topic Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver? in Mobile and Desktop Processors

Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

DCaiz — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 05:36:27 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Still struggling with my cheap Schneider laptop (SCL141CTP), sometimes, I feel like throwing it against a wall, what with the touchpad acting erratically (to say the least): at times, a double-tap won't register at all, and I have to do it three, sometimes four times to get it to work; some other times, the pointer will remain stuck to whatever part of a webpage it was hovering above, and an attempt to move it will register as a tap, etc...

The basic, Windows 10-installed driver doesn't offer anything in the way of fine-tuning and customization, and I can't even find the name of the vendor that manufactured it, so I'd like to know if there's a generic driver package that fits on the Atom x5-z8350 platform, or if a reputable vendor (e.g.: Synaptics, Alps, etc...) does propose Atom-compatible drivers that I could install in lieu of the crappy OEM one.

Schneider doesn't offer anything either when it comes to supporting its customers...

Thanks in advance, this is driving me nuts...

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

AlHill — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 05:45:07 GMT

Nothing available here. You MUST deal with Schneider to resolve this, or just get a better name-brand laptop.

Doc

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

DCaiz — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 16:03:57 GMT

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time!

That's what I was afraid of. Is there a tool that could help me determine who the vendor for this specific peripheral is? I have tried Speccy, but it's of no help.

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

AlHill — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 16:15:04 GMT

In the device manager, go to the touchpad device, right-click on the device and select update driver, then search automatically.

That may allow you to update the driver.

If that does not work, right-click on the touchpad device and select properties, then details, then in the pull down look for manufacturer.

If that does not work, you may want to try and contact https://www.alps.com/e/ ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD as they are a provider of many touchpads and drivers.

The above link is provided only for your convenience.

Doc

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

n_scott_pearson — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 22:34:48 GMT

This processor is essentially what is in one of the Intel Compute Sticks. Try this driver: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26182/Compute-Stick-Intel-HD-Graphics-Driver-for-STK1AW32SC?product=91065 Download Intel® HD Graphics Driver for STK1AW32SC.

Hope this helps,

...S

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

DCaiz — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 15:49:40 GMT

Hi All,

Thanks for the link, Scott, but my graphics driver seems OK. It's the touchpad that's acting up, and I can't seem to find who made it, and where to download a more recent/complete driver from.

Like Al pointed out in a previous reply, this laptop is cheap, and I can't expect it to perform like a MacBook Pro. All in all, this platform, however limited (2GB of RAM, 32GB of eMMC), is relatively nice to work on; the keyboard is a piece of crap, and, obviously, the touchpad too, but the PC is compact, lightweight, and battery life is OK. Not great, but OK.

Support by the OEM is non-existent (they do have a Customer Support department here in France, but when it comes to solving actual issues, they hunker down and hope it'll go away), so I have to pick your brain here...

I can live with the crappy touchpad and keyboard, but it's irksome to see how badly integrated some components are.

Thanks anyway for your input, y'all!

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

n_scott_pearson — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 02:56:41 GMT

Did you try, as Al suggested, to determine who the touchpad manufacturer is by looking at the data included in the device properties (via Device Manager)?

...S

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

DCaiz — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 15:19:13 GMT

Yep, and it says the manufacturer is Microsoft... I very much doubt Microsoft makes touchpads; they do sell mice and keyboards, but a touchpad is another ball of wax.

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

n_scott_pearson — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 22:13:22 GMT

No, no. Go to the Details tab and look at the Hardware Ids. The first entry typically is the one you want. It will have a Vendor Id (VEN_xxxxx) and a Device Id (DEV_xxxxx). Take these two ids and do a web search. For example, in my laptop, it lists VEN_ELAN and DEV_0501. When I search on the web, I find that it is an ELANTECH touchpad.

Hope this helps,

...S

Re: Atom x5-z8350: install a better touchpad driver?

DCaiz — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 07:02:26 GMT

Got it. As a matter of fact, I'd already done that, but vendor ID "258A" is hard to find. However, your mentioning Elan triggered a memory from my past research, and I downloaded a driver from that vendor.

Upon installation, when I was prompted to start the software, I got an error message stating that no device linked to that driver was found on my PC. I pointed a driver update at the folder where the driver had been written on my HDD, and was told by Windows that "the best driver was already installed, and would I please take a hike"...

From past experience, I know that drivers from Synaptics and Alps will install just fine, but won't be recognized by the hardware, so basically, I'm stuck with this touchpad, probably until I blow a gasket and throw the PC at the wall.

Unless you guys come up with a magic trick of some kind, that is...