how to disable tap-on-click (touchpad) on windows

Question

I don't find the settings. I went to the mouse settings, but there aren't any touch-pad related settings. It shows up as a PS2 mouse.

The device manager doesn't show up any further devices so I'm not sure how to install further device drivers. I also don't really know the exact hardware in my PC nor how to find that out.

My question is mostly how to find out myself what to do. I guess I need to install something. Why doesn't it do that automatically?

I tried already Synaptics because that seems like a quite common driver, however, the setup failed with some error, so I guess it is the wrong driver - but again, I'm not sure how to figure that out.

On Linux, I would probably do something like lspci or lsusb - but not sure what I have to do on Windows.

Solution 1

In short, there is not a native Windows command that does the same as lspci or lsusb.

Your alternative on windows is msinfo32 and extracting the vendor and product ID, highlighted below, from the Plug and Play device field:

You can then use these to lookup what the device is online, this is what Windows does itself.

A search for the highlighted device ID above tells me its a Cherry CyMotion / eVolution Series Keyboard.

---

If a device looks like the following in msinfo32:

Then the device manufacturer did not apply for a registered Vendor ID thus not allowing Windows, or yourself to deduct what the device might be and Windows has reverted to a default driver.

This is why manufactures, such as ASUS, have a website dedicated to looking up drivers for the built in devices based on the Laptops serial number.

You can read more on the Plug & Play Architecture and Driver support here.

Solution 2

A Windows equivalent to lsusb and lspci is msinfo (actually it's more like hardinfo than what you're used to) hit Ctrl+F and search for pad (as there can be a touchpad, smartpad or trackpad, depending on your hardware) and you'll find the exact hardware you have.

If that fails to give anything, you can take it a step further and can also figure out for yourself which driver is in use and how to change the settings by opening regedit and navigating to HKCU (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) for your own user's settings or HKCM (HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE), Software, and then it depends on your hardware:

• For a generic driver, navigate to Windows, Currentversion PrecisionTouchPad
• For a Synaptics driver, navigate to Synaptics SynTPEnh, ZoneConfig
• For an Elantech driver, navigate to Elantech, SmartPad
• etc.

There you will find all the settings in a hierarchical tree in the registry and for my machine disabling (=setting values to 0) disabled any and all tapping:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad]
"TapAndDrag"=dword:00000000
"TapsEnabled"=dword:00000000
"TwoFingerTapEnabled"=dword:00000000

Comments

[Ramhound]

What is the specific device in question model number? Do you have the software that allows you to configure its behavior installed?

[Albert]

@Ramhound: Both, I don't know. How do I find out?

[avirk]

@Albert download the Synaptic touch-pad driver for your model and install them to fix the problem, after installing the driver there will be a tray icon from where you can make settings according to your base available the option in application.

[Albert]

@avirk: How can I find out which driver exactly?

[avirk]

@Albert download the latest synaptic driver from the official site of your laptop model, or use the DeriverEasy program to let it download for you and install it but I'll recommend you to stick with official first.

[Samuel Nicholson]

@Albert answer updated.

[Albert]

As I said in my question, I don't have any touchpad related settings. Also, I haven't installed any drivers because I don't know which drivers to install and neither how to find out which drivers to install.

[Albert]

Which of those 72 drivers should I install? And why do you think I should install any of those? Just because you found the name "ASUS" in my Msinfo? Or was there some more specific information? Actually, that is also what I asked in my question, i.e. how to find such things out by myself.

[Samuel Nicholson]

Click Windows 8.1 in the drop down and then there's only 1 driver there to install.

[Phoenix Logan]

I can help you find a driver, but I need the model number. It should be on the bottom of the laptop, or if it's not there, it's usually under the battery. You'll have to remove it to find the model number, but it's okay if your laptop is plugged in or turned off.

[Albert]

Isn't it possible to find that out via software? That is what I would do on other systems (Linux, MacOSX).

[Albert]

Can you answer my other questions?

[Samuel Nicholson]

The make of your machine is ASUS so the logical thing to do is to make sure the default touchpad driver is installed for your device. - A simple Google of your machine make and touchpad driver directed me to the one in question. Did it work for you at all?

[avirk]

@Albert think the size about the ~133mb of driver should be that latest one from that list. Or use the DriverEasy program(Google it) and install on laptop to let it find the driver for you. :)

[Phoenix Logan]

Type into Windows PowerShell "Get-WmiObject win32_computersystem" and hit Enter. It should list manufacturer and model. This isn't the only way to do it; it's just the way I know.

[Albert]

This doesn't really answer my question. I am mostly interested in how to find such things out by myself.

[Albert]

In the second case, what options do I have? Aren't there tools for this - like lspci? Even if they are not native.

[syncdk]

Yes, there are a few, see Windows Equivalent for lspci?

[Albert]

That icon was not in the tray...

[Synetech]

I assume you checked the hidden icons right? Does your touchpad have any tray icons?

[Albert]

Of course I did. Have you read the full question and the other answers? The question was more how to find out what driver to install. Because the system did not recognize this as a touchpad (only as a PS2 mouse).

[Synetech]

Yes I read the question and quoted it in my answer. Your confusion about the driver is more of a secondary XY problem. I answered your question about tap-to-click, but if you have other problems like driver issues, then that is a different question and you should either post a separate question, or edit your question title to match.

[Albert]

How is it a different question? I wanted to disable tap-on-click. How should I know that I have to manually install a driver first?

[Synetech]

That’s what the [edit] function is for, to update the question as needed, e.g., as more information becomes available.

[Albert]

But then I would change the question. I intend the question to be as it is. If I need to install a specific driver manually, that is part of an answer - including a description about how to find out what driver to install.

[Synetech]

That’s why I suggested making a separate question about drivers. Many people find themselves in your situation; they have a problem, then while trying to solve it, they discover a different problem that causes the initial one. They create a new question to address the underlying problem and link to the original question to give additional background (as well as any information that people left for the initial problem that lead to the realization of the underlying problem).

[Synetech]

You can check out Meta for opinions on multi-part questions. (Generally they are frowned upon and the consensus is that they should be broken in to separate, single-purpose questions.)

[Albert]

Well ok, I edited the question to make it more clear.

[Francisco Tapia]

Vendor Device ID is the best way to watch out the unknown drivers.

[I say Reinstate Monica]

Welcome to Super User! Your answer is somewhat difficult to understand. Particularly, what do you mean by "Then it occurred to me to assign the PS/2 mouse...TO MANUAL assign the wrong driver to the PS/2 mouse."?

[alexkovelsky]

Unfortunately, there is no "Dual Mode" under "TouchPadPS2" key in my system...