Thinkpad X1 Carbon 5th 2017 - Touchpad issue

Touchpad: had anyone have any problems with the precision touchpad? It works really well most of the time, but suddenly starts to act really bad. I restart and it works well again (till it acts weird). I'm almost sure it's a software issue. Why are those Synaptic drivers showing on task manager if it is a precision touchpad?
Thanks

 

Yes - I have the same issue. Sometimes works great - other times picks up false taps etc when scrolling.

 

It is likely a software issue. I tried, so far, to end all Synaptics processes, but it didn't work. I'll try to talk to Lenovo about that...

 

Why is it the Macs have perfect trackpads and nobody can seem to replicate it on a PC?

 

I reinstalled the drivers using the lenovo support site, and now it is working well. Also, I'm checking if the Chrome browser has anything to do with this problem.
So, right now, it is working as good as a Macbook.

 

Excellent. My unit will be here tomorrow. It's at the UPS hub in Kentucky right now.

 

I'm gutted. After having Macbook Pros for 10 years, I decided to jump back to a Thinkpad due to the rock solid machine it was during pre Mac days. It's day ONE and the touchpad worked fine for a few hours, and then started getting awful. The cursor stops for several seconds and then when it recovers it jumps to the edge of the screen. A reboot fixes it for a few minutes. I've reinstalled the latest drivers from the Lenovo site, and nothing improves.
It feels like a software issue. It's like the machine pauses and then carries on. When doing the 2 finger scroll, sometimes it works then other times it forgets I've got 2 fingers on and the cursor then travels to the bottom of the screen, until I drag it back to get it to scroll. The trackpoint button works fine, but the trackpad is virtually unusable.

It took 3 weeks for this machine to get to me as a work replacement. The last thing I want to do is get it "repaired" after half a day of using it.

On another note, I was getting very bad network speeds until I uninstalled Skype Preview. Then it went fine. I'm a bit shocked at how quirky this thing is for a high end machine.

 

Good to know im not alone here, mine is doing the same exact thing, and Ive been waiting for this machine to release for multiple months. What a disappointment! Its definitely a software issue. Ive messed with a number of different drivers, and while ive gotten things to be more stable, i lost tap to touch and two finger scroll in the process... so no fix found yet. Has anyone spoken to lenovo directly about this yet? I can't imagine this isn't a problem for most people with this model. Even the mobile tech reviews youtube channel reported the same issue in their review. UGH

 

Are yall running Windows 10 Pro x64? Are you using the Lenovo factory image or did you re-install?

 

Yes, I'm on day 1 of using this machine as delivered with Win10 Pro x64, and to be honest I have no intention of doing a fresh OS install just try to fix dodgy touchpad software. This is core UI. One of the sales pitches of this machine is the delivered OS is supposed to be free of bloatware.

I'm no expert on this, but as a reboot temporarily fixes it, and then it gradually gets worse, it seems like it's a cache filling up or memory leak between the touchpad drivers and the OS. When it gets bad, even the keyboard input gets laggy at times.

As it appears to be software/firmware related, I have some hope that a fix is on it's way. At this stage I'm not interested in spending hours on the phone talking to Lenovo to jump all the usual hoops of driver install etc.

 

An update. I don't know how to solve the problem, but I think I know what is causing it: using the Chrome browser.

After rebooting, I didn't open Chrome and only used Firefox. No issues for a few hours. Then I opened Chrome, and the problem came back within minutes, affecting the touchpad performance throughout the OS.

I'd appreciate it if others can try this and confirm.

 

Ive tested both the lenovo delivered windows 10 pro x64 install as well as a fresh reinstall from scratch. Both iterations exhibit the same issue while using the lenovo supplied drivers. In addition I've tried completely replacing the drivers with generic synaptics drivers according to the reddit page linked below (its for a dell xps13, but I figured it was worth a shot). While the drivers worked, and I was unable to recreate the issue with this setup, it also disables all of the gestures, and Im not ready to give up two finger scrolling just yet. The last thing I can think of is to do a fresh install and not even touch the lenovo supplied drivers, instead letting windows handle it, though I don't have high hopes for this helping. If anyone has any other ideas I'm happy to give them a shot and report back. I moonlight as a computer service tech so I've got a number of tools and know-how at my disposal. Perhaps I'll try a windows 7 install to see if the issue also crops up there, I'm just trying to make the computer functional again until lenovo issues a driver fix.

Somebody in the owners thread posted that they had spoken with someone about both this issue as well as the fan issue (though I haven't noticed any heavy fan noise with my unit), so at least it would appear that lenovo is aware of the issue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/3nbjbp/yes_a_solutionactual_working_fix_xps_laptops/

 

Whoa... really? I'm also a heavy chrome user, so if nothing else its definitely a similarity between us. And now that you mention it, it does always seem to happen while Im using chrome. I guess I spend so much of my time on the web I didn't think about it. I'll see if I can re-create the issue like you did.

 

I don't use Chrome. No issues. Hmmmm

 

It seems crazy that something in Chrome could affect a system wide driver... but I guess I've seen weirder things before. Any chance you'd be willing to install chrome and see if the problem crops up for you? Im going to spend tonight seeing I can get it to happen while using only firefox/edge

 

I'm using Chrome and suffering this problem as well. Will test out not using Chrome and Firefox instead. Do we need to uninstall Chrome or just not run it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I found remarkable improvement by rebooting and not starting Chrome, but I'm considering uninstalling Chrome.

I still feel the touchpad "precision" could improve further, even running Firefox or Edge. Compared to a macbook pro, it's just not as natural. But on Chrome it becomes unusable.

 

Hi guys, there is another thread in the Lenovo Forums on this as well. I'm cross posting what has worked for me, so far (several hours use and both trackpoint and touchpad issues have disappeared):

I got on the phone with Lenovo support. Guy was knowledgeable, he remoted into my machine. Went to the Lenovo support site using the Edge browser and updated the driver using the UltraNav driver posted there, then rebooted.

I've been using my laptop for nearly an hour now and haven't had an issue yet using Chrome or anything else, so I'm hoping this fixed it. I am confused because I know I updated to that same driver myself, and he checked it using Device Manager. But I do remember seeing some different windows when he did it. I think I may have downloaded it with Chrome and run it from Device Manager instead of the auto update process.

So, here is what I would suggest you try: go here in Microsoft Edge, not Chrome, click the Download Now link and follow all the prompts, then reboot your machine. I'm pretty sure that's what he did.

http://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/p...-20HR-20HQ/20HR/20HR000DUS/downloads/DS120311

 

Ok I've followed your instructions and been using Edge for the last hour. All seems ok at moment!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Likewise, I uninstalled Chrome, and updated the driver per post #18 and it's running a couple of hours way better than since I bought it. By the way, I'm using Firefox.

 

I think I'll stick with Firefox.

For those of you using Chrome, I would look carefully at the settings and see if some of the options for GPU acceleration or something might be the real culprit.

And regarding comparing to a Mac, I've been running Mabook Pro's, Airs, etc. for years. The trackpad on my 5th gen X1 Carbon seems to be as good as it gets on a pc.

 

OK, well after a day of using firefox, mostly with an external mouse, once I started using the touchpad it got unusable again and needed a reboot. There is a direct relation between webpages loading and the cursor hanging, or 2 finger scrolls not working properly.

As the mac has a matt glass touchpad and the X1 has some kind of rubberised paint coating on top of the glass, my finger doesn't glide anywhere near as well as on a Mac, so I'm amazed you think it could actually be better.

So, to others who have updated their driver per post #18, has that eliminated the problem for you?

 

As the person who wrote post #18...it doesn't seem to be a full solution. I went several hours without having trouble, but eventually the touchpad started freezing again.

I have updated to the latest bios, I think ending in 16 and posted on 3/21/17 or thereabout, and completely uninstalled the driver, ticking the delete software box, rebooted to where there are no advanced features like two finger scroll, and reinstalled the UltraNav (latest, i.e. post 18) driver. Things are working well again now but I'm doubtful they'll last.

Should the problems return, my planned next steps are to:
1. Reboot the machine, to see if restarting seems to bring things back to normal again for a while.
2. If degrading continues (which I suspect will happen). I will try uninstalling and installing the prior driver.
3. If #2 doesn't fix things, I will contact Lenovo and see about a repair or a return. I'm loathe to return the laptop because my bet would be they would just replace the pointer-related hardware and not actually try to diagnose what's going wrong. They wouldn't be able to see that the fix doesn't actually work, because they're certainly not going to use the computer for several hours - so it would all be a waste of time. But, might be the only option for now, unfortunately.

Will update y'all...

 

Looks like Makingmark and I are spreading the love both here and on the Lenovo forums on this issue.

I spent last night then tonight using purely microsoft Edge rather than Chrome. It seemed at first like the problem wouldn't crop up, but eventually it did. Ive also had it happen while browsing through some folders in file manager. So at this point it seems that we dont have Chrome to blame entirely, though it certainly seems to exacerbate the issue quicker than other programs/browsers. Either way, it doesn't look like there is going to be an easy fix to this. I still believe its software based, however its still possible some small hardware oddity could be triggering it.

Either way, I broke down and gave Lenovo a ring. The first thing the tech wanted to do was remote in and, you guessed it, reinstall my driver for me. I explained that i'd already done this, and that a number of other people were seeing the same issue, but he informed me there was nothing else he would be able to do. He then offered to let me send in the machine for service, but as makingmark so eloquently explains above, its highly likely that they'll just reinstall the driver there, test it for 2 minutes and see it working properly, then send it on back, at which point I would be back where I started. So I told him I couldn't send it away. Turns out, as long as you are within the 21 day window of purchase, you can request a return OR a replacement. So I put in for a complete replacement machine. They'll contact me in "2-3" business days with tracking info, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit longer considering the i5 model isn't even listed as an option on the website at the moment. I'll just deal with it for now and hope the replacement doesn't exhibit the problem. Or they'll put out a software fix sometime inbetween now and then.

In the meantime I'll add anything else I find on here

 

Froggybloop, thanks a lot for adding your update -I also have the i5 - definitely best value. Like minds...

Do you get to keep the existing machine while waiting for the replacement? If so that sounds like a good idea... And by window of purchase, I hope you mean window of when you got the laptop... mine took a full month to get to me.

 

I'm interested in this also. It would be a shame to have to replace it as I'm not convinced it's hardware, but if it's a time limit then I need to act fast. As I use mine constantly for work I'd like to get it's replacement before I hand this one back.

 

Yes, I made sure she clarified this for me. They send you a return label right away, but you can wait up to 10 days after you receive the replacement before returning the old one. I dont have another computer to use at the moment so this was important for me as well. And I didn't ask about the 21 day thing, But my guess it would be receipt of laptop, because anything else would be absurd.

 

Ha... just got the replacement order number, and as expected its not scheduled to ship until April 25, a solid month from now. I guess in the mean time I'll continue testing possible fixes for the issue. If you're interested in a replacement, I would get your queue in line now before it gets even longer.

 

You're the man. Had to restart this morning but so far it's been working well.

 

Hi all, I think I've solved this problem completely. The only trick is:
------Disable Control Panel ->mouse->Thinkpad->TorchPad->Advance->Advance->Edge Tap Filtering
And everything goes right.
You can also reproduce this bug by enable the option.
Have a nice day

 

Interesting! I will try this next time things go wonky. Thanks! I assume by "Ignore the brink touch", you mean, uncheck the Edge Tap Filtering box.

 

Yep, I've had that disabled since I installed windows and the drivers. I also tweaked other settings for palm detection and touch sensitivity.

 

I would not call the coating on my X1 touchpad "rubberized". Mine is very smooth. No like the glass on my Air, but still quite smooth. I am not sure what the material is.

I went back and edited my previous comment on the comparison. It might be a bit premature to say it's as good or better than the Mac. But I tell you what, it's one of the best I've used in a long time on a PC.

Definitely NOT sending my X1 back. Looks like mine is a keeper.

 

So I can confirm that earlier this evening when my touchpad started acting up, I unchecked Edge Tap Filtering and it instantly started working fine and shows no signs of reversion.

I'm pretty sure the X1 touchpad is glass, just etched to give it a very fine, satin texture.

 

The Advanced window containing 'Edge Tap Filtering' is greyed out for me! Any idea why?

 

Only idea I would have is that you have some setting turned off that blocks it. Like having the touchpad completely disabled, or tapping disabled.

 

Or you don't have the Lenovo ultranav Synaptics drivers installed correctly. Is yours a factory install or did you install a fresh copy of Win10?

 

Glad you are having a better experience.

 

I had disabled Trackpoint! I have disabled it now, why that should matter in a trackpad setting I dont know. Will test this out now as well.

 

Mine is a keeper also. Once I deselected Edge Tap Filtering, it has been running perfectly and I'm very happy with it overall. I'm keeping an eye out for updates to fix the software, but anyway I'm not even sure what Edge tap filtering is, and why I'd need it.

 

I have downloaded the latest synaptics driver that was shipped today and it seems much better.

Then in my travels found 'multiswipe' www.multiswipe.com. Coming from a Macbook this is brilliant and just like BetterTouchTool for the Mac. I am using it on a 15 day trial but already I am going to pay for it, it's only $5.


Its brilliant, you can have loads of gestures for 2,3 4 or even 5 fingers and it seems to make the scrolling smoother. Worth a try guys.