MacBook Pro Trackpad Problems

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I was on my laptop and my trackpad just stopped working. It wouldn't register anything. I could move my cursor around, but when I would move it to my dock, it wouldn't do anything (I have it set to magnify when I move my cursor over it.). This stayed for a bit. I restarted my computer and the same thing happened. the trackpad wouldn't work. My trackpad then started working fully by itself, but that only lasted two minutes. Then the tap to click was working but the press down to click and the finger swipes didn't. I saw somewhere that you could hold your palm on it for 5 seconds and it would reset. I did that and the tap to click and the finger swipes now work, but the press to click doesn't, it was stuck. I then found a forum where the person said to try sticking a corner of a piece of paper in the sides to dislodge anything. Somewhere in between trying that, the trackpad unstuck and can click, but it isn't responding. I can't drag and drop or highlight anything, but the finger swipes and the tap click works. I normally don't eat or drink around my MBP so I have no idea what has happened! Can anyone help me?

I have a 15" MBP bought new in 2009 and I am running Leopard.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

If your machine is still under warranty or Apple care, take it on in to Apple and have them look at it. They'll probably replace the trackpad.

Regards.

Thanks, I really wish there was an Apple store in my area
'There is none within driving distance to where I live. There is a place that sells Macs and other apple products though. I wonder if they could fix it for me?
would the replacement be free if it was still under warranty?

You should check this out Elantech.net

Thank you chilimagic, I'll look into it. I am not from the US so it's hard to get service! I live in The Middle of Nowhere, Canada

I think the apple reseller may be able to repair it, if not, I can give this a shot!

Elan Technologies is only in the US.

Your best bet is to use a local Apple authorized reseller or service center. Since you live in Canada, sending your MBP to the US for repairs is going to be expensive and you may run into problems with customs and GST.

Regards.

Catie89, did you resolve the problem? I am having the exact same problem, including the dock bar issue. I reset my computer and now have use of everything but the click. Any ideas?

Thank you!

Blindsideboarde,

Can you tap to click but not press down and click?

My issue was resolved by taking it to the nearest apple authorized seller. Since I had a warranty, they said it was a faulty trackpad button and fixed it free of charge!

I realize this is going to sound stupid but... have you tried cleaning the track pad with a damp cloth that has a *tid bit* of mild soap on it ? Have you tried vacuuming between the cracks ? Sometimes bits of stuff gets trapped, plus the track pad can get very oily which can cause it to not respond as well.

Doug

Apple just released 10.6.4 yesterday. It specifically states that this update addresses the issue in this thread.

iLaw, it may resolve a trackpad issue, but not this one. My issue was not software related, but hardware related and I had to get the trackpad replaced. I also run Leopard (10.5.8), not Snow Leopard as my laptop was purchased early last year. I haven't upgraded yet. As for doug B's suggestion, I had tried some of those suggestions and nothing worked to get it pressing down to click again and that is when I decided to take it in to my local apple seller.

Blindsideboarde, Do you run leopard, snow leopard, etc?
Do you have an external mouse? , if you do, hook it up to your MBP and click around on it, if it works, then you may have a hardware problem. Try some of the suggestions that doug b had and if that doesn't work and If you still have a warranty, go to your local apple store or reseller and get it fixed. It was all covered for me.