How to Replace a Synaptics Pointing Device Driver: Windows Vista Mousepad Troubleshooting

Sometimes when Windows Vista is running on a laptop, the touchpad or mousepad may change settings on its own. When you try to access the mouse settings from the control panel, you may receive the following error message: "Cannot connect to Synaptics Pointing Device Driver." If this happens to you, you can correct the problem by uninstalling the corrupted driver, and installing a new Synaptics driver. These tips will show you how to resolve this common touchpad issue.

First, go to Synaptics.com and at the bottom of the page click on "Drivers." This will take you to a menu of various Synaptics Pointing Device Drivers that are compatible with different versions of Windows. You should see some that are compatible with your Windows Vista. Download the correct version and save it on your desktop. DO NOT RUN IT just yet.

In the Control Panel on your computer, select "Uninstall A Program" and from the list, uninstall your current version of the Synaptics Pointing Device Driver.

Once you have uninstalled it, shut down your computer.

Now, restart your computer.

Click on the new version of Synaptics that you downloaded and click "Run." If by chance you have downloaded an incompatible version, an alert box will tell you so when you try to run it. In this case, you can just cancel it, and download the correct version. When you run the version that is compatible with your Windows Vista, it should take several minutes for the whole thing to download. When it finishes, you will be able to control your touchpad and mouse settings. The uncorrupted driver will not change its settings without your permission

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