hey on my dell latitude laptop, if t is started without a ps/2 mouse then it enables the square mousepad at the front. unfortunately the laptop is out of warranty and the cursor flicks all over the place. this problem is because of the faulty mouse pad, i know this because pressing on different parts of the pad helps, and also makes the cursor shoot off in another direction. i've TRIED to disable it in the control panel, but it does not even show up.

the solution so far has been to plug in a ps/2 mouse. tht disables it altogether.
there is only one ps2 plug on the machine though and i want to use a keyboard, and use the mouse as USB( the mouse has a adapter for ps2 ). if i do, though, it enables the mouse pad. is there a way to disable this altogether?

i am using win xp pro.
Have you looked in the device manager? The trackpad/touchpoint should be listed there. You can disable it. Alternatively, you can almost certainly buy a replacement on eBay.device manager, where's that? i know wherre it is on the control panel in Win98, but i am LESS familiar with winxp. i LOOK on control panel.
first it says pick a category.
i pick: printers and other hardware.
Then there is a "mouse" option so i pick that.
from there it says two options.

HID Compliant Mouse
PS/2 Complatible Mouse

Only the HID can be disabled. i did that and still problems.

Any suggestions still?Device manager: right-click "my computer"-->properties-->hardware-->device manager.looked under mice and other pointing devices- same devices. disable HID and the usb mouse does not respond. also human interface device is disableable, and that stops the mouse as well. :-? ps/2 mouse is not disableable.Yup; CHECKING the same on my system, and I see that apparently this cannot be done. Odd.

Are you happy to open up your laptop and physically DISCONNECT the touch pad?
just what i was thinking. unfortunatey i can not, it is family computer and parents are a little scared of me opening "the sacred box". i reckon i could in secret though.Okay, but be careful. Quite easy to break things in there!