"disable touchpad while typing" doesn't work

[Lex Ross]

"Disable touchpad while typing" checkbox in System Settings does not work on my Asus F5N laptop. The button to disable touchpad does not work as well. As a workaround I use "syndaemon -i 1 -K -d" command as per Ubuntu help page https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticsTouchpad/ but it does not fix the issue with the said chechbox and hardware button. I guess it still needs to access shared memory using SHMconfig option in xorg.conf in which case it is the same bug that has been around for 3 years starting from Ubuntu 11.10

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics 1.7.3-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-6.23-generic 3.13.0
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-6-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.13.3-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Mar 21 10:10:18 2014
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: trusty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. F5N
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.13.0-6-generic root=UUID=f239c25a-4c5d-4e97-a6e7-befdcc142599 ro quiet splash enable_mtrr_cleanup elevator=noop
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 04/08/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 213
dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.board.name: F5N
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr213:bd04/08/2008:svnASUSTeKComputerInc.:pnF5N:pvr1.0:rvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:rnF5N:rvr1.0:cvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.name: F5N
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.11+14.04.20140310-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.52-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 10.1.0~rc3-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 10.1.0~rc3-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.15.0-1ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.8.2-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.3.0-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.10-1ubuntu2
xserver.bootTime: Tue Mar 18 22:35:44 2014
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:
 open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
 open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:

xserver.version: 2:1.15.0-1ubuntu6

[Lex Ross (lross)]

Actually, neither starting syndaemon via rc.local nor enabling SHMconfig in xorg.conf helped. The only way to disable touchpad while typing was to start syndaemon from a graphic session as a user. The button to disable touchpad does not work and the "disable touchpad while typing" checkbox in system control panel has no effect as per my original report.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Ryan Klarhölter (ryanklarhoelter)]

Fixed it by adding "syndaemon -i 1 -K d" to the autostart applications (http://askubuntu.com/questions/299868/disable-touchpad-while-typing-does-not-work#answer-461453).

[Ryan Klarhölter (ryanklarhoelter)]

PS: "syndaemon -i 1 -K d" doesn't work under my fresh installed Ubuntu 14.04 on the same machine …

[Yale Huang (yale-huang)]

I have the same issue with a fresh installed 14.04 on a MacBook Pro. But it works on a upgraded Ubuntu on a MacBook Air.

[Damon Hartman (area51pilot)]

I have the same issue with syndaemon. Its added to the startup list as syndaemon -i 1 -KRd and unchecked the option in touchpad settings but it doesnt seem to disable anything

[hrvooje (hrvooje-gmail)]

kill the syndaemon. uncheck the 'disable touchpad while typing' box, add to startup programs the command syndaemon -i 0.5 -d . the number 0.5 is for seconds

[Harel Malka (harel-harelmalka)]

Same problem here on multiple lenovo thinkpads.

[Eli Stevens (wickedgrey)]

Recent install of Ubuntu 16.04 on a Dell XPS 15, same issue.

ii xserver-xorg-input-synaptics 1.8.2-1ubuntu3 amd64 Synaptics TouchPad driver for X.Org server
e

At startup, the touchpad still clicks while typing:

elis@xpslocalhost:~$ ps -ef | fgrep synd
elis 4337 4151 0 09:30 ? 00:00:00 syndaemon -i 1.0 -t -K -R
elis 4842 4785 0 09:30 pts/17 00:00:00 grep -F --color=auto synd
elis@xpslocalhost:~$ killall syndaemon
elis@xpslocalhost:~$ syndaemon -dtkRi 1
elis@xpslocalhost:~$ ps -ef | fgrep synd
elis 4848 3932 0 09:30 ? 00:00:00 syndaemon -dtkRi 1
elis 4882 4785 0 09:31 pts/17 00:00:00 grep -F --color=auto syt

After running these commands nothing has changed. Removing the -t option and the -R option don't seem to have an impact (some bugs elsewhere claim that would resolve the issue; it did not).

It seems that sometimes after a reboot things work, but it's difficult to tell if it's actually working, or I'm just not being heavy-handed with my palms.

Happy to troubleshoot.

[Snowflake (7-ubuntuone-b4-ca)]

Confirmed this is still a problem on a recent install of Ubuntu 16.10 on an HP Spectre X360 13" with touchscreen.

Syndaemon is running in the background, but it's not working. The trackpad on the Spectre is physically much wider than it needs to be and due to the left-offset to the keyboard your right thumb-palm almost requires it as a rest for typing on the laptop is an exercise in keeping the mouse pointer in the same window as your text, and positioned after the end of what you're typing... So any random press doesn't result in a cursor move.

I found if I killed the stock syndaemon, and re-started it with a timeout of 2.0, performance was greatly improved. But I haven't been successful in making that setting stick through a reboot.

[hrvooje (hrvooje-gmail)]

Enter that command in start-up

[Frode Nordahl (fnordahl)]

This also feels like a problem on Ubuntu Xenial 16.04 LTS on a MacBookPro10,1 (Mid-2012).

Running with default settings.

syndaemon is running:
 2890 ? S 0:00 syndaemon -i 1.0 -t -K -R

Will test with change of settings depicted in above comments and report back my findings.

[Gabriel Staples (ercaguy)]

Here's my solution: https://askubuntu.com/questions/986128/disable-touchpad-while-typing-doesnt-work-in-ubuntu-14-04/986129

[Gabriel Staples (ercaguy)]

Update: my solution has been moved to here: https://askubuntu.com/a/986133/327339.