ALPS touchpad not very responsive

Hello all,
I just downloaded the KNOPPIX 5.3.1 DVD three days ago. It's pretty sweet but my ALPS touchpad is not working very well. It is very insensitive, and to move the cursor around the desktop I have to stroke it several times. Is there any workaround (other than adjusting the mouse settings in KDE) ?

Laptop:
HP Pavilion dv4419us laptop
1.256 Gb ram
Intel i915 GM chipset
touchpad is PS/2 (I think)
connected to external display (1680x1050)
additional mouse connected (USB) (I've tried disconnecting all sorts of stuff, but it has no effect on the touchpad)