Should I uninstall the current driver first? Actually, never mind, I uninstalled the ALPS driver. Then I installed the Synaptics driver. The problem is that even though it shows up on the system tray (or notification area, as it is called in Windows 7 Pro 64-bit), it doesn't look like it was really installed.

The Device Manager shows a "Synaptics PS/2 Port TouchPad". If I try to use the system tray to access the Synaptics Pointing Device, the Device Settings tab only shows a "Standard Pointing Device". On other computers, I'd actually see the word Touchpad in the device name.

Despite that, I tried to access the device's properties. I did not see the suite of panels that Synaptics normally provides for scrolling region, button assignment, etc. Instead, I see a video showing a CGI finger using the touchpad.

There is also a Settings icon, but all that does is open a panel to assign functions to the left and right buttons. I cannot have one of the two buttons act like a middle button in a 3-button mouse (which I need for some apps).

I am at a loss as to what to do. This computer was not purchased at a retail outlet. Toshiba's depot in Toronto sent it to me because some bad things happened to my original computer when they shipped it to me after repair task (the screen was damaged).

They were having trouble getting parts, so they sent me this machine instead. They sent me this particular model because I asked for it, after perusing the specs (which include gesture capability). I'm not sure they will take it back.

Even if they do, what's to prevent the replacement from also suffering the same problem? At any rate, I need the computer for the next week at least because income tax preparation deadline is fast approaching.

When the ALPS driver is installed (the one that comes with the laptop) and I access Mouse from the Control Panel, I get the same panel as accessing the Touch Pad properties from the notification area. The Advance tab allows binding different functions to the buttons, but nothing resembling middle-button.

When I uninstall the ALPS driver, there is no Advance tab. There is only a Hardware tab containing a Devices list, and the only device is "PS/2 Compatible Mouse". Not much in the way of settings to change. There is now way to program buttons for middle-button functionality.

When Synaptics is installed, there is an additional Device Settings tab containing a Devices list. The only device is "Shared Pointing Device" and invoking its Properties panel is what displays the video of simple touchpad usage. There is a properties button, but it won't allow me to assign the middle-button function to the Left Button unless I go to the Tapping page and bind the Primary Click to mouse taps.

Unfortunately, unlike Synaptics on other laptops, there is no extensive navigation pane of customizations on this laptop. There is no Tapping page. Tapping works anyway, but I'm sure that's because it's part of the standard PS/2 TouchPad driver.

As far as Synaptics is concerned, however, I haven't set that functionality, so it does not allow binding of middle-button function to physical Left Button. Also, there is no page to set scroll regions. The are no scroll regions. And in the absence of multi-touch gesture, this mean no touchpad scrolling at all.

Sigh.

Message was edited by: Bookworm123