Enable Multi-Touch Gesture (Finger Scroll, Momentum and ChiralMotion) on Synaptics TouchPad in Windows 7/Vista/XP/Server
Multi-touch or multitouch functionality has been attracting consumer attraction, thanks to iPhone and iPod Touch, two-finger-scroll in Apple MacBook with TrackPad, and Windows 7, which has built-in multi-touch mapping application, photo viewing program, and gesture support in Internet Explorer 8. Multi-touch is essentially a set of interaction techniques which allow computer users to interact and control graphical applications with fingers.
While normally multi-touch is best performed on touch screen that recognizes multiple simultaneous touch points, the touchpad on laptop and notebook computer does potentially able to be used for multitouch gesture too. Synaptics TouchPad is one such pointing device that supports multi-touch. Most of the Synaptics TouchPad hardware devices do support multi-touch, which is implemented at software driver level as Synaptics Gestures. In fact, Synaptics had a commercial video titled “Things You Can Do With a Gesture” to promote new notebooks with Synaptics Gestures.
However, for marketing reason, Synaptics official standard drivers for most Synaptics TouchPads does not support multi-touch Synaptics Gestures. Synaptics’ drivers lock gesture features on all non-supported OEM notebooks and laptop PCs, except for certain gadgets such as ASUS EEE PC. So multi-touch is disabled even though touchpad hardware does support them.
For user who loves to have multitouch features usable from Synaptics TouchPad, there is a modded Synaptics driver done by Discrucio Anima. The Synaptics driver modification is based on Synaptics driver version 10.2.4.0, with new Two/Three Finger Scroll, Momentum, ChiralMotion and Pinch gestures derived from version 11.1.1.1, and is modded for Acer Gemstone series. Although the mod driver is meant for Acer Gemstone series of notebook computer, as the mod only has some extra files and INF customizations for Acer Gemstone 1 models, thus the modded driver can be used and installed on almost all system as Synaptics TouchPad driver to enable and turn on the multitouch Synaptics Gestures support.
Download synaptics_v10.2.4.0_allOS_modded_b2.zip or touchpad_synaptics_v10.2.4_vistax32×64_xpx32×64_modded_build2.zip (with both 32-bit x86 and 64-bit x64 mod drivers)
The Synaptics TouchPad driver should support all Windows operating system such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, do note that the digital signatures of the modded drivers have been broken, and the drivers are no longer signed. Thus, there may be issue when use in 64bit operating system which enforces strict driver signing requirements.
Installation:
- Uninstall all current Synaptics drivers from Control Panel’s Add and Remove Programs or Programs and Features.
- Restart the computer.
- Install the modded driver by running the setup.exe inside the ZIP archive.
- Windows should prompt a warning about unsigned driver. Continue to install the driver anyway.
- Restart the computer after installation is completed and Synaptics TouchPad driver is updated.
- In Device Manager’s Mouse and Other Pointing Devices” section, Synaptics PS/2 Port Touchpad should have driver version of 10.2.4.
After Sypnatics TouchPad modded driver is installed, Two Fingers Gestures, Three Fingers Gestures, ChiralMotion and Momentum should be now supported and enabled, depending on TouchPad hardware. Unfortunately, Pinch gesture, which similar to iPhone’s multi-touch, is not enabled. If your Synaptics TouchPad does not offer two fingers gestures, try the two-finger-scroll utility to force enable 2 fingers gesture.
For a demo of how these Synaptics Gestures work, how to perform the multi-touch gestures to activate the functions, what is possible to do with gestures on touchpad, or what’s the meaning of these Synaptics Gestures, flip to next page to view the video demo of various Synaptics Gestures. It’s interesting to note that both two fingers gestures and three fingers gestures can be customized to perform preferred actions such as Page Up, Page Down, and etc, with 2-fingers gestures support 8 direction of sliding motion with two fingers on TouchPad surface and 3-fingers gestures two directions of straight, continuous sliding motion with three fingers on TouchPad surface.
IMPORTANT: Do not upgrade the Synaptics TouchPad driver if you love these touch features, as Sypnatics locks and disable the advanced touch features from driver v11.0.0.0 onwards.
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Entries (RSS)
November 25th, 2009 23:50
Will the driver work for Windows7 Starter? Has anyone tried?
Thanks!
November 13th, 2009 11:10
Howdy!
I love this driver package, my gosh it makes me enjoy this laptop so much more.
I am wondering if the Scroll item under pointer feature works? I have not seemed to be able to get it to! I assume this is meant to scroll windows that are behind my current window, yes?
Any suggestions?
Oh I am on an acer aspire 3810T running windows 7 (great combination BTW).
Thanks!
October 30th, 2009 07:24
it works perfectly on my acer aspire one a110 under w7 starter
only problem is need a lot of adjustments to make it fully useful.
October 28th, 2009 09:13
I only got Chiral Motion and extra single touch settings on my HP Compaq Presario CQ71. Is there some kind of hardware limitation on some laptops?
October 26th, 2009 10:52
It worked!!! After installed windows 7 I didn’t have have the old driver in my program files to uninstall. So I simply installed the new Synaptic driver, but it didn’t work. Once I downloaded the two-finger-scroll utility it works perfectly! Not all that much application for it though. Beside the linear scroll on web browser and snap doom in & out in window picture viewer, it isn’t as functional as I was hoping for. Nice functionality to have, neverless. I have Acer Aspire 1642 w/ synaptic touch pad.
October 19th, 2009 15:26
The driver won’t install on my computer.
It asks for a 64-bit version.
Windows 7 64-bit on Toshiba Satellite.
Any suggestions?
October 6th, 2009 03:23
hi, can I use this great piece of software on my dell inspiron 1100 ( no mininotebook, neither synaptics driver)
September 21st, 2009 01:58
Hmmm how do i enable the 2 finger zoom function? I dont see any option to do so.
Thanks!
August 17th, 2009 06:32
i have an eeepc 1005ha and windows 7 rtm 7600. theres none of these options. i would love pinch (like i had in xp) and two finger scrolling like a macbook.
August 13th, 2009 02:16
All well and Good. But it locks my graphic editing programs into HAND mode, and it won’t let go. Even when I click off. Plus, the ‘multi touch’ is limited to the gestures. Not true intuitive multitouch as seen on mobile devices or touch-enabled tablets.
August 11th, 2009 06:16
GREAT!! This works awesome, I tried it on my Vista Home Premium and worked like a charm and now Im installing it on my other WinXP.
August 1st, 2009 06:13
hey guys
Anybody know if you can this working on Dell Inspiron 1420? I’m having trouble – the multitouch options do not appear in the settings and the Twofingerscroll program crashes (with message “no synaptics touchpad found”. The driver is listed in the device manager as 10.2.4, as desired.
Thanks in advance
August 1st, 2009 02:23
[...] and showcasing Windows Touch in Windows 7. For user with a touchscreen computer, or already enable laptop’s or notebook’s TouchPad for multitouch functionalities, a leaked version of Windows 7 Touch Pack with version newer than OEM Drop 4 is available for [...]
July 27th, 2009 18:12
On windows 7 only momentum acivated. Why?
June 5th, 2009 02:46
i use vista home premium sp1 (pre-installed on toshiba satellite laptop) and I only get momentum.
any options?
June 2nd, 2009 07:26
finger gestures didn’t get enabled, but I got the chiral motion so :/
June 2nd, 2009 02:44
Will this work with Dell XPS M1330? Has Synaptec, but I don’t know if it’s capable of hardware multi-touch.
June 1st, 2009 13:52
Check out tomorrow’s post.
Link will be updated then.
June 1st, 2009 05:41
In the text you mention “try the two-finger-scroll utility to force enable 2 fingers gesture.”. I don’t have the two finger scroll utility activated and i dont know where to get that utility. Where can i get it?