FIXED: Dell Inspiron 3520 - Can't Turn Off Touchpad

I don't think Dell has ever had a laptop that didn't have touchpad problems. They use an ALPS device, and it seems they just aren't the best touchpads available.

On my new laptop, the touchpad is in a very inconvenient place, and no matter what I did, it would not work. None of the Control Panel settings worked nor did the F3 toggle key, and it would not turn off, even when I uninstalled the driver and rebooted! Now that's weird. It was like the touchpad just had a mind of its own.

It seems that the driver installed in this computer at the factory is not the one you need for Windows 8. Luckily (although they don't tell you this), there is a new driver on the Dell Downloads Website. To get there:

• Go to your Start Screen
• Click on the My Dell Support Center icon
• Click on the Drivers icon
• At the top of the page, specify Windows 8 (32 or 64 bit)
• Scroll down to Input
• Download and install the driver
• Restart your computer

VOILA! The touchpad works. Well, at least the F3 key works. I haven't tried the other controls.