Touchpad/Trackpoint regularly stop working - X1 Carbon gen2

[archetypitect]

My 2nd generation X1 Carbon has been having an issue more and more frequently with the touchpad and trackpoint becoming completely unresponsive, usually only working again after a restart. It began as only once or twice a day, but the last couple weeks it nearly always happens within half an hour. Sometimes a few two-finger clicks frees it up, mostly I use keyboard shortcuts and restart when necessary.

I dual-boot Kubuntu and Windows 10, and it happens in both, though more frequently in Linux. The trackpoint and touchpad always freeze together, but controlling the pointer with my phone through KDE Connect stays working.

Could this be a BIOS or firmware update issue, since it's a recent problem, OS independent, and always affects two pointing devices at the same time? I work a ways out of the city with limited internet, so can't try downloading and updating everything willy nilly (but will definitely download a driver, etc if you think that's the issue)

Searching here and Google hasn't turned up any similar issues as far as I can find. Thanks for any help you can give!

[BillMorrow]

hello and welcome to the forum..
i have a gen 2 X1 and my best guess is hardware..
or, if it has been exposed to dirt, maybe a bad "ribbon"connector..

[archetypitect]

Thanks for the response. I thought hardware at first too, but not sure it makes sense - the trackpoint and touchpad come and go together, and a restart fixes the problem. Are the trackpoint and touchpad on the same ribbon cable? And would restarting really fix broken hardware? Thanks again