Can't keep touchpad turned off

[FewClues]

I'm running a Pavillion dv7 and have linux mint 12 [32bit] installed in dual boot with another linux distribution. I have been a Mint user for a long time (4 I think) and I have always loved it and felt smug about having the best available. I have a problem that annoys me to death but wont drive me from Mint. I use a wireless mouse and BIG hands and cannot type with an active touch pad.

I can turn off the touch pad with synclient TouchpadOFF=0 but this must be done each and every time I boot the OS. This is doable but I'm always into something before I realize I didn't set it to off.

I downloaded and installed gpointing-device-settings and configured it with the pad turned off as I had done in Mint 11 and all previous Mints. It turned off the pad instantly but again, I have to do that on each boot, which has never been necessary before Mint 12.

I've already contributed for this quarter but if somebody comes up with a fix another $25 goes into the pot.

[dagon]

Hi!

Try this:
1. Alt + F2
2. Type: gnome-session-properties
3. Press add!
4. Make up a nice name for your command / enter the command you have to run at login.

That's about it. The new command should be pre-checked so now you log out and in again to see if it worked!

Edit: And don't forget to check out Bimsebasses Gnome 3 tutorial:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=86813&start=0
Especially section 1a will be helpful for you. I'm on Gnome2 so I can't follow you all the way here.

Good luck!

[Aging Technogeek]

I have found that the easiest way to control the touchpad is to install "Touchpad Indicator" from the Gnome Shell Extensions list here

https://extensions.gnome.org/#page=1&shell_version=3.2.1

At the moment it is on the bottom of page 3.

With it you can toggle the touchpad on and off manually or automatically when you plug in a mouse.

[selittl]

Is there possibly a KDE version of this extension? Best I can tell the synaptics crap driver for kde does not allow the touchpad to turn off when a mouse is present.

[Aging Technogeek]

You can install the same thing using the ppa and instructions here:

http://www.webupd8.org/2011/02/touchpad-indicator-now-automatically.html.

[THEREALSYANiDE]

I can turn off the touch pad with synclient TouchpadOFF=0 but this must be done each and every time I boot the OS.

Orly?
You have two options. First one is to disable at boot, second option is to assign a keyboard shortcut to TOGGLE it on and off (and you could possibly just run one of these lines of code at startup to disable).

Option 1. Disable trackpad at boot

If this is something you want done every time you boot up, then open terminal and run this code:

Code: Select all

sudo gedit /usr/bin/trackmouseoff

Inside this file, put THIS:

#!/bin/bash
synclient TouchpadOFF=0

Now save it.

Now run THIS:

Code: Select all

sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/trackmouseoff

Then navigate to mintmenu/system/Preferences/Startup Applications and add an entry. Name it whatever you fancy, and put the following code as the command for this entry:

/usr/bin/trackmouseoff

That ought to disable your trackpad at boot every time.



Option 2: Set keyboard shortcut to toggle trackpad on and off

This is fairly straightforward.

If you are using Gnome3:
You will need gconftool (or possibly gconftool-2) and gconf-editor installed, and in your keyboard shortcut use the following command:

Code: Select all

gconftool --get /desktop/gnome/peripherals/touchpad/touchpad_enabled --toggle

If that doesn't work for you, try gconftool-2 instead. If I remember correctly, though, gconftool-2 is for Gnome2, and Mint 12 DOES NOT USE Gnome2 ANYWHERE.

If you are using Gnome classic / (MATE):
you will need mateconftool-2 and mateconf-editor installed, and in your keyboard shortcut use the following command:

Code: Select all

mateconftool-2 /desktop/mate/peripherals/touchpad/touchpad_enabled --toggle

IN THEORY, you might also be able to set one of those two lines of code (depending on which Desktop Manager you're using) as the command to run in Mintmenu/System/Preferences/Startup Applications, and that would disable the trackpad. Beware, though, as then you would only be able to re-enable it by issuing the same command over again, and using this command to disable is not suggested, in case you ever wanted to use it in the future you would have a hard time remembering/tracking down that it was disabled through a startup program command.

Hope this helps.


Cheers!

THE REAL SYANiDE