Cannot use my left click while typing (Synaptics driver)

After setting AAPThreshold to have value 0, I have more than once found it had changed back to 3. So, I created a .reg file (I called mine "ZeroAAPThreshold.reg") to avoid having to research what to change, find it in the registry, etc. It's important to make your ZeroAAPThreshold.reg file have the same first line, a blank second line, and the same third and fourth lines, exactly as shown:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad]
"AAPThreshold"=dword:00000000

omg... i really screwed up. Ignore my previous post of 10/18/19.

I thought I knew what I was talking about. I didn't. I do now. I wouldn't trust me either, if I were you, but consider.......

There is a delay between a keypress being recognized by Windows and a tap or click being recognized.

The value of AAPThreshold controls the length of the delay.

But don't mess with the registry. Use the Touchpad Setting for Touchpad Sensitivity to solve either of two problems.

Problem #1: Taps or clicks are being ignored. This happens because the delay between keypress recognition and tap recognition is too long. It seems as if the keypad is not responsive enough--not sensitive enough. To make it more sensitive, set Touchpad Sensitivity to MOST Sensitive. This in turn sets AAPThreshold to 0, which means the length of the delay between keypress recognition and tap recognition is 0. There is no delay.

(That explains the situation of the original post. What follows is how to try to solve another annoyance.)

Problem #2: Inadvertent taps make the cursor jump or cause links to be followed--an inadvertent tap is still recognized as a tap. When this happens, it seems as if the keypad is TOO responsive--overly sensitive. To make it less sensitive, set Touchpad Sensitivity to LOW Sensitivity. This in turn sets AAPThreshold to 3. This makes the delay between keypress recognition and tap recognition "as long as possible". It more or less locks out the touchpad for "awhile" so that intervening stray taps might be ignored. Might. At least it reduces the frequency of the problem's occurrence.

Note that solving Problem #1 might lead to Problem #2 and vice-versa. Good luck if you're plagued by both Problems.
Two solutions: (1) turn off tap to click or (2) turn off the keypad and use a mouse. Yeccchh to both.

Real solution: Microsoft debugs the circa-2006 generic keyboard, mouse, and touchpad drivers and touchpad manufacturers do a better job of providing hardware and drivers--two sets of drivers so that we have a choice of which is ... ahhhm ... least bad.

teisseire said:

Hey,

It was a value I needed to change in the registry, I put you the post that helped me :

"Hit windows key+R, type "regedit" inside of it expand these folders: HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > PrecisionTouchPad
After clicking on the "PrecisionTouchPad" folder search for "AAPThreshold" on the right part of the window and double click it or right click it and click modify. Change the value from whatever it is (probably 2 or 3) to 0 and click OK. Restart you computer and it should work.
I guess that settings for synaptics touchpad are different in windows 10 from previous versions in a way that when you set smart sense to "min" it's still works but with a very small sensitivity (the value being 2 insted of 0, like it was in win 7/8)."

Ok, I did some looking around, and all I could find was basically this answer by a few different people, but this doesn't work anymore, and it seems 0 is now the default. But I did some tinkering in the registry and found a setting which does work.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Synaptics\SynTP\TouchPad and set PalmDetectConfig to 0, this will make it so that when holding down a button your touchpad can click.

P.S. to my 10/22/19 post...

Setting Touchpad Sensitivity does indeed (eventually) change the value of AAPThreshold at Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad.

After using Touchpad Settings to make the change in sensitivity, visit Regedit to see that AAPThreshold has NOT changed, but then refresh the screen (F5) to see that it HAS changed. The change in AAPThreshold isn't made immediately upon selecting a new sensitivity, but a restart is not necessary. Refreshing the registry screen isn't necessary, either. After exiting Regedit and the Touchpad Settings screens, the change will be made. Just re-enter Regedit and see that the change has occcurred.

BTW, the "converse" is not true: changing the value of AAPThreshold via Regedit or a .reg file does NOT change sensitivity in Windows Touchpad Settings. Hence messing with the registry is inadvisable to change Touchpad Sensivity. Do the change within Windows Settings and trust that AAPThreshold will be set properly.