Trackpad and trackpad button often unresponsive in Mavericks

Question

This is an offshoot of discussion about a mouse right click not always working since upgrading to Mavericks.
I said using the trackpad and trackpad button on my MBP often doesn't effect the computer; I have to repeat those actions multiple times before anything happens.
Drew Reece offered some suggestions for my issues:
First, I came to Mavericks from Snow Leopard because I'd tried Lion and Mt. Lion but found my old laptop (early 2008 MBP v4.1) ran way, too slow.
Before going whole hog on Mavericks I read a lot, then installed it on an external drive (spinning, connected with FW800) and played with it for a few days.  I used Migration Assistant to make the move, which segregated software that was not compatible.  Mavericks was slow for a few days, but did gradually speed up.   However, that was when I first ran into the issue with the trackpad and button not registering with the computer's display.  I also ran into the problems with Mail not liking my 3 Gmail accounts but actually solved that using by booting in safe mode, thanks to another poster here.  Not sure why - I attributed it to Spotlight indexing the drive - everything about the computer was very slow and extremely funky while in safe mode; no way I would want to judge the OS based on performance during that boot.  It was awful.
I did update a lot of applications to Mavericks-ready versions while I was using 10.9 on that external drive.
When I felt comfortable, I wiped my NBP hard drive and did a clean install of Mavericks, followed by repeating the same software updates.  Then used Super Duper to just bring over User folders from that external drive.  Because SD restores the Spotlight state there was no "break-in" period so Mavericks ran reasonably fast right away.  I wasn't ready for iCloud deleting my Address Book data but, fortunately, I replaced everything from the external drive's Users/me/Library/Application Support/Address Book folder.
So, per Drew's suggestion, I ran EtreCheck:
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2008)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro4,1
          1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          GeForce 8600M GT     - VRAM: 256 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3
Startup Items:
          FanControlDaemon - Path: /Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon
          Tor - Path: /Library/StartupItems/Tor
System Software:
          OS X 10.9 (13A603) - Uptime: 0 days 0:53:59
Disk Information:
          Hitachi HTS542520K9SA00 disk0 : (200.05 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Power 10 (disk0s2) /: 199.71 GB (71.1 GB free)
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. iPod
          Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple, Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
          Other World Computing OXFORD IDE Device 1 400mbit - 800mbit max
                    EFI (disk3s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Banksy (disk3s2) /Volumes/Banksy: 299.21 GB (180.6 GB free)
          Other World Computing OXFORD IDE Device 1 800mbit - 800mbit max
                    EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Got Your Back (disk1s2) /Volumes/Got Your Back: 319.73 GB (196.91 GB free)
          OWC Mercury Elite Pro 800mbit - 800mbit max
                    EFI (disk4s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Video (disk4s2) /Volumes/Video: 1 TB (561.34 GB free)
                    Repechage (disk4s3) /Volumes/Repechage: 1 TB (513.06 GB free)
                    Wayback (disk4s4) /Volumes/Wayback: 999.39 GB (108.82 GB free)
          OWC Mercury Elite unknown_device 800mbit - 800mbit max
                    EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Check It! (disk2s2) /Volumes/Check It!: 1 TB (513.38 GB free)
                    The Shed (disk2s3) /Volumes/The Shed: 300 GB (180.43 GB free)
                    Space (disk2s4) /Volumes/Space: 697.3 GB (558.43 GB free)
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
          at.obdev.nke.LittleSnitch          (4050)
          com.rogueamoeba.InstantOn          (6.0.3)
          com.bresink.driver.BRESINKx86Monitoring          (9.0)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] at.obdev.littlesnitchd.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist
          [loaded] com.barebones.authd.plist
          [loaded] com.bombich.ccc.plist
          [not loaded] com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.1F60888F-BFED-41C0-85FC-E077C4E6162C.plist
          [not loaded] com.freemacsoft.appcleanerdaemon.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist
          [loaded] com.micromat.TechToolProDaemon.plist
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
          [loaded] org.glimmerblocker.proxy.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist
Launch Agents:
          [loaded] at.obdev.LittleSnitchUIAgent.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist
          [loaded] com.divx.dms.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.divx.update.agent.plist
          [failed] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.micromat.TechToolProAgent.plist
          [loaded] com.sony.PMBPortable.AutoRun.plist
          [loaded] net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist
          [loaded] org.glimmerblocker.updater.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] ca.madefresh.BodegaAgent.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.akamai.single-user-client.plist
          [not loaded] com.bombich.ccc-user-agent.plist
          [not loaded] de.metaquark.appfresh.plist
          [not loaded] ws.agile.1PasswordAgent.plist
User Login Items:
          GrowlHelperApp
          GrowlMenu
          KeyCue
          SizeUp
          BookMacster
          MagiCal
          Caffeine
          Dates to iCal 2
          iTrashGhost
          Rogue Amoeba Schedule Helper
          Aurora Wakeup Helper
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          A Better Finder Preferences
          Akamai NetSession Preferences
          EarthDesk
          Fan Control
          Flash Player
          Flip4Mac WMV
          GlimmerBlocker
          MacFUSE (Tuxera)
          MenuMeters
          Perian
          TechTool Protection
Internet Plug-ins:
          AdobeAAMDetect.plugin
          AdobePDFViewer.plugin
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin
          Default Browser.plugin
          DirectorShockwave.plugin
          DivX Web Player.plugin
          Flash Player.plugin
          FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin
          Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin
          googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin
          iPhotoPhotocast.plugin
          JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
          npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin
          o1dbrowserplugin.plugin
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin
          OVSHelper.plugin
          QuickTime Plugin.plugin
          RealPlayer Plugin.plugin
          SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin
          Silverlight.plugin
          Unity Web Player.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
          CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin
          SheepSystemsNPAPIPlugin.plugin
Bad Fonts:
          None
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Mobile backups: OFF
          Auto backup: NO
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Banksy: Disk size: 299.21 GB Disk used: 118.61 GB
          Destinations:
                    Wayback [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 999.39 GB
                    Total number of backups: 85
                    Oldest backup: 2012-11-13 14:09:20 +0000
                    Last backup: 2013-11-10 12:12:44 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Excellent
                              Backup size 999.39 GB > (Disk size 299.21 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU:
              18%          firefox
               6%          WindowServer
               2%          EtreCheck
               2%          Finder
               1%          SystemUIServer
               0%          Little Snitch Agent
               0%          Little Snitch Network Monitor
               0%          fontd
               0%          Aurora Wakeup Helper
               0%          Little Snitch Daemon
Top Processes by Memory:
          616 MB   firefox
          365 MB   com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          160 MB   Finder
          127 MB   WindowServer
          98 MB    Mail
          94 MB    mds_stores
          86 MB    Dock
          78 MB    AdobeAcrobat
          49 MB    Contacts
          45 MB    soagent
Virtual Memory Statistics:
          696 MB   Free RAM
          1.73 GB  Active RAM
          1.05 GB  Inactive RAM
          552 MB   Wired RAM
          517 MB   Page-ins
          0 B      Page-outs
I don't see anything that mentions software - good or bad.  And I don't see anything else that indicates a problem but maybe I just don't know how to read this report?
Sorry about the length of this but I wanted to addres all Drew's suggestions.  And I'm still seeing those intermittent trackpad/button issues.
- thanks

Answer 1

I'll try to break down each of these sections & point out any bad signs below.
Hopefully the color helps…
Alex Machi wrote:
Startup Items:
          FanControlDaemon - Path: /Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon
          Tor - Path: /Library/StartupItems/Tor
Kernel Extensions:
          at.obdev.nke.LittleSnitch          (4050)
          com.rogueamoeba.InstantOn          (6.0.3)
          com.bresink.driver.BRESINKx86Monitoring          (9.0)
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] at.obdev.littlesnitchd.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist
          [loaded] com.barebones.authd.plist
          [loaded] com.bombich.ccc.plist
          [not loaded] com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.1F60888F-BFED-41C0-85FC-E077C4E6162C.plist
          [not loaded] com.freemacsoft.appcleanerdaemon.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist
          [loaded] com.micromat.TechToolProDaemon.plist
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
          [loaded] org.glimmerblocker.proxy.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist
Launch Agents:
          [loaded] at.obdev.LittleSnitchUIAgent.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist
          [loaded] com.divx.dms.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.divx.update.agent.plist
          [failed] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.micromat.TechToolProAgent.plist
          [loaded] com.sony.PMBPortable.AutoRun.plist
          [loaded] net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist
          [loaded] org.glimmerblocker.updater.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] ca.madefresh.BodegaAgent.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [not loaded] com.akamai.single-user-client.plist
          [not loaded] com.bombich.ccc-user-agent.plist
          [not loaded] de.metaquark.appfresh.plist
          [not loaded] ws.agile.1PasswordAgent.plist
User Login Items:
          GrowlHelperApp
          GrowlMenu
          KeyCue
          SizeUp
          BookMacster
          MagiCal
          Caffeine
          Dates to iCal 2
          iTrashGhost
          Rogue Amoeba Schedule Helper
          Aurora Wakeup Helper
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          A Better Finder Preferences
          Akamai NetSession Preferences
          EarthDesk
          Fan Control
          Flash Player
          Flip4Mac WMV
          GlimmerBlocker
          MacFUSE (Tuxera)
          MenuMeters
          Perian
          TechTool Protection
Internet Plug-ins:
          AdobeAAMDetect.plugin
          AdobePDFViewer.plugin
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin
          Default Browser.plugin
          DirectorShockwave.plugin
          DivX Web Player.plugin
          Flash Player.plugin
          FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin
          Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin
          googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin
          iPhotoPhotocast.plugin
          JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
          npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin
          o1dbrowserplugin.plugin
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin
          OVSHelper.plugin
          QuickTime Plugin.plugin
          RealPlayer Plugin.plugin
          SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin
          Silverlight.plugin
          Unity Web Player.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
          CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin
          SheepSystemsNPAPIPlugin.plugin
Red items are loaded at the system level
Blue items are loaded at the user level
The other stuff gets loaded into apps like Safari - they are internet plugins.
Cleanup:
All the usual caveats apply, backup before you modify the system, delete the items (or move them to another disk or folder if you are worried about deleting the wrong thing) but ensure the originals are gone or updated.
Use the Finders "Go menu > Go to Folder…" to open the hidden ~/Library (your users library).
Reboot for the system changes to take effect.
How to find updates:
The critical launchd jobs & kernel extensions use reverse domain notation e.g.
at.obdev.littlesnitchd.plist means look at http://obdev.at for 'LittleSnitch' updates
You want to try to update or remove all the system level items.
Startup Items: Stored in /Library/StartupItems/
Startup Items have been discontinued by Apple since Mac OS 10.4. They are responsible for making changes at a system level. Remove them all or spend time ensuring ALL related software is up to date. You need a very good reason to have anything installed in here.
Kernel Extensions: Stored in /Library/Extensions/
Kernel Extensions also load third party code, but they insert it into the 'core' of the OS. These can be safe, however you must ensure the related tools or apps are up to date, otherwise the system is basically built upon quicksand. Remove them all & see if the OS works better.
Your LittleSnitch is out of date for example, how about hardware monitor or Rogueamoeba's software?
Launchd jobs: several types
LaunchAgents          - Stored in /Library/LaunchAgents
LaunchDaemons       - Stored in /Library/LaunchDaemons
User LaunchAgents   - Stored in ~/Library/LaunchAgents
These are all background jobs, they are not necessarily bad, but if they are loading old code it could be doing untold damage to the performance & stability of the entire OS. Focus on the System level jobs (the ones inside /Library - the system level) also remove ['failed'] jobs.
EtreCheck gives a status on launchd jobs…
[loaded]                  - a running job
[not loaded]            - jobs that are set not to run, basically harmless, remove them unless you plan to use the associated software (if it is up to date)
[failed]                    - jobs in a crashed or unknown state, it could be forking processes or using all the system resources, remove these.
User login items:
Applications and helpers that are managed inside 'Systems Preferences > Users and groups > Login Items tab'.
These are loaded at the 'User level', consider removing all of them whilst you troubleshoot.  When you decide to re-add them ensure the software is up to date.
3rd Party Preference Panes: & Internet Plug-ins:
/Library/PreferencePanes/ and ~/Library/PreferencePanes/
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ and ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
Once again these items all must be up to date, or remove them from your system. If the prefpanes manage additional software use the uninstaller or see the developers site for uninstall instructions.
Read the list of Internet plug-ins carefully, there are often duplicate Flash player versions that won't help stability, it's just wasted space too.
Don't forget to also update Safari's extensions in it's preferences (if you have any).
Re-run EtreCheck after cleaning up to see if items have returned (some apps will reload the background jobs when re-opened, so either update or remove the software).
Hope that isn't too daunting, the OS should be better if there are less old items running at the system level.