When I try to use the touchpad, the right click menu appears and I am unable to control the mouse.

have u gone to control panel - device manager - then on pull down menu's show hidden devices ; click on all the + boxes till you see touchpad ( mouse and pointing devices) right click mouse and click on disable.

i always go through device manager as all devices are in one place!!

Try these steps.. Click start button, type "mouse" on Search Programs and Files, click "mouse" under control panel. In mouse properties options....as you an see the touch pad driver tab? click it. Choose or click option button and you can enable the right and left click button. About the keyboard problem,,,,,go to device manager, right click the standard PS/2 keyboard..uninstall it. Windows restarting and the keyboard driver will re install automatically.. check if the keyboard works fine.

Disabling the touchpad on a Dell Inspiron can be useful when typing for long periods of time, or using an external mouse. Bumping or tapping the touchpad while typing can cause cursor jumping and unwanted results. Use the touchpad software to enable or disable touchpad controls. Download the driver for your touchpad at the Dell Support website.

Click on the "Touchpad" icon in the task bar. If the icon doesn't appear, you can download and install the driver for the touchpad from the Dell website, or choose "Start" and "Control Panel." Choose "Device Select" on the touchpad menu, or choose "Mouse" in the "Control Panel" menu and "Device Select." Click "Disable" under "Touchpad" to turn off the touchpad, or click "Disable Touchpad/Pointing Stick When a USB Mouse is Connected."
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depending on your laptop this will vary

If the Fn (Function) button at the bottom left of the keyboard is pressed in conjunction with some other key on the keyboard it can result in the disabling of the mouse pad.

To enable your mouse pad on a Windows PC go to the Control Menu.

Under the Printers and Other Hardware option, click on Mouse.

Then, click on the tab on the top of the pop-up menu that says Device Settings.

The touch pad for your computer should come up as a selectable option.

Click on it and you will see the option to enable your device, then click OK

or

Right-click on a blank spot on your desktop. Scroll down, select "Personalize" and then choose "Mouse Pointer."

Click the "Device Settings" tab. Highlight your TouchPad in the "Devices" section. Hit the "Enable" button.

Click the "Apply" button and then click the "OK" button.

or

Click the "Start" button in the lower-left corner of your computer.

Type "mouse" in the field above the button. Click "Mouse" in the list of items that appear.

Click the "Device Settings" tab. Highlight the touchpad item in the "Devices" list.

Click the "Enable" button. Click the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button.

hope this helps

1.Turn on the computer and log into Windows as normal. Open the "Start" menu and click on the option labeled "Control Panel."
2.Double-click on the icon labeled "Mouse.". The "Mouse Properties" window will open. Navigate to the tab labeled "Device Settings." Click on the button labeled "Settings." A window labeled "Properties" will appear.
3.Examine the left panel of the "Properties" window and expand the option labeled "Sensitivity." Click on the option labeled "Touch Sensitivity."
4.Reduce the touch sensitivity setting by moving the slider to the right, towards the "Heavy Touch" label. Experiment with different levels of sensitivity until you find one suited to your needs.
5.Click on the button labeled "OK" to close the "Properties" window; repeat with the "Mouse" control panel. Your new touchpad sensitivity settings are now saved.

If I understand correctly, the touchpad CAN move the cursor around but you CANNOT click or "tap"?

If this is the case, you'll need to adjust your touchpad settings. Under Start>Control Panel>Mouse you should be able to find the settings to adjust your touchpad.

Alternatively there may be a small icon in your taskbar (down by the clock) for your synaptics touchpad. If you right click this icon a menu appears and you can select "enable tapping"

----- control panel - mouse - see if touch pad disabled there ----- have a look in the bios/setup and see if the touch pad is disabled there, as the PC boots - you should see which key to use to enter the bios/setup F2, F10, DEL KEY are often used ----- On some machines a combination of FN and F key can disable/enable the touch pad - F7 or F9 ----- If you point the mouse to the top of the screen you may get a menu dropdown, which will also tell which key to use to disable/enable the touchpad ----- control panel>system>{vista}lefthand side device manger or {XP}hardware>Device Manager>Mouse and other pointing devices>Touchpad>highlight touchpad and right click, Properties, may be an option here to Disable/enable,

Follow these steps to change the touchpad settings on your laptop:
1. From the Start menu, click Control Panel. With Control Panel in Category View, click Printers and Other Hardware.
2. In the Printers and Other Hardware window, click the Mouse icon.
3. In the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the Device Settings tab, and then click Settings.
4. There is a setting calleed "Disable Touch Pad when USB Pointing Device is present"

is your pointer set to be opposite... go into control panel and mouse options, and see if you accidentally switched your mouse clicker buttons.... try clicking with the right click, does it still open your 'right-click' menu? does it work normal on an external mouse?

maybe its just a setting issue,... if not then prolly need a new mouse pad...

Click on the start menu and select "Control Panel". Once in the control panel, select "Hardware and Sound". Once in the hardware and sound menu, click on "Mouse". Once the mouse menu comes up, there should be a tab labeled "Dell Touchpad". Click on that tab and then click on the large touchpad icon to take you to the touchpad options. Once in the touchpad options menu, click on "Device Select". Once you click on deivce select you should see the option to "enable" or "disable" the touchpad.