OS-independent temporary touchpad problems with HP Pavilion x360 Convertible

[TonGu]

Hi HP Team,

I own a really nice laptop HP Pavilion x360 Convertible (Model 14-dy0002ur) for almost 3 years now, and during last 0.5-1 year I've had increasing problems with my touchpad. At first, the touchpad could become inactive for a short time and soon come back, but lately the problem got worse to complete irresponsiveness that can last for weeks. Originally I assumed this is OS-dependent and later — physical issue, but now it doesn't seem so. Here are some technical details:

- I have a dual-boot system with Linux Mint 21 as my main OS and almost unused Windows 11.
- Now the problems include: (i) accidental increase in cursor speed with disappearing scrolling capability, usually some time before (ii) the touchpad becomes inactive for some time; it can become active again several times but after hours or days (iii) touchpad becomes fully inactive, and rebooting doesn't help. In the last case Linux Mint doesn't list touchpad among available devices.
- For the record, today I've performed ~10 reboots or turn-offs in line without switching OS (again, Linux Mint), and the touchpad stayed inactive this whole time.
- I didn't find any touchpad-related options in BIOS (loaded with F10).

- Since this model is difficult to open (the only thing why I really consider dropping HP laptops in favor of other manufacturers) and official service centers are really slow (I need the laptop now), I could not check the touchpad connection yet.
- Interestingly, I've managed to fully activate the touchpad two or three times with two procedures. First time, loading into UEFI/BIOS and changing the keyboard backlighting timing accidentally completely resolved the issue for several days. I have an impression that just loading into BIOS without making or saving any changes also helped one time. But I cannot reproduce this consistently. And today I also rebooted from Mint (touchpad was already inactive for many days) to Windows, where touchpad also didn't work, but rebooting back into Mint made touchpad fully active for several hours. Again, cannot reproduce this behavior.
- Long story short, when touchpad is inactive, it stays inactive in Mint, Windows and BIOS. And when touchpad is active, it stays active in Mint, Windows and BIOS. Switching between Mint, Windows and BIOS in some way may solve the issue or may not. No physical treatments (like shaking) were associated with touchpad activation.

My main problem is that I have no idea what to say in the service center since they would probably not able to reproduce my weird experience and do the right repairs. So , my questions to you are:
1) Should I try updating UEFI/BIOS or similar stuff? It was not updated since the purchase in August 2022.
2) Could switching between Mint, Windows and BIOS somehow temporary resolve physical problems with the touchpad? I see reports that such HP laptops have problems with touchpad connection. Can it still be the case with the observed behavior?

Thanks a lot!

[Max3Aj · Accepted solution]

@TonGu, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
Hi! Thanks for sharing the details of your issue. It does sound like you've already done a great job of diagnosing the problem. Let’s go over your questions.

1) Should I try updating UEFI/BIOS or similar stuff?

Yes, updating your UEFI/BIOS could be a good idea. Sometimes firmware updates include fixes for hardware-related issues, including problems with peripherals like the touchpad. It might also resolve any compatibility issues between your dual-boot setup and the touchpad. You can check if there’s an available update on the HP support page for your model. If you decide to update, make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.

2) Could switching between Mint, Windows, and BIOS somehow temporarily resolve physical problems with the touchpad?

It’s interesting that switching between OSes and BIOS seems to temporarily resolve the issue. While this doesn't point directly to a physical problem, it could suggest an issue with the way the touchpad is being initialized or managed in the operating systems or BIOS. Sometimes, systems might not initialize hardware correctly due to driver conflicts or bugs, especially with dual-boot setups where hardware resources are accessed differently by each OS.

The fact that the touchpad works intermittently in both OSes and BIOS could be a sign of a software or firmware issue rather than a purely physical one. However, there is a possibility that there's a loose or damaged connection in the touchpad itself, and the changes you're seeing in behavior might be due to slight shifts in the connection when the laptop is in different states (e.g., switching between OSes or loading BIOS).

Further suggestions:

Driver Issues: Make sure that both Linux Mint and Windows have the latest touchpad drivers installed. Sometimes Linux kernel updates or specific touchpad drivers can resolve these issues.

Check Power Settings: On both operating systems, check if any power-saving features (like sleep or hibernation) are affecting the touchpad. It’s possible the touchpad is being deactivated when the laptop enters a certain power state.

Hardware Check: If you’re comfortable, you can attempt to open the laptop (after checking if it will void the warranty) to inspect the physical connection of the touchpad. Given that opening the laptop is tricky, I understand if this is a last resort. Since it seems to work intermittently, a loose connection might be the cause, though it’s not easy to confirm without checking. We suggest you visit the service center for this. 

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[TonGu]

Hi Max3Aj, thanks for the prompt and detailed response. I've just tried the firmware update option, and it didn't help, unfortunately. The touchpad is again not found both under Windows and Linux. Gonna check the physical option in a service center as soon as it'll be possible.