I've just bought a new Acer Aspire 5742Z and the smart pad has suddenly stopped working. Any idea whether it's likely to be a hardware or software issue and how to fix it? I've tried connecting a mouse and that works fine.

Hi jennylewry...


To fix an unresponsive touchpad on your laptop, reactivate it by using the Function key on the keyboard and the Fn key.

This process is different for each computer manufacturer.
If unsure which Function key enables and disables the touchpad, try each one at a time and then
attempt to use the touchpad after each one.

A...Locate the "Fn" key of the laptop keyboard.
The "Fn" key has different colored text or the key is a different color.
B...Locate the function (F1 through F12) key at the top of the keyboard that disables or enables the touchpad on the laptop.
The key typically has an icon that resembles a touchpad with a finger touching it or a touchpad with a diagonal line through it.
C...Press both the "Fn" and touchpad Function key at the same time to reactive the touchpad on your laptop.
Move your finger along the touchpad to verify that it works. Press the combination at any time to disable the touchpad again.
Note: Mac computers use "F2" to enable and disable the touchpad.
D. Sony Vaio Users: Start>Settings>Control Panel>Double click the Mouse icon.
Look at the top left hand side of the page, at the top and make sure that the "Tapping" box is unchecked, if it is checked then, you will uncheck it.
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