Netbooks forum: hello! Somehow I managed to DIS-ABLE

Hi,

I think the best solution for you would be a USB mouse, even if you can get your touchpad work again.

Maceman

If so, keyboard navigation should work.

If you can't do that, then the other suggestion of connecting a USB mouse is the only other option.

Back to keyboard navigation in Windows. I assume you manage to load Windows to the Desktop, where the Taskbar and all your Desktop icons show. There should be no application windows open when you first load Windows.

Given that, I fail to see why the Tab key doesn't work. This is how mine works on the Desktop, (using Vista).

Blank Desktop, only icons displaying. I press the Tab key and watch the display for any highlighting. Using a combination of the Tab keys and the arrow keys I can get my Start menu button highlighted. press Enter.

The Start menu displays. Press the 'right' arrow key and this highlights the top or bottom icon in the right hand column where Control Panel is. Press the 'down' or 'up' arrow to highlight the Control Panel. Press Enter.

The Control Panel opens. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Mouse icon. Press Enter.

The Mouse control dialog window appears. If there are no options in the first displayed tab to re-select or enable the trackpad, use CTRL + Tab to move to the other tabs.

Find the tab where the option that disabled the trackpad is shown. use the Tab key to highlight this option. Often single alphabetical letter keys are needed to change options, eg remove a tick or replace a tick. Experiment with those. Arrow key to Apply, press Enter.

This 'keyboard navigation' is inherent in Windows, and likely in Mac and Linux as well. Before Windows when all we had was the keyboard and no mouse, this is how we navigated screens and options.

Mark