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Inspiron 16 7610 Touchpad, running list
Hi all,
As many of us are facing issues with the Inspiron 7610 touchpad, I have noticed that Dell has not taken a position on this and refuses to do anything besides forcing you to send in the laptop (and change out parts to no avail). Comment if you are also having the same issue or find other links sharing the same issue. Thanks!
DELL-Cares
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25.9K Posts
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February 6th, 2022 03:00
As per the update that we received from the Product Team, they suggested replacing the touchpad with a different version than the one that was shipped with the system, hence we proceeded with the touchpad assembly replacement.
kennedylanduk
3 Posts
2
April 4th, 2022 00:00
Initial feedback is good, haven't had any problems with the touchpad since I added the ground wire yesterday.
kennedylanduk
3 Posts
1
April 8th, 2022 12:00
No problems at all since soldering in the wire. Thanks from me too to @JackNis and @DashRendar.
It means the machine is usable!
JackNis
7 Posts
21
April 4th, 2022 04:00
Ok, I'll have a go at a how-to, sorry I didn’t take any more photos when I did the fix. My touchpad is still perfect after more than a week.
First off - this is totally at your own risk, will void your warranty and if you haven't soldered before don't use this as practice - try on something cheap first.
Step 1 - Put laptop into service mode: Shut down laptop and disconnect from power. Then hold "B" down while you press your power button. When the dell logo comes up, press any key several times to enter service mode. You can now safely remove your back cover.
Step 2 - Remove the back cover: Flip the laptop over and take all of the screws out - put somewhere safe. Then remove the back cover using your fingernails, apply gentle pressure and the clips will come loose.
Step 3 - Remove the battery: Remove the screws holding the battery in place. Once they're out you can move the battery out of the way, you don't need to disconnect it.
Step 4 - Clean a spot on one of the copper pads with fine steel wool (I did the one on the right as per the photo). It should be shiny and smooth when it’s ready, otherwise solder won’t stick.
Step 5 – Strip both ends off a piece of wire (about 4-5cm long). Loosen one of the screws on the silver part of the touchpad and wrap one end of the wire around it, tighten the screw so it holds one end.
Step 6 – Make sure the wire is long enough to reach the copper pad you just cleaned. Solder the second end to the copper pad. When soldering be cautious to not overheat the pad. I used a 400degree Celsius tip and it only took a moment before the solder melted.
Step 7 – Once you’re done, reassemble the battery and back of the laptop. I found it easiest to put the screws in at the back corners first, then push the clips back in, then do the rest of the screws. To exit service mode: connect the charger and press the power button.
wisbadger454
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October 14th, 2021 13:00
To add, I believe this is a structural issue. Any sort of pressure on the trackpad or the surrounding area worsens the issue or at least recreates the issue. As I have said to Dell, this is not a software issue, and no driver, update, or reinstall will fix the issue.
SNOWYLYNN
17 Posts
2
October 14th, 2021 20:00
I've read from others trying to solve this bizarre behavior that they feel it might be related to battery (bulging from unknown cause) perhaps putting pressure on the tracking pad. Interestingly, on my SECOND unit ordered, after the 1st could not be "fixed" I had my entire laptop go dead, wouldn't boot up despite remote attempts by tech support guiding me through assorting key combos to force reboot. Instructed to bring it to a local PC shop to salvage my hard drive data, my local repair guys notices something abnormal with the battery and so they removed, then reseated the battery... THAT allowed the comp to reboot, but coincidentally (though now I think not at ALL coincidental) I have gone my longest stretch of this fiasco, without an erratic jumping cursor... Who knows; crazy cursor will likely re-emerge, as it did over the course of nearly 30 days. Each time it was "repaired," it would reappear just days later. I will know in a few days if this battery removal/reseating did impact cursor/tracking pad issue, but it will be too late in either case, as I am returning this unit before losing my 30 day window. A few other tech detectives trying to troubleshoot also thought there could be some electrical grounding issue w power cord, and some noticed behavior disappeared when only running on battery. For me this was not the case: jumpy cursor was there on AC AND BATTERY, but thought I'd mention this other possibility as well. Again, THANKS for detailing this issue. I came to your FIRST POST just today after having read those 1-star reviews ALL ECHOING OUR PROBLEM. I could NOT BELIEVE it and have spread word to Dell people, FWIW. I then came here, to Dell Community, and saw your experience. I knew I wasn't crazy, and though I didn't truly need to have others corroborate, it certainly made me feel better ....
vsk_121
5 Posts
0
November 14th, 2021 22:00
I also have the same issue.Chased tech support a lot and finally after a lot of escalation they agreed to refund my money. But still they have not picked up my machine.Its been nearly 1 month.Pathetic after sales support from Dell.
wisbadger454
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November 24th, 2021 15:00
Another issue here =
Does anyone here not have a problem with the Inspiron 16 Plus trackpad?
Gargamel314
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95 Posts
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November 26th, 2021 08:00
I dealt with this too. The problem started out very small, almost ignoreable, but it got increasingly worse to the point that I contacted Tech support and asked for service. Because of the insane supply chain delays, my parts were delayed for at least 30 days, so Dell offered me a replacement with a refurb model. I'm not sorry I did, although I had reservations about trading mine in for something that wasn't brand new. The replacement unit has no issues whatsoever, and was in pristine condition, so I'm just gonna say, if they offer you a refurb, take the refurb, b/c it's been fully checked and tested. The malfunctioning laptop got so bad, that even in BIOS mode, I had had a hard time wiping the SDD to return it, because the touchpad was cutting out and ghost-tapping. This proves that the touch pad problems are hard-ware based, not driver-based. The fingerprint sensor also had some very serious problems as well, and after receiving the refurb, i can now say, the speakers were also not as loud.
Try not to beat up on Dell Tech Support too badly - This is an entirely new model, and production issues happen. Considering they force you to take the warranty support, make good use of it instead. They seem to be very interested in resolving the problems, but they will keep things fair. Dell really does make excellent laptops, but they're mass-producing extremely complicated machines, and things do go wrong. I respect them for making their laptops upgradable and self-repairable to some degree, and this model is a pretty clever design. You're basically getting an XPS-grade system for a much lower price. These problems are all intermittent, and hard to spot during quality-control.
aturfer
4 Posts
0
November 30th, 2021 11:00
I'd agree with this. Everything is pointing to a hardware issue, not a software issue. I had the exact same issue when booting in to Linux, so it's highly unlikely is't anything to do with the Windows touchpad driver.
Halicarnassus
4 Posts
0
November 30th, 2021 12:00
Same issue here. I am on my 3rd replacement, and trackpad issue is still there. It's definitely a progressive problem that gets worse with use, which then points to a structural issue. Dell should issue a recall to this model. Such a shame.
Harry F Mudd
4 Posts
6
December 3rd, 2021 08:00
I manged to fix this on my 7610. After seeing mention of battery bulging perhaps contributing the the problem, I had a look. The trackpad is directly above the battery, in fact there are two foam rubber blocks under the trackpad that appear to rest directly on the battery; these appear to be designed to support the trackpad when pressing the lower corners to simulate mouse clicks.
By adding some shielding between the battery and the trackpad, I was able to eliminate the "jumping cursor" issue. I used a piece of plastic cut from a half gallon milk jug to support a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. Initially I used a single layer of foil, but afterwards I thought, for second, that I noticed the issue one time for a couple seconds. I am almost convinced now that I imagined that, but added a second layer just in case.
The piece of plastic was cut to fit the underside of the trackpad, then the foil was cut a tiny bit bigger vertically, so an eighth of an inch or so would fold over the top and bottom of the plastic. The plastic and foil assembly was inserted between the battery and the metal trackpad frame. Hopefully the pix below will help.
It's been three weeks, and the fix is still working.
** WARNING **
If you want to try this, download the service manual and read the instructions for entering "Service Mode", which electrically disconnects the battery. DO enter service mode before removing any battery screws. They are small and easily fumbled, and if you drop one into the guts of the laptop without first entering service mode, you could short something out, which would almost certainly not be covered by warranty.
Vulkia
3 Posts
3
December 4th, 2021 12:00
Today I am trying to do the same with you in mind. I used aluminum adhesive tape instead of aluminum sheet.
I'll give a feedback if it's work for me.
madmackem
75 Posts
0
December 5th, 2021 13:00
very interesting - are your laptops still working fine? Mine is on its way back to Dell for repair, I had noticed that the touchpad is not seated correctly, the top right corner is higher than the rest of pad and sits flush with the surround. The rest is below by at least 0.5mm. I only managed to get them to accept it as faulty when it was playing up while in the bios chatting to the tech guy on whatsapp. I sent a video to him, thats when his attitude changed and admitted that it shouldn't do that. He was blaming software all the time until then.
Harry F Mudd
4 Posts
1
December 6th, 2021 13:00
So far so good. I have had a couple short periods of the jumping trackpad cursor over the weekend. I had not used the laptop on battery much, and I first noticed the cursor issue when on battery. I was thinking "Great, as soon as I post that I have a fix, the issue returns after three weeks." It's happened three times, twice Saturday, and once this morning; it was on AC this morning. Fortunately, these instances were brief; I closed the lid, opened it, and logged on, and it went away. Before adding the shielding, the periods when the cursor behaved *correctly* were brief and intermittent.
As for Dell support, they are very diligent in their efforts to deflect hardware issues. About a month after receiving the laptop, the lid split apart near the right hinge. I think the screws holding the hinge to the inside of the lid were over-tightened at the factory and stripped out, so the hinge came loose from the lid internally. Pulling the lid closed against the resistance of the now disconnected hinge forced the front and back of the lid apart near the hinge. Support tech claimed it was accidental damage and not covered by warranty. I had to send a supervisor a number of pix showing there was no impact damage of any kind before they would agree to send out tech with a replacement.