Trackpoint/Mouse problems on T43

[likesspace]

Hi guys,

My wife has a T43 that suddenly has a problem with the mouse/trackpoint.

She will be working away and all of a sudden the mouse pointer will begin jumping all over the screen and even clicking various buttons (right and left clicks).

This is a problem that she has on both Windows XP and Linux Mint 10 which really has me confused.

Also, she can plug in a USB wireless mouse and the problem happens there as well.

This makes me think that this is a hardware problem.

This is a problem that is very erratic. She might be able to use the computer for a few hours without a problem or it might start happening as soon as she powers on the machine. Usually she can log off and then back on and the problem goes away for at least a little while.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks,
Dave

[billp117]

Try disabling the trackpoint in the bios...(located in config). If that fixes the problem you may have a hardware issue like the palm rest or keyboard. Perhaps others will have another opinion. Good luck...the T43 is usually a rather solid ThinkPad except for the ATI GPU.

[RealBlackStuff]

Remove keyboard and KB-bezel. Then remove the wifi card.
Put only the keyboard back on and hold it tilted up from the back.
Now put pressure on the big Intel chip you find under where the wifi card was.
If it now works okay, you have a loose Southbridge chip. Remedy: reballing that chip.
See also The Board Room link in my signature.

[likesspace]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to give an update in hopes that it will help someone in the future.

I went into BIOS and disabled the touchpad on my wife's machine and it solved the problem. The trackpoint now works perfectly as does an external mouse.

She's happy to have her T43 back since she has been using one of our old T23s.

Thanks again for the suggestions and the help. I would not have thought of going into Bios to fix this problem. I really appreciate this site.

Dave