Hello,

I tried to use the touchscreen on my ~1 year old IdeaPad Flex 5 today but I encountered a strange issue that I've never seen before.

Whenever I try to draw/write anything, the cursor will snap to some kind of grid (I assume it has to do with the touch sensors somehow?) instead of following where my pen tip is currently touching.

This issue started happening suddenly when I opened my laptop today; the touchscreen and everything else was working fine yesterday. I have also tried replacing the pen battery 3 times to no avail. It seems to be a problem with specifically the laptop's touchscreen, because I can see the cursor following the grid even when I'm just using my finger instead of a pen.

Obviously this makes the touchscreen unusable, which is not ideal. Does anyone know the cause of this issue and if there is a fix short of replacing the screen? This laptop is still pretty new so I'd be disappointed to have to start replacing parts already.

Edit: I also just wanted to add that the issue is not with OneNote (the software I used in the image above); it also happens when I draw on Microsoft Whiteboard and when I use my finger as a cursor in any app/on the desktop.

Hi @t3mas.

Sorry to read that your touchscreen is having an issue.

If your machine runs in Windows 10, I suggest you can try performing these generic touchscreen troubleshooting steps and then observe how it goes.

Step 1. Disable and re-enable HID-compliant touch screen.
-Open Start and search for Device Manager. From the list of results click Device Manager to open it.
-When Device Manager opens go to Human Interface Devices section and expand it.
-Under Human Interface Devices section find  HID-compliant touch screen.
-Right click it and choose Disable. You might get asked if you’re sure that you wish to disable it, so click Yes.
-Now right click HID-compliant touch screen again and choose Enable.
-If the issue persists, continue below:

Step 2. Try to update the drivers manually. 
-Right click the touch screen device found in "Human Interface Devices" and "Mice and other Pointing devices" , select "Update driver"
-Select "Browse my computer for driver software"
-Select "Pick from a list of available drivers on my computer"
-Pick the latest driver associated with "Touch screen"
-If that driver does not work, try other drivers with "Touch screen, I2C and or Sensor" associated with it.
-Check "Human Interface Devices" / "Software Devices" and "System Devices" and do the same for anything relating to "Sensor" (i:e HID-compliant sensor device)
-If the problem still persists, continue below:

Step 3. Try to Uninstall the device.
-Right click the HID-Compliant Touch Screen device and/or USB Touchscreen controller, select Uninstall.
-If prompted to uninstall drivers associated with the device, check the box and continue.
-Now, while in the Device Manager.
-Under System devices, check if you have two entries relating to "HID, Sensor, Intel Atom and/or I2C"
-Uninstall and Restart the Computer so Windows install the generic drivers for these devices.
-If this didn't work. Try to only Uninstall/disable the USB Touchscreen controller in the "Mice and other pointing devices".

Step 4. System board updates.
Make sure you have the newest BIOS, Chipset, Serial I.O and Management Engine Interface drivers for your device: 
You can find and install the newest drivers from the Lenovo Support Page
Just plot in the serial number for your device and hit enter, might have to hit it twice. Then head to Drivers & Software then the BIOS and Chipset section
**Note: Make sure the AC adapter is connected and that you have at least 30% battery charge when performing this update.

Step 5. Not allowing computer to put device to sleep.
-Back in Device Manager's Human Interface Device section, right-click USB Input Device. (If you find more than one of these, try each one.) 
-Select Properties. 
-Click the Power Management tab. 
-Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
-Check under Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
-Do the same for the "USB Root Hubs" and "Generic USB Hub" in this section if applicable.
-Do also check that all of these are not greyed out/disabled.

Step 6: Repair your Registry
If certain Registry keys got corrupted, you may experience various technical issues, including touchscreen problems.
Windows 10 users can use Microsoft’s System File Checker to check for system file corruption

1. Go to Start > type cmd > right-click Command Prompt > select Run as Administrator
2. Now type the sfc /scannow command
3. Wait for the scanning process to complete and then restart your computer. All corrupted files will be replaced on reboot.

Step 7. Rolling back to a previous Win 10 Version :
- Open the Windows 10 Settings Menu by clicking the gear icon in the Windows Start menu, or by pressing “Windows+I” keys.
- Click “Update & security”
- Click the “Recovery” tab on the sidebar.
- Under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10,” click “Get started.”
- If this is not available, then there should always be a "restore point" you can choose from "System Recovery"- Click the Windows key and type "System Recovery" and click "Recovery" in the list. 
- Select "Open System Restore" - Click "Next" and select the latest "Restore point" where the device was working.
**Note: System Restore Points will only remove Apps and Programs installed after the selected Restore Point date. It will not remove word/text files or pictures etc.

Step 7: Disable Automatic Hardware drivers update 
- Right click the Windows Icon, select the "Search" Function.
- Type "Control Panel" and select "Small icons" or "Large Icons" in the "View By" top right.
- Click the "System Icon"
- Navigate to "Advanced System Settings" -> "Hardware"
- Click "Device Installation Settings" and Select "No"
**This will prevent Windows from interfering with your hardware drivers in future updates, but keep crucial security updates.

In the event this does not help solve the issue, then I'd recommend doing a factory reset of the device:

OKR - One Key Recovery
**This is a complete factory reset of the computer
**Loss of data can occur, so we advise you to backup your data if possible.

- Completely shut down the device.  
- Press the Novo Button: - It is the small reset hole on most devices that you need a unfolded paperclip to reach. 
- In case you do not own a device with a OKR button. You can also find out where it is or what reset function it is for your device at the support page under.

Knowledge Base & Guides -> User Guides -> And clicking the User guide(Not HTML one) in the list -> Ctrl+F to search the document for "Reset" and/or "Novo Button" / "Novo Hole"

- When the system boots up, a menu will appear, select System recovery and follow the recovery process.
- When in Windows, repeat Step #7, before allowing any Windows Update to take place. *Important*
- Perform driver updates as necessary through Lenovo Vantage or Manually through the Support Site, under Drivers & Software.

Feel free to share an update how it goes.

Regards.
Dex

Hello,

Thank you for the detailed and quick reply. My laptop is running Windows 11, but I went ahead and ran through all of the steps you wrote out short of completely wiping the laptop, since I don't have a good way to back up my data at the moment. Does this mean that it's likely a hardware issue? Are there any other tests I can run that would give me a better understanding of the underlying problem? Thanks again for the help.

Hi there.

Thank you for the response and for going through the suggested troubleshooting steps.

I would honestly say that those were the only troubleshooting I could share for your case here.

One last thing you might possibly do is to try reloading the BIOS to defaults (don't worry, it won't cause data loss).

If in case the issue is still present, then I suggest that you may reach out to the technical department team in your region so they can further share some advanced troubleshooting for you and offer service if possible. You may share the steps you have already performed here so they can start and save your time.

I hope the best for your machine.

Regards.
Dex

Any input on how this issue was solved / is to be solved, as my daughter’s flex 5 is now (startend this week) having this same issue as well… really looking forward on your answer. Best regards, Toon Schellinck.

We'll get in touch with Lenovo through a warranty claim as the flex 5 is still under warranty. and come back to inform you afterwards. Thank you for your response. Greetz, Toon

@Tonnystar wrote:

Any input on how this issue was solved / is to be solved, as my daughter’s flex 5 is now (startend this week) having this same issue as well… really looking forward on your answer. Best regards, Toon Schellinck.

Hi Toon,

Thank you for reaching out to the Lenovo Community.

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter's Flex 5 is experiencing the same touchscreen issue. Given that the device is still under warranty, reaching out to Lenovo through a warranty claim is indeed the best course of action. Here are a few steps you can follow to expedite the process:

Check Warranty Status: Verify the warranty status of your device here.

Submit a Service Request: You can submit a service request directly through the Lenovo Support website here.

Contact Lenovo Support: For immediate assistance, you can contact Lenovo Support in your region. Find the contact details here.

Authorized Service Centers: If you prefer to visit an authorized service center, you can locate one near you here.

Please ensure to mention the troubleshooting steps already performed, as outlined in the previous posts, to help the support team understand the issue better and save time.

If you need further assistance or have any other questions, feel free to ask. We are here to help!

Best regards,
Dex_Lenovo

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