But, sometimes, the various drivers go missing from the Device Manager. The issue arises when the touchpad driver vanishes because it’s like disabling the navigation functionality on your laptop.
How to Fix the Touchpad Driver Missing Issue?
Touchpad drivers are usually placed within the Device Manager’s Human Interface Devices dropdown menu. Or, it may be under Mice and other pointing devices. But, if you couldn’t find your Touchpad driver under those categories, get an external mouse ready and try out the solutions mentioned below:
Power Cycle the Device
The I/O devices, like the touchpad attached, may make the OS suffer spin lock loops, causing it to be unresponsive. It can further lead to situations as discussed in this article, i.e., driver missing from device manager. To fix it, you will have to power cycle your device. Shut down the laptop, and disconnect its power cable from any power source. If possible, take out its battery. Then, press and hold the power button for approximately 15 to 20 seconds. This will help dissipate all the charges stored within the capacitors and re-initialize the I/O configuration of the motherboard. Now, put your battery back, re-connect to a power source and boot your laptop to check whether it fixes the issue.
Perform Diagnostic Test
Windows built-in diagnostic tool lets you inspect the problems related to your hardware, including the touchpad. it would instruct you on some troubleshooting methods for any solvable issues. Continue with the following steps:
View Hidden Devices and Scan for Hardware Changes
Sometimes the Touchpad may not be well recognized by Windows. Due to this, its driver is categorized as Unknown devices or Other devices. You will have to uninstall and re-install such a driver to fix the issue. Follow along the steps given below: Windows should automatically detect the missing drivers and install them.
Install from Manufacturer’s Website
Windows sometimes may not detect the proper configuration of your touchpad and its corresponding driver. In such a case, you can download the right driver from the manufacturer’s website. Find out the model number of your laptop and search for a touchpad driver for it online. Make sure you download the driver installation file from the Manufacturer’s site. Then follow the steps below:
Enable Touchpad From Settings
Enabling and disabling the touchpad is something that can be toggled from the Windows Settings app. If the touchpad setting is turned off on your computer, you wouldn’t be able to use it at all. Connect any other external mouse to your laptop and follow the steps mentioned below:
Reset BIOS
BIOS sits as the primary firmware to control all I/O interfaces for the motherboard, whose settings, if get misconfigured, can cause problems to the touchpad. Motherboard not recognizing touchpads from the BIOS level eventually transmute as the driver missing problem on Windows. You can reset your BIOS by entering it while booting in such a scenario. But, these steps may vastly differ according to manufacturers. Thus, you can find the details steps to reset your BIOS online. At last, even after trying all the mentioned fixes, if your touchpad drivers do not show up, it may indicate a hardware defect. Visit any nearest service center for assistance.
