Synaptics Touchpad Driver

Pros

• Works with older touchpads attached to 64-bit machines
• Supports many Synaptics-branded devices
• Easy to install

Cons

• May be unnecessary
• Unneeded installation can cause problems

Synaptics Touchpad Driver 64-bits is a modern toolset that contains touch-control drivers for a large variety of laptops. Countless hardware vendors bundle Synaptics technology into their machines, so this might be necessary for quite a few users. In fact, some people have found that installing it got a touchpad to work even though they weren't entirely sure that Synaptics was the company that made the hardware behind it.

That being said, you won't want to install this unnecessarily. If you were to do so on a machine with a perfectly working touchpad, then you could cause problems. Most people will probably never have to install a touchpad driver separately, since Windows-based laptops usually come with support for them bundled in. That's excellent news for those who'd rather not have to muck about with their systems to begin with.

Those who plan on installing an alternative operating system on their rigs probably won't have to worry about this process either, since there are a number of FOSS drivers for their hardware as well. That being said, those who have had to reinstall Windows on an existing laptop or notebook may suddenly find that their touchpad doesn't work.

If that's the case, then all they might have to do is install this 64-bit driver. Synaptics made the installation process extremely easily. It comes as a single file that starts a wizard when launched. Since the defaults are applicable for a wide variety of situations, you probably won't have to adjust any settings. Simply click next a couple of times and then reboot.

When your machine comes back up, your touchpad should be working again. You'll be able to tap it to issue a single click or use any of the integrated buttons to interact with user interface elements. An overwhelming majority of users won't really mess with the software beyond this.

That being said, it has a great deal more to offer those who want to customize their touchpad experience. The app allows you to flick through documents and files using a three touch gesture, which is quite useful for those who do a lot of work on their laptops.

Others might want to configure a four touch gesture, which can be used to minimize applications and switch applications. Perhaps most importantly, the driver can be used to define custom hot corners. Those who want to make shortcuts for their mouse cursor just like keyboard shortcuts will love this option.

Those with sensitive devices or who want total control over their laptops can even specify how much pressure is needed to actuate the touchpad. Some computers tend to be more touchy than others, so there's a chance that users might want to potentially turn the sensitivity level down as well. It all depends on personal preferences and the type of software you're running.

More than likely, hardcore gamers will get the most use out of this option. While many people don't necessarily like to use a touchpad for gaming, this driver can make it somewhat palatable. In fact, those who use it to compliment a mouse and other peripherals should find that they get almost as much usage out of their touchpad as they do the built-in keyboard.

Power users who plug external mouses in via USB won't have any trouble using the two devices alongside one another. Synaptics was careful to design the driver in a way that only takes over control of actual touchpads. That means that it will never interfere with the use of any other external devices attached to your system.

Creative solutions could thus be developed with this slightly unusual system. For instance, you could set one sensitivity level on your touchpad and then use the default native OS tools to set a different one for your mouse. Once again, this would be an ideal solution for those who play challenging FPS titles online and need a pair of devices to target their on screen reticle.

Even CAD artists and graphic designers should appreciate this option, as will power users who like to have some degree of control over every aspect of their system. Best of all, many people who would benefit from this kind of driver already have it installed.

Pros

• Works with older touchpads attached to 64-bit machines
• Supports many Synaptics-branded devices
• Easy to install

Cons

• May be unnecessary
• Unneeded installation can cause problems