HP Slate 500 N-trig Input Control (Touch) Workaround

One of my biggest complaints with the HP Slate 500 on Windows 8 is the lack of decent touch control with N-trig.  N-trig has decided that they aren’t going to fix their drivers.  That’s fine, this will be my last device that has N-trig digitizer.  My dollars will be spent elsewhere.

So, what’s the problem you say.  My problem with the N-trig drivers is the lack of support with the input control (Digitizer Settings, see screen shot below).  This is what allows you to change how the touch and pen act (see picture).  Pen Only, Touch Only, Auto Mode, Dual Mode.

This Input Control (Digitizer Settings) do not work in Windows 8 and N-trig is not going to fix.  Shame.

So, what does this mean.  Well, for me I get the palm rejection or false touches when I write and my hand (palm) touches the screen.  The current setting is Dual mode, concurrent Touch and Pen input.  Think of it like the touchpad on your laptop.  You are typing and your palm touches the touchpad and causes the cursor to jump to a different spot on the page.  On a laptop you have the touchpad control that allows you to turn off if it senses a mouse plugged in or when you are typing.  Well, with N-trig, you don’t any longer on Windows 8.  No workie & No fixie.

I was browsing the internet the other day and happened on a blog post where the blogger found a workaround.  You will have to forgive me that I can’t find the blogger’s post or the blogger’s name.  When I do, I will definitely give him/her credit.

What is this workaround going to do?  This will temporarily disable the touch control on the Slate.  This would be similar to selecting Pen Only above.  This will allow only Pen touch only and the touch is temporarily disabled.  This isn’t going to be for everybody, but for this is golden for me.  Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way similarly to Auto mode.

Going to download a program that is a that when run connects to the Device Manager like view that allows you to enable and disable devices.  However the steps below will create a shortcut or command line that will be used to disable the touch.  You can also pin the shortcuts to the Task Bar for easy use.

STEPS:

1. Go out to www.Nirsoft.com and find a program named DevManView (direct link).  At the writing of this post the current version is v1.27.  Scroll down to the bottom and download the (x86) version (or x64 version for Samsung Series 7 or ASUS B121)

2. Create a directory on the root of your C Drive called TouchControl

3. Unzip the file you downloaded in Step 1 into the C:\TouchControl folder.  There are 4 files that are extracted.

4. Create a shortcut in that directory using the following command.

a. Open Device Manger | Devices | N-trig DuoSense(R) Digitizers

b. Locate “N-trig DuoSense MultiTouch HID Device” and double click.

c. Click on the Events Tab.  Copy the value that is highlighted in yellow.  This value will be added when you create the shortcuts.

d. Open Windows Explorer, browse to the C:\TouchControl and right click in the folder and select New | Shortcut

e. Copy and paste the Disable command below into the path, but using your value that you got above.

DISABLE
C:\TouchControl\DevManView.exe /Disable “HID\VID_1B96&PID_0001&MI_01&Col02\7&24205bb2&0&0001”

f. Click through and give the name of the Shortcut “Disable Touch”

g. Now Create another shortcut but use the ENABLE command below and name it “Enable Touch”, also using your value that you got above.

ENABLE
C:\TouchControl\DevManView.exe /Enable “HID\VID_1B96&PID_0001&MI_01&Col02\7&24205bb2&0&0001”

5. Add the shortcuts to the Task Bar just right click on the shortcut and select Pin to Task Manager.

6. To give it a little flair right click on the Shortcut | Properties | Change Icon, browse through the list and select an Icon that you like for Disable and Enable shortcuts.  I picked the Green for the Enable and Red for the Disable.

 

**Please note that the device that controls touch may not be the same on your tablet.  I was able to get this to work using the information below on my HP Slate 500, Samsung Series 7 Slate, and ASUS B121 eSlate but using the 64bit version of DevManView.  I have not found anything about the downloaded software that would cause any alarm.  It is not installing any software it is extracting several files that launch as a separate program.

EDITED (11/10/2012)
Found that the HID value is different on every computer.  Updated blog post to reflect that.

Also, this does require the elevated permissions when doing so.  I haven’t found a way around this.  You are actually disabling a device so I don’t think there will be a workaround.  I run my as a standard user and then another account that has Admin and just pop in the credentials when prompted.  I have run this so long that I don’t give it a second thought.

Time for N-trig to step up and get some W8 drivers out!

I understand that it is a bit much to ask a vendor to get drivers out for a beta product, but I feel this is a bit different in the fact that Windows 8 is really being pushed as this Touch Friendly operating system.

I hope that software vendors such as Microsoft and computer vendors such as HP, Asus, Samsung, and other start pressuring part vendors such as N-trig to get some updated drivers out to the public.  I think Microsoft has lots to lose and it is trickle down economics…

N-trig Press Release

According to N-trig in an earlier press release in January 2012 they state their commitment to Windows 8.  Well in my opinion it is time for them to get some W8 beta drivers out to their consumers.

http://www.n-trig.com/Content.aspx?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseId=793

Contact their Support

Help the cause.  Shoot them a quick note requesting some W8 drivers and that we as consumers are wanting to actually use their product.  I mean seriously, they have had plenty of time; the HP Slate hasn’t had updated N-trig drivers since November 2010. Ouch!

http://www.n-trig.com/Content.aspx?Page=ContactUs_support

UPDATE (03/13/2012):

This is the response I got back from N-trig today from my email on March 3rd.  Nice canned response.  3 weeks development converted into real world time is approximately 2 months.

As of 03/28/2012 N-trig has release Windows 8 drivers.  They are still pretty weak, but it’s a start.

Missing multi-select check box in Windows Explorer

I have been using Tablet PC’s for several years now and really like some of the additional features / add-ins that are included with stylus and touch.  Funny how you get used to using a certain feature and when it is missing your world crashes down around you and you can’t do anything.  I ran into one such feature that was missing in a new Windows Slate (ASUS EP121 Slate) that I just recently received.

That feature is the multi-select files in Windows Explorer using the stylus or touch.  This allows you to do just that multi-select files and copy, cut, and paste files between locations.

After a little digging around I found a setting in the folder options that controls this behavior.  Open Windows Explorer, click on Organize in the menu bar, select Folder and Search options.  Scroll down and make sure that “Use check box to select items” is checked.  The clouds parted and the Angels began to sing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the end result.  Check box allows you to select multiple files in Windows Explorer.  I know what you are saying.  Seriously!  I know, but when something you get so accustom using is gone, it kind of bothers me.  Anyway, crisis averted.  Continue doing what you were doing.

How to change how new email is marked as read in Outlook

There is one setting in Outlook that is the first thing that I change on a newly configured profile.  I have to change how Outlook handles new incoming email.  When a new email comes in I don’t want it to be marked as read when I move off the new email.  I want to either manually mark it as read or open it to mark it as read.  Well there’s an app for that, I mean there is a  setting for that.

Outlook 2010 (Beta)
  Open Outlook 2010
  Click the File tab (located in the menu bar)
  Click Options
  Click Mail
  Scroll down to Outlook Panes and Click Reading Pane button
  Uncheck “Mark item as read when selection changes”
  Click Ok twice to accept and close Options

Outlook 2007
  Open Outlook 2007
  Click on Tools (located in the menu bar)
  Click on Options
  Click Other Tab
  Click Reading Pane button
  Uncheck “Mark item as read when selection changes”
  Click Ok twice to accept and close Options

Now when you click off an unread email it won’t change it as read.