Dear Computer Lady,
Thank you for all you do to help us.
I have Windows Vista on my laptop. I also use Windows Mail as my email.
Whether I am posting to Face Book or writing an email, I have a problem with typing along and all of a sudden my message is writing somewhere other than where it had been. Often in the middle of a previous line I had typed.
Any suggestions as to why this happens and how to fix it?
Thanks again, XOXO Grammy C
Dear Grammy,
I think this is the most often asked question in the history of The Computer Lady.
This happens because as you type on your keyboard, which is above the touch-pad on your laptop, your hand brushes against the touch-pad and moves your mouse. It is something that I struggle with when I am using my laptop as well.
There are a couple of possible solutions for you. If your laptop has a way to easily disable the touch-pad, that is the best way to go. On my laptop, there is a keyboard combination that turns off the touch-pad. Some laptops have a small light in one corner of the touch-pad, when you tap on the light, it changes color and the touch-pad is turned off.
If you can’t figure out how to turn it off, there is a very low-tech solution, just tape a small piece of cardboard, or one of those fake credit cards that comes in the mail over your touch-pad when not using it. Just put the tape on one side of the cardboard so that you can flip it out of the way when using the touch-pad.
Elizabeth
It’s Your Turn: What do you think?
…. Share your experience in the comments box below.
Elizabeth Boston is a Web designer, Social Media Consultant and managing editor of, “Ask The Computer Lady”.
Connect with Elizabeth on Google+
I use a free program called “Touchfreeze” on my laptop. It automatically turns off the touch pad while you are typing. It turns the touch pad back on when you are not typing.