More Synaptics Touchpad Woes

[CullenJ]

So I've upgraded to windows 7 64-bit and now I'm having trouble even installing a Synaptics driver. No matter what version I use (I've been all over the internet, including Gateway's site) the install always fails, most often with this screen.

I know this is a tough one, but I'd appreciate your help.

 

[fishnbanjo]

Have you tried loading it in Vista Compatibility mode?

 

[CullenJ]

Yeah; I've tried that but still the same results.

 

[Petey7]

I assume you are downloaded one compatible with 64bit. Inside the folder you extracted the files to, there should be an installer just for the 64-bit driver. Locate it and run that one. See if the result is the same.

 

[karlsnooks]

Yeah; I've tried that but still the same results.

Go to the Gateway website.

Download the correct driver for your model and your version of Win 7.

DEVMGMT.msc | Mice and other pointing devices |
right-click on Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad |
Select Properties |
Driver tab |
Uninstall button

After uninstall shut down your notebook.

Power on your notebook.
Install the driver you downloaded.

 

[CullenJ]

I figured out what was going on. Turns out, avast antivirus had deleted TrustedInstaller.exe from my C:/Windows/servicing directory, which kinda makes your digital life suck. Anyway, I found a copy of TrustedInstaller.exe here ((SOLVED) Trustedinstaller.exe), copied it into the C:/Windows/servicing directory using the process described in porktree's post here (Windows update failing with 0x80070424 among other things (update agent won't install) - this also has a download of TrustedInstaller.exe and a registry key I wasn't able to import), restarted my computer and things could install again. Finally.

 

[karlsnooks]

Cullen,

Many thanks for getting back to us with the solution. Very interesting. I'd never heard of the problem. Now let's just hope that the old-timer's doesn't set in and that I can remember this solution.

 

[CullenJ]

Thanks for your help in this; it was baffling me for a long time and then I started googling other problems that were happening (Windows update mysteriously failing, any windows troubleshooter claiming the troubleshooting wizard had an error and couldn't complete, etc.) when I finally tried running sfc, and it failed. It was a crazy chain of events. Who would have guessed one missing file was the root of so many problems?

 

[karlsnooks]

Cullen,
You actually probably had a backup copy, created by MS, on your disk already.

Here's where my is:
TrustedInstaller.exe C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft-windows-trustedinstaller_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_90e389a7ae7a4b6c\TrustedInstaller.exe 13-Jul-09 19:14:42 204800 Archive C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft-windows-trustedinstaller_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_90e389a7ae7a4b6c


Now I know that's confusing to read. I was too lazy to filter the output of a powershell script I wrote to search anywhere and everywhere on my hard drive. The last c:\windows\winsxs.... is the directory.

 

[CullenJ]

Wow; I guess I'll save that for next time.