inspiron 8600 and was very disappointed to find that the trackpoint/eraser head/pointing stick has been removed from the newer model (as well as the parallel port, serial port, and IR). I have been told that I can replace the keyboard and palm rest with a trackpoint-including palmrest and keyboard from the older model and the trackpoint will work. Does anyone know for certain if this is true?

 

Yes, I find it annoying that Dell did this too as I'm a big fan of the trackpoint, I seriously doubt there would be the ability to add a trackpoint after the fact as it would be hardware dependent and the keyboard is not a component that is modular on laptops. In addition you would need software drivers installed to have the trackpoint work.

 

Actually the keyboard and palm rest are modular. I've replaced them before. Dell even labels the screws to make it easier to take their laptops apart! I took the one off my new laptop (only two screws!) and checked, and there is a socket for the trackpoint connector, although whether it is a dead end or not I don't know.

I'm sure the drivers are locatable, if not included in XP like most drivers. In Linux, my Thinkpad trackpoint just shows up as a PS/2 mouse and works fine, so I doubt that would be an issue.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8500/en/8500/sm/keyboard.htm#1111863

 

Now they have replied and said that the BIOS does not support the trackpoint. I might end up sending this back. Has anyone else actually tried swapping them?

 

I got a used keyboard and palm rest and installed it, and the trackpoint DOES work. So they were wrong again. The XP drivers or whatever recognize it, too, and it shows up in the mouse settings. Unfortunately, this pointing stick sucks compared to an IBM trackpoint. But it works. It is very slow, and when I found out I could change the speed through the Orientation tab, I made it faster like I want. That would actually be fine, except it seems to not recognize movement until you have moved it a certain amount, probably from people whining about how it moves when they don't want it to, so if you put it in fast mode it overshoots everything. But if you put the pointer speed at max it is mostly acceptable. The orientation tab only seems to switch between two basic speeds, so I dunno. I will play with it more and try to find out. Also this keyboard seems "looser". And the trackpoint buttons are certainly spongy, but I can deal with that. I hear there are instructions online for modifying them anyway. And the third button emulation (pushing both buttons at once) only works for the touchpad buttons. We'll see...

 

I could never stand the blue headachy device but I love my Logitech Optical wheelman sitting on my chairs arm. I hated the touch pad I have better use of my hands then getting carpal tendon sydrome. The
CD installed mouse even tells you when it's getting low on the 2 AA batteries, I average about 4 months on a set of alcaline AA, even longer on lithium high use batteries. You use what you want I had that speedstick in my 8500, I am glad to lose it on my newer 8600.

/Chaz

 

Can you do this for a 700m? i've been dying for a trackpoint.

 

Since 700ms never came with a TrackPoint, it is highly unlikely.

 

That's why we buy Thinkpads.

 

or get use to it...I hate ppl that set their touchpad non "tap click" it so usefull...also set the speed of the mouse faster so you won't need to "drag and lift" all the time. For me one horizontal pass on the touch pad represents a full lengt of screen

 

Let me put it this way. It is useful. But it also gets in the way. And if with a trackpoint you can disable this feature and still end up with a very usable pointing device, with a touchpad disabling this feature turns cuts down the device's usability by 50% at least.

And instead of getting used to dumb inventions, I'd rather stick with the cool ones.

P.S. Sorry for being so hard on the pad. I'm just in the mood.