Inspiron 8000 left click button not working

I took my laptop apart to replace the CMOS battery and now the left click button below the touchpad doesn't work. The bottom right click button works as before. There are two buttons above the touch pad which I've never used before, and they still work normally also. I'm using them now. But it's driving me crazy as I'm not used to using the top buttons and so everything takes so much longer. I even have to use two hands now to select and drag objects.

To replace the battery I had to take apart the palm rest assembly. I put everything back together exactly as before. I even pulled everything apart again just to see if perhaps a cable were loose or something else was amiss but I can't see anything that would keep the buttons from working. Anyone have any ideas?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Well, the keyboard is separate. The click buttons come with the palm rest-touchpad assemby and I've already checked on eBay and saw some of those being sold. So I can always get one there.

But it just bugs me that everything else on this piece -- all the other buttons and the touchpad itself -- are working just fine.

Hey thanks for the replies. I double checked all the mouse settings in the synaptics touchpad utility and that wasn't it. So I took everything apart again to get a closer look. I came to the conclusion that this is a mechanical thing, due simply to wear. There is a little blue rubbery button that a raised section on the underside of the left click button is supposed to hit when you press it. Well, it's simply not getting good contact and I believe the little blue button has simply worn down due to wear. I've had this 8000 for 6 years, though it was only my primary everyday computer for 1-1/2 years when I first bought it. Still I've used it off and on for these 6 years and I just think the blue button has worn down. After all, the bottom left click button is the one that's used the most and it's the only one that isn't working properly.

When I took it apart, I double checked and there is no obstruction between the raised section on the underside of the click button and this little blue rubbery button. After I put it back together I also pressed really hard on the left click button and it worked, but I had to apply significant pressure. So I really think this is the issue, and now that I think of it, even before I replaced the CMOS battery, this button was a little balky when I tapped it. I might be able to apply a fix by raising the level of the raised section on the underside of the button. But since this is iffy, I just went ahead and bought a replacement touchpad assembly for $10 tonight on eBay.

When I have time after the good touchpad assembly comes, I will experiment fixing this one. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to elevate this small section on the underside of the click button so it can make better contact with the blue button? I'm thinking trying a very small clear surface protector -- those little peel-off disks you buy in the hardware store. I can cut it to size and if it works I can glue it to this raised area. Or I can use a glue gun -- just put a blob on this raised area and press it down until it's just the right height. Any suggestions?

Just wanted to post an update on the situation. I didn't want to wait for the new touchpad assembly to arrive so I decided to try to fix the bottom mouse/click buttons. I first affixed a few layers of masking tape over the raised area on the underside of the click button to test out my theory of the cause of the problem. Sure enough, the left click button now worked a lot better.

Since tape is not an ideal or long-term solution, I tried the thin clear surface protectors next. I cut them to the approximate size of the raised area under the click buttons, then I affixed one to each of these raised areas using a glue gun. I was thrilled that this fix worked perfectly. Now both bottom mouse/click buttons are operating just as when the laptop was new, and I'm thrilled. I figure this fix should last for at least a few years, but I will be keeping the new touchpad assembly as a backup just in case.

If anyone ever has problems with one or two mouse buttons, specifically the ones used the most, then it's likely the cause of the problem may be the same as mine. If you have any questions or want more details on this fix, just reply to this message. I am on email notification and will try to reply as soon as I can. If all four of your buttons stop working simultaneously, then it's likely your problem is different from mine.