Jumpy Mouse Cursor

Scataphagos · May 17, 2018

wpfund said:
Thanks for your response.
No pets, but cleaned the interior of the mouse & the trackball again just in case. Still no improvement.

Suggest uninstalling/reinstalling mouse driver.

ET180 · May 17, 2018

JSOP said:
Looks like it's a mechanical problem.

1. First try to use a mouse pad that's not transparent or glassy. Always use a mouse on a smooth opaque mouse pad. And if that still doesn't solve the problem, then try the additional solutions below.

2. Try to see if there is any dirt on any of the 4 round kinda like support spots at the bottom of the mouse. Sometimes when there is too much dirt on any or all of those support spots, the mouse can get sticky and mouse slower. Just scrape off the dirt and the mouse will perform better.

3. If you still have those old ball-bearing mouse that literally has a ball inside the mouse that controls the coordinates, you can open the bottom up and take out that ball and clean it. Many times when that ball gets too much dust on it, it will affect movement.

4. If you have the newer mouse where there is a laser light at the bottom, chances are the mouse mechanism is just broken. Time to get a new mouse.

5. If it's a wireless mouse, you may need to change its batteries or the USB key adapter is not working anymore.

If you also notice that your PC is just running really slowly with CPU and/or RAM going through the roof, chances are you might have a malware.

Two posts earlier, the OP answered my question and stated that he tried both a wireless and wired mouse. Therefore, the problem is not the mouse.

Here's another idea. Burn a copy of a live-bootable Linux to DVD or USB flash drive. I like and prefer Linux Mint, but there are smaller distributions available (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ -- haven't use that one). Boot the PC off the live CD/USB. Does your computer still have the mouse issue? If so, then it's a hardware problem.

userque · May 17, 2018

wpfund said:
Does anyone have a solution for the cursor lagging the PC mouse movement then suddenly catching up, in other words a jumpy mouse cursor?

Not sure what caused this issue. Done a couple of Windows Updates during the last month or so & noticed that my task manager became sluggish when I load or exit it & now this cursor problem.

Have tried a bunch of the solutions offered on the internet, like changing the pointer options in mouse properties & updating drivers, but nothing works.

Any constructive recommendations will be appreciated. TIA

Enter Safe-Mode and notice whether the problem persists. This will narrow your focus.

Also, all virus/malware scanners are not created equal.

JSOP · May 17, 2018

ET180 said:
Two posts earlier, the OP answered my question and stated that he tried both a wireless and wired mouse. Therefore, the problem is not the mouse.

Here's another idea. Burn a copy of a live-bootable Linux to DVD or USB flash drive. I like and prefer Linux Mint, but there are smaller distributions available (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ -- haven't use that one). Boot the PC off the live CD/USB. Does your computer still have the mouse issue? If so, then it's a hardware problem.

Didn't see your post. Then I think it's the mouse pad problem. The OP just needs to use a non-transparent mouse pad.

wpfund · May 17, 2018

Thanks for all your responses.

My mice/mouses are trackballs so mouse pad not a factor.
Anti-virus - I have tried Norton (my default) & AVG. AVG even did a "boot-time" scan before Windows startup & found a Trojan called "HTML: Phishing-RM," but the issue still persists.

The one thing I haven't tried is safe mode - didn't think to do that :banghead:

. I will try & let you know. Thanks

ET180 · May 18, 2018

wpfund said:
Thanks for all your responses.

My mice/mouses are trackballs so mouse pad not a factor.

Anti-virus - I have tried Norton (my default) & AVG. AVG even did a "boot-time" scan before Windows startup & found a Trojan called "HTML: Phishing-RM," but the issue still persists.

The one thing I haven't tried is safe mode - didn't think to do that . I will try & let you know. Thanks

A bit off-topic, but pretty pathetic that after several decades, Microsoft operating systems still need virus scanners because they are inherently unsafe.

wpfund · May 18, 2018

I agree. Quite unfortunate

JSOP · May 18, 2018

wpfund said:
Thanks for all your responses.

My mice/mouses are trackballs so mouse pad not a factor.

Anti-virus - I have tried Norton (my default) & AVG. AVG even did a "boot-time" scan before Windows startup & found a Trojan called "HTML: Phishing-RM," but the issue still persists.

The one thing I haven't tried is safe mode - didn't think to do that . I will try & let you know. Thanks

There are wireless trackball mouse? Anyway if that's the case, try No. 3 from my list:

3. If you still have those old ball-bearing mouse that literally has a ball inside the mouse that controls the coordinates, you can open the bottom up and take out that ball and clean it. Many times when that ball gets too much dust on it, it will affect movement. You can even wash the ball under water and dry it if you want. If it still doesn't work, then it's the coordinating sensor sticks inside that's busted.

Any problems in Windows would not affect mouse because it uses too small part of the OS and/or the motherboard resources. Aside from driver issues, if a mouse doesn't work, it's 90% mechanical. Bottom Line: I would get a new mouse.

JSOP · May 18, 2018

ET180 said:
A bit off-topic, but pretty pathetic that after several decades, Microsoft operating systems still need virus scanners because they are inherently unsafe.

Virus scanners are needed regardless what OS you use nowadays. Has nothing to do with something being unsafe or not. Just like any house you buy, you need a lock.

wpfund · May 18, 2018

wpfund said:
Thanks for all your responses.
....
The one thing I haven't tried is safe mode - didn't think to do that . I will try & let you know. Thanks

So, I reboot in safe mode & could not replicate the problem (that took a load off my mind, phew!)
Then, did a clean boot to isolate which software was causing a conflict with my mouse. Turns out it is my printer - a Brother MFC-J5620DW model. Last wk, I started getting an alert that the yellow ink is about to run out - somehow this was causing a conflict in the background. Swapped out the yellow cartridge for a new one & problem solved!
I'll send an email to Brother customer support to give them a heads up about this.

Thanks to everyone for brainstorming this with me. And, a mighty big thanks to Userque for suggesting the safe mode option