Sony Voio VGN-N320e touchpad problem

I am new to this forum and a first-time laptop owner. I'm having problems with the touchpad of the Sony VGN-N320e, which is about 18 months old and in very good condition. Sometimes the touchpad operates as expected. At other times, it becomes almost uncontrollable; hovering over a desktop icon opens the file or program; sometimes icons are 'dragged' across the desktop; sometimes just moving the cursor across the desktop causes rectangles to be drawn. I was working with my online email account and accidentally deleted files when the cursor happened to be positioned over the delete button. Other times clicking or double-clicking on an icon produces no result.

My suspicion is that the problem is software-related. I searched for a driver update for the Alps pointing device and came up empty. I'm wondering if the problem may be related to Windows Vista; if so, perhaps downgrading to Windows XP might help. It would certainly improve the overall computer performance.

I'm curious to know how expensive this kind of repair can be expected to be, assuming it is a hardware problem.

I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards,

John

 

John,

First, congratulations on your first notebook purchase. Let's see if I can throw some suggestions at you.

Normally, this kind of behavior can be related to three issues. Either the trackpad settings are messed up, the driver is corrupted or is having an issue, or you may have some type of malware running in the background that is messing with your settings. To check your trackpad settings, simply click the icon in the bottom right corner or from the start menu and make sure nothing is checked the could temporary activate for certain programs. Some come default with varied button clicks and scrolling patterns based on what kind of program you are currently running and or using. I see that you looked up the driver from what sounds like the touchpad manufacturer's website, but did you also check to see if your driver is up to date versus what is offered for free to download from Sony's support section of their website for your model? I would recommend double checking there and updating where needed. If that doesn't help, the next step is to check to see if you have anything running. I recommend Malware Bytes. You can find it by clicking HERE. It is a free virus/malware removal program that I found to be very useful when I am cleaning and fixing peoples computers at Staples. Do the following:

1) First, download it to your desktop, but do not install it.
2) Next, restart the computer.
3) As the computer is restarting tap the F8 key until you are provided the screen to select what mode of Vista you want to boot into. Use the arrow keys to scroll and choose Safe Mode only (do not select the Safe Mode with network or VGA enabled as you want as little running as possible). The reason why you need to run it in safe mode is because it helps the scanner, should it find anything, be able to more easily remove it as it is not running in the background and trying to keep itself in the system.
4) Once Safe Mode loads, run the Malware Bytes installer.
5) When it is done installing, it should ask and be set by default to launch when you finish the installer, however, if it isn't, just double click the desktop shortcut to start the program
5) Select to scan the system. Be sure to choose to do a full system scan, and not the basic scan it is set to do by default. Now, let the scan run
6) If the scan comes back with bad stuff, follow the prompts to have the program remove it. Most of the time, after it has successfully cleaned any malware that show up, it will ask to reboot. Go ahead and let it do this, just remember to hit F8 upon start up again to go back into Safe Mode. Follow this process until the scan comes back clean.
7) Once the scan comes back clean in Safe Mode, reboot and let windows load normally and allow the program to check for any additional updates (usually there isn't but it never hurts to let the program check) and then run the scanner once more to do one final pass in the fully functioning version of Vista. If that comes back with malware, again, let the program clean and reboot where needed until the scan comes back clean. Finally, follow Malware Bytes with an updated scan from your Antivirus just to double check one last time.

Depending on whether or not you do have any malware in the system, the time frame to complete the above steps can vary depending on how many and how evil the bad programs are. If all your scans come back clean after the first pass through both sides of Vista, then you now are at the stage of a possible hardware issue. Replacing a trackpad can be tricky if you are not very computer experienced, however, if you are feeling up to it, there are several how-tos on the internet that can be found with a simple Google search as well as parts readily found, particularly on eBay.

As for Vista versus XP, you could do that, however I would want to ask a few things first...

1) Do you know if all your hardware have compatible XP drivers and you have them or know where to get them? (This is usually the hardest part about downgrading and also can be the most time consuming and frustration part as well)
2) Are you using Vista the way your Sony came right out of the box? If you are, you should know that Sony does have a tendency to put a lot of trial and bloatware crap on their notebooks and that you should really look into Optimizing your system either by following guides that are readily available both on the internet as well as here at notebookreview.com or taking it by your local, trusted computer shop (whether it be a small Mom & Pop shop or a brick and mortar retailer like Staples or Best Buy) and spending around $30 for them to do it. The nice thing about going to a computer shop is that they usually include applying any updates and other tweaks so you don't have to, however, the downside is you would have to be without your notebook for a short amount of time (usually from a few hours to up to about 2 days depending on where you go). This all depends on your level of technical knowledge and how important it is to have your notebook with you time wise.

Try those and let us know if any of that helps.

BBGus

 

Thanks for the prompt response. You have given me direction to move forward with troubleshooting.

I had looked into the trackpad settings and did not find anything untoward. There is no setting for 'sensitivity' or 'pressure'; the options are mostly basic.

I did search the Sony web site for driver updates; nothing is available.

I installed and ran the malware detector this morning. It didn't find anything; I'm not surprised, because I had restored the c:\ drive to 'as-new' state when I got the computer.

I agree with your assessment of the bloatware present; Sony should be ashamed to load so much useless software on their computers. I have already gone through and uninstalled everything nonessential.

I brought the computer with me today to work. I turned it on first thing and have interacted with it off and on throughout the morning. It behaved perfectly until about an hour ago, when the cursor once again began to behave hyperactively. When it did so, I plugged a USB mouse in and found that the same erratic behavior occurred when I used it. This tells me that the problem is not exclusive to the touchpad and is probably not a hardware issue. Do you agree?

I was able to find drivers for Windows XP on the Sony web site. I have a feeling that many users have complained about Vista's poor performance and asked about being able to downgrade.

Do you know how Sony stores the restore files on the hard drive? I'm guessing they must be stored on a hidden partition. If possible, I'd like to copy those files onto a DVD for future use in the event that I decided to reload Win Vista.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards,

John