MacOS – Can’t click with trackpad or mouse (OS X 10.9, MacBook Pro)

my 2008 santa rosa 2.2GHz MacBook Pro has suffered both the graphic chip problem (no picture on screen but accessible through screen sharing apps or ext monitor), and the trackpad cable problem (no response from keyboard or trackpad although ext mouse and keyboard function ok). Both are common faults on this model. Graphics prob repairable under the special warranty extension from Apple. Trackpad cable fairly easy using ifixit.com guide.

When my graphics card was in broken mode, (it was intermittent), it would not show up in the Graphics/Displays section of System Information (Lion); the Intel chipset would show up there instead; so thus you can check if you have the graphics chip (poor solderflow) problem. It would however give me the output to an external monitor ok (?!*)

It sounds as though you might have suffered both at the same time...although your ext mouse should work(?!*)

Your trackpad is definitely dead. It needs a replacement. The dead line means that it is slowly dying. I have had these things. Probably your connector is getting old. But mine got burnt up because the hotel I was staying in did not have proper grounding in their mains supply. This meant that current was flowing from the metal parts and trackpad (it is electrified), through my body, and onto any grounded metal surface I touched. Trackpads are very sensitive to current changes as they have very thin wires running through them. The high ground current burns them off, either row by row or column by column.