Mouse wandering to corner (and bouncing)

[blutach]

My mouse has a mind of its own. Increasingly, it jumps to a corner of the screen.

Microsoft Wireless Optical - batts are OK. Happens just as bad with normal wired mouse. Just using basic driver (no Intellimouse software - unloaded it).

No problems in device manager - reports Microsoft PS/2 mouse

Doesn't seem to happen in safe mode - or at least happen as much - even after startup progs loaded.

Obviously, some sorta software conflict.

Can a hardware expert help me please?

Regards

[benbryant]

Hello blu,

About six or seven months ago, I had a problem with my Logitech USB optical wired mouse too. Sporadically, it just jumped to the left or the right side of the screen and moved up and down crazily. Updated with the newest driver didn't help a bit. The strange thing was that its problem seemed to happen more while using the internet but never occured with video, graphics editing or DVD burning...Then I thought that the USB host controller could be the problem. I used the green PS/2 to USB adapter to connect that troubled mouse to the PS/2 port and the mouse pointer problem has never happened again since. Hope to be able to help

Regards

[blutach]

Much Mahalo ben

It is already connected that way.

I have uninstalled the driver and done the obligatory 2 reboots and so far so good.

(Please keep fingers crossed).

Regards

[jm1647]

Fingers crossed here for ya

[Chewy]

Are both mice used to test(usb with adapter)?

Could it be the adapter?

Blu you should give a few more clues and be more specific.

" uninstalled the driver "

some drivers weren't meant for Xp


long shot/ view hidden devices in device manager


I have one usb optical mouse that slides to the left, it's bad, MS one too boot.

[blutach]

In device manager I uninstalled the driver and let window$ find new hardware on reboot. Alas, it seems the mouse is still behaving erratically.

I don't think it is the hardware - as I said, another (wired) mouse also performed badly and the problem didn't exhibit itself in an hour of excruciating computing in safe mode.

Regards

[jm1647]

@blutach Try whats here (http://oakroadsystems.com/tech/winxptip.htm#MiscWandering)

Wandering Mouse
Many people report that occasionally their mouse pointer drifts slowly in one direction or another even though they're not touching the mouse; most reports involve optical mice.

In the Control Panel, select Mouse and the Pointer Options tab. Uncheck "Enhance pointer precision" and the problem may go away. (It did for me.)

[Chewy]

"hour of excruciating computing in safe mode."

pio mode is such fun, you're probably right, hard for an adapter to start working in safe mode.

whatever you haven't tried hardware wise, try. A completely different
type of mouse interface(usb/ps2). Maybe windows will fix itself.

[blutach]

Maybe windows will fix itself.:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

An ape (errr wookie) with a sense of humour!!!

My latest is to take off enhanced precision in the mouse properties. See how that goes. Still have some tricks to try before we go through the pain of unloading the startups and reloading them one by one.

Regards

[Chewy]

@blutach Try whats here (http://oakroadsystems.com/tech/winxptip.htm#MiscWandering)


awesome link, considering only 9 months

[blutach]

Funny how I missed the link and just tried that!!!! Thanks jm. It's harder to control the mouse, but let's hope it works.

Actually the mouse doesn't "wander" per se - it's more a jump to a corner. I've read this could have something to do with other wireless product (no mobile phone near it now) or even a mic connected to your PC (ctfmon is loaded as I think Adobe Acrobat loads this as part of its text to speech). So the mic is out now.

Regards

[anonymez]

blu, may sound like a stupid question, but have you by any chance changed the surface you use your mouse on? i'm sitting at my shiny wooden desk, it exhibits the 'wandering' behaviour when i don't use a mouse pad :)

other than that, you might like to try both usb/ps2 interface, like chewy said (if the precision setting doesn't do the trick)...

[Chewy]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

An ape (errr wookie) with a sense of humour!!!


Regards

I wasn't joking, dead serious, if the driver hosed xp and windows can't get it all out, changing hardware type resets the driver base. Surely you have usb
ports.

[jm1647]

Funny how I missed the link and just tried that!!!! Thanks jm. It's harder to control the mouse, but let's hope it works.

Regards

Here's another link (http://ask-leo.com/my_mouse_is_super_sensitive_and_seems_to_do_things _on_its_own_what_do_i_do.html) about fixes

One of them listed there is

I was having this trouble with my optical mouse pointer zipping up to the top corner of my Dell Latitude screen, intermittently, frequently, irritatingly. Changing the mouse mat surface didn't make much difference. I've just discovered something that might have fixed it for me. Control Panel / System / Hardware / Device Manager / Mice / Properties / Advanced Settings / INPUT BUFFER LENGTH. The help for this box says: "You should increase this number if your mouse behaves erratically." So I did. And, so far, so good. No escaping mouse pointers so far today since I did that. Hope this helps someone else, maybe.

Posted by: Mark CE at November 24, 2005 03:57 AM


Hope it works out for you :beer:

[Chewy]

I think blu's just getting ready to get a new computer, this is his cover story.
Christmas is getting closer and closer.

[blutach]

Mrs Tach won't let me do that Chewy.

@anon - It has been a piece of paper - that's all. I can get a mouse pad, I guess.

I will take it out of the PS2 port and whack it into the USB and see how that goes - though I swear I did that before with no luck.

@jm - reading your next link - thanks.

Can't find anything @ Kellys Korner either :(

Regards

[blutach]

OK - buffer doubled to 200 as per jm's advice. Gunna go back to enhanced precision enabled and see.

Wish me luck fellas.

Regards

[Chewy]

Your computer is wearing out and you do need a new one.
Tell her chewy said so, don't mention anony.... tho, or Unca....

or try the cynthia approach

:badpc: :evilmad:

[benbryant]

While searching in hope of finding the answer for the mouse pointer problem. It seemed that there were more people having this kind of problem to. On one site, a person, Balthasa, suggested that the mouse pointer problem wasn't fixable. I just hope that he was wrong too

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic13555-pg2.html&pp=20

Please blu, can you recall that having installed recently any hardware (memory, firewire card,...) or update driver?

Regards

[blutach]

No new hardware or driver updates ben

Regards

[blutach]

Just thought of another funny thing it has been doing the past few weeks.

When the screen saver was on and I moved the mouse to open Window$ again, if there was a prog in the foreground, it oftentimes would spontaneously close. If not, Windows$ will often ask me if I wanna shut down (as if I'd clicked on Start - Turn Off Computer).

Strange eh?

Regards

[Chewy]

Nope bad mouse or ps2 port?, I had a mouse go beserk hosed w98.
Keyboards can do a lot of wild stuff too, of course maybe the OS is going bonkers, how long since a reload?

[anonymez]

i'd format & do a clean install if i were you blu, it will isolate the problem (and clean up your pc). but that's not for everyone :)

[jm1647]

I wonder if you got some sort of virus or something maybe, The definite but PITA way would be a format and reinstall. Or maybe a reinstall over existing XP might do it. Bummer when this kinda stuff happens.

[anonymez]

Or maybe a reinstall over existing XP might do it

i myself would never recommend that (or a 'repair' either), unfortunately it usually causes more problems than it solves from my experience :sad:



blu, you say it happens 'less' in safe mode. the fact that it happens in safe mode suggests that whatever process/conflict (assuming its all a software issue) that is causing this issue is essential to running windows. your windows installation may be corrupt...

[anonymez]

have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling the usb driver? assuming its a usb mouse...

[blutach]

@anon - I haven't really tested Safe Mode out in full. I don't think it actually happened in SM but (and this will sound dumb), I got the feeling that there were times when I was moving the mouse and it didn't go where I wanted it to - almost like I was fighting it away from the corner. (Does that make sense?) Of course, I might have just been bloody crazy.

I'd run safe mode plus networking for a day or so if I could somehow get out of 800 x 600 mode and back into 1280 x 1024 - but I'm too daft to figure out how (display properties doesn't work).

I uninstalled the mouse driver and reinstalled. It's plugged into a PS2 port. But it manifested itself while in the USB port too. Bugger of a problem, eh?

@jm - No viruses or spyware.

A full reformat and install would be a real PITA. I have the data all backed up, but it would take a while to put everything back together in terms of progs installed etc. In reality, since I loaded XP, there has been no reinstalls (unless you call the the major SPs reinstalls - I'm running SP2).

Oh, BTW, thanks for all this help guys. It is much appreciated.

Regards

[Chewy]

safe mode= no drivers(vid or sound) no dma

isolate the problem, rule out hardware by checking every possibility
every variable

in your case as a next to last resort run windows as a repair disk from boot,
I have seen it fix a lot, especially problems like yours, it's a gamble tho.
Never seen it make things worse, just wipes out the OS updates.
What's critical is using a XPsp2 disk(anony....).


u guys do slipstream admin installs don't you?

[benbryant]

Paying visit to a friendly local PC repair shop to inquire about the problem with the ghostly mouse pointer, one of the servicemen told me that he had fixed a PC with exactly same problem like I mentioned and he admitted that he had found the cause with just pure luck. What he explained was that the owner of that PC installed an add-on Adptec USB-2 card via PCI slot and enhanced Adaptec USB-2 driver with the purpose of using external hard driver and burner. He hadn't had any apparent problem for a while until the jumping mouse poiter occured. When the PC owner brought it to the PC repair shop, no one could figure out what wrong for days. Finally, in order to isolate the problem, the repair shop removed one add-on hardware or software at a time. Bingo! The mouse pointer problem stopped immediately right after the USB-2 card removed. That card just went bad without warning or indication even on the Device Manager. The problem is that some of the devices we added to our PCs and worked OK for year before, and suddenly become out of order and we usually overlook them and just pay attention mostly to newly added stuff. blu, I hope that you'll be able to find time for yourself to remove or unstall any add-on hardwares or software and that is truly pain of the neck and time consuming too. Cross all our fingers for you

Regards

[blutach]

YUK! Haven't added any new HW for ages except for my beloved LG4163B, which works well. That was a few months ago too - might've been around the time this started.

Still experimenting with double buffer, no enhanced precision.

Will report.

Regards

[DrinkOrDie]

Just to add my 1/2 cents worth; I had the same problem, and it was intermittent. I even had the closing programs and windows asking me if I wanted to shut down, all kinds of weird stuff and I thought my PC (mostly the mouse) was posessed. I too had the same mouse hardware setup. At first I thought it was a virus, or worse, someone messing with me using a trojan. To make my story short, the confirmed cause was in the next room. It was a remote control toy in use. I'm sure there are lots of other devices that can do weird things to a PC as well. I didn't change anything, I just stumbled on the cause when I realized that it happened only when the remote control toy button was being pushed.

Something to consider, at least as a last resort.

[Floppy]

My mouse use to go wild depending on the surface it was resting on... (and in no particular behaviour pattern)

I have an optical RF mouse and I noticed that a non reflective surface goes a long way.... (I used no mouse mat for a long time)

Also getting the Xp clean install Like Anon said help one particular time this jump to the top right hand corner of the screen...

I reeinstalled all software again and paid particular attention to any behaviour changes as I went... (wasnt able to find a culprit)

I found that Defraging with a better program like Diskeeper pro helps keep things in a better check... After I increased the MFT with Diskeeper, not only does the PC zooooooooooom I havent found anymore glitches with the mouse....

According to Diskeeper the MFT was inneficient and being used 100% now only 12%

I recommend diskeeper Pro to anyone regardless...

[Chewy]

I think all the clues are in and thensome.

[blutach]

Got Diskkeeper Pro Floppy and it runs every night on both hard drives! MFT is up to scratch.

@DrinkOrDie - there is one other device in the room (other than the external PC speakers) and that's my cordless phone. Hasn't given problems before. My cellphone is nowhere near the PC either.

But DrinkOrDie, your experience gives me heart. I reckon the problem can be solved.

I'm keeping on trying here.

Regards

[Chewy]

MS defrag only, diskkeeper pro is defrag beta, hose raid raptor stripe with
diskkeeper making boot faster, diskkeeper pro no more. Just don't ever let the trial expire, and you're fine, if you don't push the envelope.


NEVER DEFRAG DATA!

[Floppy]

MS defrag only, diskkeeper pro is defrag beta, hose raid raptor stripe with
diskkeeper making boot faster, diskkeeper pro no more. Just don't ever let the trial expire, and you're fine, if you don't push the envelope.


NEVER DEFRAG DATA!

Diskeeper have written the MS defrag utility tripped and bare for the Windows xp defrag utility....

Hence why when installing diskeeper pro you upgrade the MS defrag utility to full version... Ms defrag no more wence this is done....

this is not so with any other marketed defragmenting utilities...

[jm1647]

i myself would never recommend that (or a 'repair' either), unfortunately it usually causes more problems than it solves from my experience :sad:



..

True it could cause more problems but there is alwalys the possibility it might fix it. Could beat doing a full format/reinstall, even though it might be time to do spring cleaning. If there is a restore point set to before the problem started that could be a possibility but a pain also,

[Chewy]

I was betting it was hardware, somehow I can't see Blutach messing up
XP. He'll probably never tell now that he's sucked us in.

[blutach]

Guys I haven't reported back cos I'm still testing and am an obnoxious SOB who never reports back or says thank you!

But so far so good (touch wood). Disabled the enhanced pointer precision and increased the buffer and so far OK.

Will report back.

Thanks for help and very valuable links.

Regards

[Chewy]

"obnoxious SOB who never reports back or says thank you!"


:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Floppy]

At Least he admits it.... :rotfl:

[Chewy]

It's the not-so-subtle roo reverse psychology at work as he tries the hopeless
task of socializing us geeks while educating noobs and pretending he's trying to fix his computer which has bad ps2 and usb ports and must be upgraded
since the mobo is going bad. I was betting on rf interference thru the wireless usb receiver.

[blutach]

So far, still so good you hairy octopus (with the no enahcned precision). Might even put the buffer back to default as it "deforms" the slow/fast pointer speed slider.

Regards

[Chewy]

My bowcaster needs no enhanced precision, the energy bolts
buffer quite well.

are you back in your original hardware configuration?

[blutach]

Yes

Regards

[jm1647]

@blutach What speed you on in the mouse speed slider? I'm in the middle and the enhanced box is checked and in Device manager the mouse advanced properties are set to default - Sample rate 100, assume wheel is present, buffer length 100 and the box for fast iniatilization is checked. I have an optical mouse and everything is ok.

[blutach]

Sample rate is currently 100. Input buffer is 200. Pointer options motion is about 3/4 way to the right. Enhance pointer precision is off.

Still doing OK. Might have nailed it!

Regards

[Chewy]

the software you had installed then uninstalled hosed default settings?

[blutach]

Haven't installed or unistalled anything (except the PgcEdit and plugin upgrades). Gunna install upgrade to ImgBurn.

Changed the default settings on earlier advice in this thread.

Regards

[Chewy]

and i quote, wookies have memory like elephants, never forget lifedebt, watch out for it's darkside tho,
"Just using basic driver (no Intellimouse software - unloaded it)."

maybe it's the famous kangaroo mouse syndrome, vbg!

[blutach]

errr. yes, that too.

Regards

[Chewy]

that might have hosed the default settings?
especially if those drivers weren't written for xp

[Chewy]

In my effort to get an old parrallel scanner to work in compatibilty mode
with windows xp(and I did) and then forcing the copy software to run,
XP got so hosed I had to reload! XP has to open the kernel up at a low/
inner level for drivers, they are mucho dangerous. "Last known" saved my butt last week when I forced an issue on a compaq.

[blutach]

It's the M$ one. v5.4 - For what it does, it really bloatware. The standard mouse driver in XP is actually sufficient. I have found I don't need different button assignments for different progs.

Regards

[Chewy]

I didn't know you were a mac user,

http://search.microsoft.com/search/results.aspx?st=b&na=88&View=en-us&qu=Intellipoint+5.4


dual G5's right!

[blutach]

I think enbough testing has been done to report success.

The settings mentioned above seemed to do the trick - increasing mouse buffer and not enabling pointer precision.

Thanks to all who helped - can always find a solution here!!!

Regards

[jm1647]

:toast:

[blutach]

Now if only I could stop it "bouncing" when I roll the wheel up. :D

Regards

[Chewy]

Is it bouncing or HOPPING?

[blutach]

I'd say bouncing. And you know very well what I mean!!!

Regards

[blutach]

Can anybody assist on this one please?

The problem with wandering corners has been solved - magnificnet work guys and thanks BUT:

The wheel is giving me the "irrites". I can roll the wheel down no probs. Even quickly and it just stops at the bottom of the screen. HOWEVER, rolling up is entirely different. Sometime, a notch rolling up is ignored, other times, (particularly at the top of the scrollbar, although this just might be noticeable because it's the end of a longish scroll), it "bounces" and goes back down! The ignored notch up is a definitely an "up" followed by a bounce down.

So, I have a bouncing upwards mouse.

Is there a way to perhaps clean it or whatever? It is a M$ Wireless Optical Mouse (and appears to be a sealed unit)

HELP PLEASE! My mouse is driving me crazy.

Regards

[Floppy]

Get a new one!!!

[Chewy]

would you ask columbo to get a new peugot?

Knowing blu he's probably got 5 or 6 thousand posts on that mouse.

[LT. Columbo]

would you ask columbo to get a new peugot?

that'll be the day!.....:rotfl:

[Floppy]

that'll be the day!.....:rotfl:

Get a new Peugeot!

There Chewy I asked!!! :rotfl:

Actually not wanting to offend any personal tastes in cars but why get a new French car???

German is better VW mmmmmm!

[anonymez]

i've seen this with some of the old dell mice. it happens, my advice is to get a new one...

[Chewy]

does peugeot make mice, preferably a 10K poster model?

[blutach]

Thanks to anonymez for being On Topic - this is a problem for me guys.

HELP please!

Regards

[Chewy]

take a cue tip and clean the laser cover and pickup with mild solvent
if you can't pry off the covers around the wheel take air compressor and try to dislodge anything around wheel or vacuum.

[Floppy]

i've seen this with some of the old dell mice. it happens, my advice is to get a new one...

Carefull there Anonimez... I suggested that earlier and got bad rep for it....

@ blu

I know that it's getting to you (this mouse thing) buddy, but this is why my short reply earlier on...

[blutach]

@Floppy - thank you for your advice. I don't care if your reply was short - I am open to all suggestions (would like, if at all possible, to keep this mouse as I have the matching keyboard which gives no trouble at all, despite my constant pounding on it).

Regards

[Floppy]

you could buy a new one take it apart and tranfer the innerds to your mouse shell...

Or buy the same keyboard and mouse again put the old one in box and take it back and say it dont work...

[blutach]

you could buy a new one take it apart and tranfer the innerds to your mouse shell...Trouble is the shell seems to be moulded together - it's all one piece, so taking it apart means breaking it :( Thanks for the idea though

Or buy the same keyboard and mouse again put the old one in box and take it back and say it dont work...I don't think that is me, nor do I think any shop would fall for it.

Regards

[Chewy]

Blu,
So you don't think its a lint/dirt issue?

[blutach]

It might be chewy, but only in the up direction? And how would I get it out of a sealed unit anyway? With an air-blower? :teeth:

Regards

[Chewy]

When son of chewy heard about hopping mouse downunder,
he said that happened to him, but it was dirty lenses.

[blutach]

I'll try to clean it with that cue tip. What solvent do you recommend?

Regards

[Chewy]

he probably used rubbing alcohol.


ps I have put him onto scanning, probably get him a benq 1640 soon,
and have him test dual 4x,8x,12x,16x burning. That's what I get for
having him build his first barebones at 14.

[benbryant]

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka blu,

When you had the mouse problem of jumping to the side of the screen and you altered 2 mouse settings: (1) Disabled the "Enhance pointer precision" and (2) Increased the "Input Buffer Length" to 200 packets. The mouse jumping problem seemed to stop after that.

Did the "Bouncing Upwards Mouse" you are having right now happen the same time with the "Jumping to the Side" or it only started right after you'd changed the mouse settings? If it only started right after you'd changed the mouse settings, can you tweak the "Input Buffer Length" down to 175 packets or 150 packets to see if the "Bouncing Upwards Mouse" stops; or enable the

If cleaning the lenses doesn't help, instead of buying a new mouse, can you bring your mouse to the nearby PC stores and ask them to test it for you. I don't think they really mind at all. By doing that, you can isolate the problem is with your mouse or with your PC

Regards

[blutach]

Thanks for answering Ben (chewy can't seem to stay on topic!!!)

For sure, it has been driving me crazy for ages, not just since the tweaking of the settings. On close inspection, there is a tiny screw under the batteries. I am gunna take it to bits soon and will revert.

Much maholo for your help and suggesitons.

Regards

[blutach]

Well, proving I am totally mechanically hopeless, I have buggered the poor mouse (not literally). It's a goner.

But not before actually seeing that as you moved the wheel up, there was a just a bit of "bounce back", which is not evident for a downwards scroll. This bounce back may well have been interpreted by the electronics as a downwards scroll. So, I think it was stuffed anyway.

Thanks to all for their help and suggestions.

Regards

[anonymez]

there was a just a bit of "bounce back", which is not evident for a downwards scroll

exactly what i had seen with at least 3 cheap dell mice (not mine, i for one hate dell). didn't think it would happen to a microsoft, they're usually excellent. The random mouse wandering had to be a sign it was dying though...

just curious, how long you had it?

[blutach]

You don't have to be "just curious" - ask straight out!!!

About 4 years, I think. I guess I can go and just get an updated one, yes? I don't need to buy the same thing - just so long as it works with the wireless unit, I suppose.

Guess I'll Go Harvey! Go Havery!, tomorrow.

Regards

[anonymez]

lol i like harvey for its range & customer service. prices are outrageous though! ;)

i usually browse at harvey, purchase at a PC store like gamedude (absolute lowest prices you'll find on any product, as long as you know what you're doing with your hardware. they don't accept returns without a fight!)

[blutach]

It's just a mouse man. Can't cost more than how much? $40-50?

Regards

[Chewy]

blu

mouse problem

:deadhorse

:smashead:

on topic

[blutach]

New M$ Wireless Optical Mouse 2.0 bought. So far, so good. Even gone back to my input defaults (we'll see if we wander to the corners again but so far, no probs)

Only (small) issue is it doesn't seem to "pair" with the unit I have for my Wireless Optical Desktop Receiver (which is version 1.0A) and so I need 2 receivers - one for the kybd and another for the mouse. Bummer!

Thanks to everyone for their help, advice, suggestions and assistance!

Regards

[benbryant]

Aloha blu,

I'm glad that your mouse problems were finally over. Hope that those problems were caused only by that bad mouse. Good luck blu

Regards