I hope it's ok just to vent here. I've been stuck with my laptop for three days. Could never scrapbook on it even though it's one of the larger screens.
The rant: the keyboard. It must be different because I spend half my time going back and putting in missing letters, or changing typos. This keyboard is for the birds. If I had to use it for long, I'd hook up a normal USB keyboard and save frustration. Also if I have to use the touch pad it leaves me tearing my hair out. I guess I'm too old to learn new tricks.
My hubby has an ipad. I can't imaging enjoying working on that little thing. And forget those little ones -smart phones or whatever!
End of rant. I can't wait to get home to my desktop. Thanks for letting me vent!
Hi Peg....I can feel your frustration!
If you're using a MAC, I will be of no use to you.
Otherwise, these tips might help you.
Re: the touch pad...I don't work with those very well either. I'm disabled and don't have
feeling to most of the fingers on my left hand. I'm also turning 60 next year, so I kind of
get used to the way I like to do things...and that little touch pad Is Not one of them!
For about $20.00 if you catch them on sale...you can get a good cordless mouse and use
that instead of the touch pad. They work great! Microsoft makes the one I use and I love
it! It's made working on a laptop very enjoyable. I have my touch pad set to disable it
whenever the mouse is plugged in...which is all the time. But it will be enabled again if
the battery dies in the mouse and I'm not home to replace it right away.
Re: the keyboard problems. It sounds like it's in the settings. You can personalize them just
like you do the mouse. I hope some of these ideas help you.
It sounds to me like there might be dirt under your keyboard messing with the contacts. You can try using a can of compressed air to blow out some, but if there is some stuff in there that won't come out, you may have to pop off the keyboard and get it cleaned. I don't like those touch pad things either and I've never had one that worked properly (or at least the way I want it to work).
Whenever I use my laptop, I feel the same way. It's a miracle I didn't throw it out the window when I was stuck working on it for 2 months over the summer...
So Frustrating! I just can't work on a laptop. I'm impressed by anyone who can stomach through it.
I didn't own anything but a laptop for 5 years. Now I have my precious desktop and I don't want a laptop ever again. My tablet works just fine for when I need laptop stuff done.
Have you seen those really high end tablets that function as computers? It's like seeing your computer screen on your desk horizontally like a piece of paper to draw on it. I don't even know if I'm describing it right. It's just soooo cool! But it's also freakishly expensive.
Ugh, I too can't seem to get the touch pads to work, laptops or those smart phones, or iTouches...I think some of that stuff works off of the heat in the hands, and I just don't trigger them most of the time.
I always have used a cordless with our laptop. Even had to buy regular batteries last month when we were traveling, and the charger and extra batteries didn't get packed. I use the wheel feature on my mouse so much, that I'm lost without it.
I also have long fingernails, always have even as a kid playing the piano. Drove my instructor crazy, but I learned how to do with them. My poor 9 yr old laptop has etching carved into several of the keys...S E R T O and N. They're used so much and the way my fingers curve on them, I've cut up some the keys. lol
Remember back so many years ago, when I worked for the Computer Services @ the Seminary my hubby was attending. When they switched from the F# keys from the left side to the top!!!! I almost died! I did phone support for all the secretaries on campus, and I couldn't explain or function myself for a long time, until I relearned what F Key I needed to use. Again, playing piano had trained my brain to just move the fingers someplace, instead of thinking "Oh I need F1 for Help, or F8 for something else." All those shortcut keys, and macros that I built and used were suddenly inaccessible, cause I didn't know how to get to them!
My son wants to teach me his Mac Book Pro, so that I'll be more familiar with them. He'd love to see me have a iPad or Mac, but it will only be a dream for a long time to come. But he knows that I'll have trouble making the adjustment to 4 finger swipe, or two finger spread, blah blah blah...whatever I don't remember...lol