2011 13" MBP Trackpad issue

I have a month-old 13" MBP. I've noticed that the trackpad often has problems differentiating between one finger and two finger gestures. Specifically, often while attempting to scroll with two fingers, it simply moves the cursor out of position as with a typical one-finger gesture.
In playing around the with trackpad tonight, I discovered that while acting up, if I add a third finger, it senses a 'second' finger and scrolls. If I lift my fingers and put them back down, it almost always senses properly again.
FWIW, I also have a 15" unibody that I use for presentations several times a week (i like the bigger screen for presenter notes, previews, etc.), and have been a mac laptop user for 15+ years, starting with my Powerbook Duo around '95, so I have an idea of the feel of the trackpad. The settings on both the 13" and the 15" are identical, so it's not a settings problem.
So I guess my question is:
Is this most likely a hardware, software or firmware issue, and is there anything that can be reset that might help the issue? It's intermittent, not constant, but probably happens at least once every 2-3 minutes while surfing.
Thanks for the help!

Well I've trying to figure out some other trends with this trackpad issue and have discovered this: If my fingers are within 1/4 -3/8" of one another while two-finger scrolling, it works fine. If they are more than 1/2" apart while attempting the same, it only picks up one of the points of contact and interprets the gesture as simply moving the cursor. My 15" MBP doesn't react that way at all.
Any ideas?

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Anyone have issues with 2011 13" MBP trackpad

I have a 2011 13" MBP and there are now places on the touchpad that don't click and the click seems lighter even on the areas that do respond to click.
Is this a known issue?

I have a 2011 13" MBP and there are now places on the touchpad that don't click and the click seems lighter even on the areas that do respond to click.
Is this a known issue?

2011 17" MBP TrackPad Left and Right Click Intermittent in Win7/64

A few weeks ago I installed Win7 Pro 64 via Bootcamp in a new 2011 MBP 17 (2.3gig). Since day one the trackpad left and right click buttons have been intermittent in Windows only.
For example, while surfing the web some clicks work, others don't, often have to repeat clicks to get it to work, then next time it will work the first time. This is not just a Safari problem, it happens in every program including the Finder.
I think it is a driver issue and Apple needs to get on the ball and fix the problem and send out an update (yes I have the latest version).
I saw where a guy had written drivers to address the problems with the low quality Apple drivers. His is called TrackPad+++ but it is bloated and I'd rather not install it nor should have to.
Anyone else having this problem or found a good solution? BTW an external USB mouse works great.

After a little bit of looking around i found my answer! Use the BootCamp Control Panel that you can call up by clicking on the boot camp icon in the notifications panel. There one can enable tap to click, dragging, and right click.

Previous Gen MBP trackpad issue

I currently own the previous generation MBP 17" and never had a problem with it until recently. The issue that I'm having is the trackpad button seems to be constantly depressed/stuck, but not always making contact, so it randomly left-clicks now and then. Is this something that Apple will be able to repair?

Sure. Just set up a genius appointment at an Apple store or contact repairs at apple.com.
It will most likely require a replacement of the trackpad if there seems to be a physical problem.

MBP trackpad issue

Hello,
I've searched for this problem and have not found anyone with this same issue. The trackpad suddenly quit "moving the cursor" and will only scroll the screen (if possible). When it scrolls, it will do it with only one finger (not two!) AND then only when moving diagonally, not vertical or horizontal. I have checked and unchecked all the things in the Preferences pane, reset the PRAM and reset the SMC, nothing works. The battery has not swollen and the keyboard seems fine; the trackpad does have a slight low point almost dead center compared to the edges. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance....

Not that I'm aware of, but I'll clean it. Thanks!
Update: Cleaning fixed the problem. Thank you so much for the help!!! I've never seen such a quick response on any forums.....Mac people really are different - I'm a switcher now for 1 month. Again thanks!

2011 13" MBP Battery issue?

I went on camp over the weekend to find my MacBook Pro in its usual spot on top of my bed, exactly wher I left it. As I attempted to boot it, I realized it was futile as I ran my battery out just before I left. I stuck my 60W MagSafe in their and left it for a while whilst I hooked up my Xbox to foxtel. The light on my MagSafe adapter was green and I pushed the power button. That system resume loading bar appeared. The laptop was extremely slow and the battery icon had an x in the middle. I consulted google immediately, in which I found a way to reset the SMC. I tried it and it Only made my troubles worse, the fan runs at full blast when I turn it on. Adding that my battery indicator no longer works as well as the battery icon with an x in it, I'm puzzled as to what I should do. There is an apple store 45 mins away but I find it hard to get over there. Please help :/

Shut the system down completely by either Pressing the power button and then select Shut Down or if that does not work then hold the power button down until the unit turns off. Leave it off for 1/2-1 hour with the AC adapter connected.
Since you ran your battery completely empty it take time for it to recharge to a state that will allow the MBP to see that is OK again. mAll MBPs use both battery and AC power when the AC adapter is connected. Withotu some charge in the battery the unit thinks the battery is no good.
Good Luck.

Trackpad Issue - Please Help!

Hi there,
Hope you can help me out here.
I've recently purchased a 15" i7 Macbook pro. The machine is but 3 weeks old &, of course, very well looked after.
A few days ago, the built-in trackpad started behaving eratically. Cursor moving by itself, not responding to touch, clicking and opening things involuntarily. Not good at all. Many users seem to have had this exact same issue.
These problems seemed to miraculously stop after a few re-boots and possibly a software update? I really couldn't tell you what resolved the problem.
Unfortunately I now have a totally different problem.
There is a thin, possibly 8 to 10mm horizontal strip across the centre of the trackpad that no longer responds to touch. If I move my finger from the botom of the trackpad upwards (or vice versa), the cursor will stop momentarily as it passes over the horizontal strip. The buttons are fine and the rest of the trackpad is fine. For the moment, I've increased the cursor acceleration so that I can at least navigate round the screen with a smaller area of the trackpad. USB magic mouse seems to work fine.
If anyone else has experienced this &/or found a solution for this issue, please help me out here. I have rifled through endless threads about MBP trackpad issues with little success & do not live close to an apple store/genius bar.
This is a 3 week old machine that cost me a small fortune. To be getting software/hardware issues so early on in it's lifespan is really rather worrying for the future.
Appreciate your help here.
J

I'm not sure what caused this, but I extended my lunch break and drove the machine down to the Westfield apple store. I didn't have an appointment with the Genius Bar but I managed to persuade one of the staff to speak to a technician in the workshop. She came back into the store and told me that they had replacement trackpads and that , considering the machine was only 3 weeks old, the technicians kindly sandwiched the repair into their timetable at zero cost. 2 Hours later, I now have a perfectly functioning trackpad/machine.
I can't thank them enough.
My only gripe is that I couldn't speak to a technician to find out what the problem was, how they resolved it or what causes these issues for future reference. Understanding why these problems occur often helps to build your own framework of understanding. Most of the threads i've read about trackpad issues are largely unresolved with people only speculating the problem/solution.
The initial issue I had with the trackpad's erratic behaviour seemed to be a well known problem that many are associating with a trackpad firmware update. Unless by pure coincidence I had an immediate & major hardware fault after it, which is unlikely, my personal guess is that the two issues were related.

IChat issues on 2011 17" MBP

I recently got a 2011 17" MBP (10.6.7). I've been using a 2008 15" MBP (10.6.7).
I communicate daily with colleagues using video iChat.
The 2008 MPB has run iChat without any issues for months.
When I try the 17", I get bandwidth issues (my signal breaks up at the other end, video freezes, aberrant audio) The connection doctor shows my rate of tranmission dropping dramatically.
I tried shutting off all other programs and it worked okay. Starting up Safari caused it to choke. I tried switching from wireless to ethernet and it had no affect.
I tried reducing the bandwidth to 500 kbps and it didn't fix the problem.
I can start up the 15" MPB on Wifi, connect flawlessly to the same people, even while running Safari.
Clearly the issue is somewhere in the 17"MBP. Any recommendations?
Don't know if this is related but it does feel like the 17" does not load web pages in Safari as fast as the 15" but I haven't documented it precisely.
Thanks,
Dan

Hi,
It does sound a bit odd.
Most likely there is a process running that is using the Processor(s) quite heavily.
Open the Activity Monitor (In Applications/Utilities).
In the window there is a drop down in the top bar.
Select All Processes in this drop down.
The List is normally is reverse order with the things that loaded or started later near the top. (The PID numbers)
You should find that most things you are running are above the Finder's icon.
iChat should be listed if Open.
iChatAgent (A support app that has no icon) should also be listed
iChat should show a fairly small number in the CPU column and iChatAgent should be at zero.
Depending on the Processor iChat should rise to about 20% during a Video Chat
I would look down the CPU column first to see what is showing as being in use.
A Web Browser should be at rest, certainly below 5% once a page has loaded.
A Pic of mine
I use Skitch to grab pics and edit the comments on them so it shows relatively high on my G4/1Ghz Dual Processor. (Green Stuff)
iChat was open but no chats were happening (Some of the red)
The Activity Monitor was what I had open as well so it shows CPU usege (Blue)
The thing to look for is unexpected items listed as running.
Compare these to the things in System Preferences > Accounts > (your account) Login Items.
7:52 PM Thursday; June 2, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.7)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

HT4906 iPhoto disappeared from my late 2011 17'' MBP OS 10.7.4, app store says: These apps cannot be accepted on this computer.

iPhoto disappeared from my late 2011 17'' MBP OS 10.7.4, app store says: These apps cannot be accepted on this computer.
What should I do?

Hey there! So, I already contacted Mac App Store support several times, the response:
- "Apple is currently working toward a resolution for the issue you have reported. You will receive an email after the matter has been investigated and further information is available.
Thank you for your patience. Apple wants your iTunes experience to be as enjoyable as possible"
I answered I really needed it, and if they knew the estimated time it would take to solve the issue. Here's the last response.
- "According to your previous correspondence, you have not been able to install iLife after reinstalling OS X Lion. I understand that this issue is under investigation, and that you would like to know the amount of time needed to find a resolution. As a fellow iTunes customer, I certainly understand that you need to use iPhoto for professional reasons, and I'll gladly help you to resolve this problem.
Unfortunately, I am unable to give you the exact amount of time this issue could take. I do assure you that our engineers are currently working towards a resolution. "
I'm going to an Apple Sotre Genius today, in 2 hours. I'll keep updated!!

Weird trackpad issue. OSX?

This is strange and possibly a tad petty, but I cant get my trackpad tracking sensativity anything less than full. Whenever I go into System Preferences to change it, it always sets itself back to full when I close the window. Is there some sort of memory file that resets it when I close the window? Ideas?

Are you having problems with your trackpad while typing? My pointer moves around like crazy while typing. The four corners are suppose to be dead while typing but arent!
I have had two SR MBPs captured with this issue and other issues! The thing that piXXed me off was that with the first capture they ignored the trackpad issue so in goes the second one.
I feel so used...
frank

When is 10.6.3 coming and will it fix the trackpad issues????

I have been researching this issue since I purchased my new unibody in Jan 2010. Needless to say, I have not found a permanent solution for any of these trackpad related issues.
Before the unibody I had the MBP aluminum for 2 years and never had a single trackpad issue. These issues are definitely intermittent/sporadic and I cannot seem to narrow the trackpad problems down to one particular application.
Here are the issues I've been encountering and I would certainly like to see Apple respond to our requests ASAP.
-Trackpad clicks don't always register.
-3 & 4 finger gestures stop working at random. **temporary fix offered by majicman here**
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10570452
-trackpad movement/scrolling sporadicly becomes unresponsive. Dead zones on the trackpad.
-cursor jumps (rarity for me, but from what I've read it's common for other users.)
-*when clicking on a file in the finder window, a single click often registers as a double click and instead of highlighting the file, a single click opens the file.* *This is my biggest issue**
Don't know about you guys, but I didn't spend $2600 on a notebook computer to encounter these annoyances...I could have bought (3) PC notebooks for the cost of this MBP Unibody and I expect that Apple will hold up their end of the bargain by making this a superior product!
Please show us some support Apple and fix these bugs!!
Thanks,
Mike

Here's my voodoo fixes:
~Delete contents of ~/Library/Preferences (I've accumulated a lot of junk there)
~Delete contents of ~/Library/Caches and contents of /Library/Caches
~Reinstall 10.6.3 v1.1 Combo Updater
~Repair permissions
~Reset PRAM/SMC
~Put computer to sleep and then wake it up
Don't insert any external USB mice etc in the meantime.
See if it works.

My 2011 early MBP pro 15 freezes at startup with distorted image

My 2011 early MBP pro 15 freezes at startup with distorted image, and sometimes its blank screen, I have also noticed that the machine heats up quickly at the same time.
I got this problem few weeks ago when it is running windows 7 in vitual machine. Firstly I used a software to disable the discrete graphic card and it backed to work for 2 weeks until the OS got an update (might be a firmware update since it required restart). Now it stops working completely.
I have try two hard drive (I have put in a SSD few months ago) and run the command line disk check on both of them, nothing wrong.
I tried to run disk utility/time machine at start-up, distorted screen or just blank
I tried to reinstall rams, did not work.
Any other possible solutions?

Hi xiaotianfromsydney,
If you are having video and startup issues, you may want to take a look at the following troubleshooting articles:
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
If you believe something may have happened with a firmware update, either from the OS update or from the software control of the discreet graphics card, you may also want to take a look at this article:
Apple Support: About the Firmware Restoration CD (Intel-based Macs)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2213
Regards,
- Brenden

Best Mini Display to DVI adapter for 2011 17" MBP w/no blocked ports!

I am looking to get a Mini Display to DVI adapter for my 2011 17" MBP.
+(Preferably it would even be one with a 6' cord.)+
It is not clear which one I should buy. Apple's (adapter only, no cord), is $30, while I can see others for far less on Amazon.
I have read that some of these adapters actually block the FW800 and USB ports on either side.
A blocked, or displaced FW800 port is a deal breaker.
1. Can someone with a 2011 17" MBP tell me that they have either one of these adapters, or the one with the cord, and that it doesn't block their FW800 port? (I'll pay the $30 (albeit grudgingly) if its the only one that works.)
2. This may be a dumb question, but the specs on these adapters say that they are capable of 1080p resolution. Would that mean they would work with a 1920x1200 monitor?

You might want to try the "MBP Display" discussion threads, might be able to find what you are looking for in there or get better support there.
I don't think I can help very much, but I have the Apple's adapter (no cord) and it doesn't block my usage of FW.

This is a workaround for the MBP wireless issue

There have been many topics on the MBP wireless issues already, but I thought some people might find this workaround helpful.
Firstly, my system is a 2.2Ghz MBP, running 10.4.10, and also airport extreme update 2007-04. I am using an airport express base station. My previous Powerbook never had any wireless problems, so I really couldn't blame the basestation for the MBPs poor wireless.
Warning - The workaround requires a little bit of work in the terminal. A little bit of understanding of how networks work is assumed here as well. So it is probably not for everyone ...
What I have observed - whenever the MBP loses connection, the airport basestation IP and MAC addresses are missing from the ARP table.
- To view the ARP table, type (in a terminal window) arp -a.
So, when the MBP wireless hangs, open up the terminal and type that in.
Do a Cntrl-C if the arp command is hanging and not returning anything.
In normal situations, a list of IP addresses and MAC addresses will show up.
As others have already noted, clicking on the airport icon in the menubar, will magically bring the wireless back to life. When this happens, the ARP table also gets magically populated correctly. Coincidence? I think not!
So, the workaround is to store a PERMANENT entry in the ARP table for the airport basestation IP and MAC address. In my case, I can use the Airport Utility software to confirm what the basestation IP and MAC addresses are (note MAC address = Airport ID in Airport Utility). I found the basestation IP=10.0.1.1 and the MAC=0:11:24:07:d7:f
To create a permanent ARP table entry for my airport basestation, I opened up a terminal window, and did the following -
1) login to my administrator account
2) type in the following command sudo arp -s 10.0.1.1 0:11:24:7:d7:f
3) type in my administrator password to authorise the change
4) type in (to confirm the changes have been made) arp -a
5) logout of my administrator account (from the terminal)
Ever since I did this, my MBP wireless performance has been flawless.
Note, if you shutdown or restart your computer, the arp entry disappears. This is ok for me as I hardly ever power down my MBP. As insurance I have added an account startup item to remind me to do the arp table entry.
This workaround is great for me because I don't have a need to use multiple wireless networks. It might not be practical for people who roam around onto different networks.
Give it a go and see if it works for you.
Message was edited by: michael louey

OK, after some further experimenting, I changed the multicast rate on my airport express. It was set at 6Mbps, and I changed it to 2Mbps.
I have read that the default multicast rate for previous 802.11g versions of Airport basestations is actually 2mbps. Excellent results so far !! I have set up a terminal command to continuously ping my airport router address every 15 sec, and there have been virtually no dropped packets so far over many hours.
ping -i 15 10.0.1.1
Interestingly, in Apple's Airport Admin software in my MBP there is no option to set the rate at less than 6Mbps (!!!!), so I had to use the Windows XP version of Airport admin software to make this change using a windows machine. Using the XP software you can set the muticast rate as low as 1Mbps.
If you are using Apples airport admin software (Tiger and Leopard) and you commit any sort of change in settings, the multicast rate will be re-set at a minimum of 6Mbps. My understanding of the multicast rate is that setting it too high is similar to shrinking the coverage area of the basestation, and limiting access only to clients who can transmit at the required multicast rate.
So my new theory is that the dropouts are caused by the MBP dropping off the airport due to not being able to achieve the set multicast rate. (this could be due to factors such as low signal strength, excessive interference or noise).
If you are using Apples more recent Airport admin software, you are having a minimum 6mbps muticast rate set, and this might be too high for your particular environment.
Just a theory.
(oh yeah, I enabled interference robustness on the MBP and the basestation just for good measure)

Trackpad issues on Macbook Pro 15"

Hi! I'm experiencing trackpad issues with a Macbook Pro 15" Model A1286. The battery had recently swollen after a long and productive life of about 5 years. Assuming this was a fair life/usage for a battery I have ordered a replacement from Apple.
While waiting for the replacement battery and following advice from other users, I removed the battery and have the power lead connected to prevent damage from the swollen battery. However, the trackpad now only appears to work the cursor movements around the screen and does not register clicks without the battery in place - it's as if it's got nothing to push against. I'm guessing that the swollen battery may have caused damage to the trackpad, but won't know until the new battery arrives.
Do I just need to be patient and wait for it's arrival or are there any suggestions of how to rectify this please?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Be paticent.
You can try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Follow the directions that apply to your machine regarding battery, remove or don't remove yourself.
Try with a USB mouse in the mean time.

2011 13" MBP Trackpad issue

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