How to Reactivate a Touch Screen in Windows 8.1

Having a touch screen can enhance the user experience and productivity on your Windows 8.1 device. However, there might come a time when your touch screen stops working or behaves unusually. This guide will walk you through the steps to reactivate your touch screen and troubleshoot common issues. Follow the detailed instructions below to ensure your touch screen functions correctly.

Understanding the Symptoms and Troubleshooting

Before proceeding, it's essential to understand why your touch screen might be malfunctioning. There could be several reasons, including software issues, misconfigured settings, or hardware problems. If your device is not sold with a touch screen, it may not have this feature at all.

Common issues include:

The touch screen not responding to touches. Touch input being very sensitive or unresponsive. Touch gestures not working as expected.

Step-by-Step Guide to Reactivate Touch Screen

1. Check Hardware Functionality

First, ensure your device has a touch screen and it is functioning properly. Sometimes, a hardware issue may prevent the touch functionality from working. If you suspect a hardware problem, consider consulting a professional repair service.

Steps:

Open the Device Manager. Expand the Human Interface Devices section. Locate HID-compliant touch screen. If it is listed, right-click and select Update Driver Software. Follow the prompts to install any updates if available.

2. Enable or Re-enable Touch Screen

Even if the touch screen is present, it may need to be enabled or re-enabled to function correctly.

Steps:

In the Device Manager, find the HID-compliant touch screen. Right-click and select Enable if the option is available. If Enable is unavailable, try disabling the touch screen and then re-enabling it again.

3. Calibrate the Touch Screen

Calibration ensures that the touch screen works accurately and reads your touch inputs correctly. Misalignment or calibration issues may lead to the screen not responding as expected.

Steps:

Open the Control Panel. Navigate to Tablet PC Settings. Click on the Calibrate button under the Display tab. Follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate your touch screen.

4. Check Touch Settings

Ensure that touch input is enabled in the system settings.

Steps:

Go to the Control Panel. Check the Pen and Touch settings to ensure that touch input is enabled.

5. Restart Your Device

A simple restart can resolve most touch screen issues. Performing a restart can often clear temporary glitches and refresh system resources.

Steps:

Press the power button to restart your device.

FAQs

Q: What if these steps do not resolve the issue?

If these steps do not solve the problem, there may be a deeper hardware issue or further software troubleshooting required. In such cases, you may need to contact the manufacturer for professional assistance or consider hardware repair.

Additional Tips

Sometimes, a touch screen may be disabled by the user accidentally. If you find that the touch screen is not functioning, you can try re-enabling it through the Device Manager. Here’s how:

Open Device Manager from the Windows search box. Expand Human Interface Devices. Find the Touch Screen and right-click to disable it. Then enable it by right-clicking again.

This method is better than deleting the definitions as it allows you to activate them at any time later. If you do not have laptop definitions, this method ensures that you don't permanently delete any necessary configurations.

If you frequently encounter touch screen issues, consider consulting a professional for a thorough diagnosis and repair. Regular maintenance and updates can also help prevent such issues from arising.