Jumping mouse

[Boneman]

So here's the thing: my mouse cursor has a mind of its own. It wanders across the screen, jumping like a demented grasshopper when it feels like it. Not all the time, just now and again. It often doesn't respond to my commands and I have to click the button many times to get its attention. The keyboard has a habit of delaying what I'm typing, and then adding erroneous letters, which don't improve the narrative at all. This is always when I'm working in Word. Here, for instance it has worked perfectly, with only my typos to clear up.

It was suggested to me that I've got a cheap keyboard and mouse that are susceptible to mobile phone interference. I've tried removing my mobile to another room, and it can help, but not always. I'm using a victsing keyboard and wireless mouse. Not had a single problem typing this message, and my mobile is three feet behind me.

Any ideas, or helpful suggestions gratefully received.

MODS: If this is the wrong place to post this, please move. Thanks.

 

[J Riff]

there was malware did that, but I've had it happen other times, maybe just from overheating. But I installed a little prog called touchfreeze, a long time ago, and it still starts up and runs and no problems.

 

[Overread]

Sometimes you can get jumping with laser mice because of hair (pets most often) getting in the way of the laser sensor. Either a stray hair gets under the mouse or it can get stick near the laser housing. This letting it appear like an intermittent error.

Signals being messed up by phones is another valid argument, better wireless units will have improved resistance to this, though honestly the best protection is cables. Personally my keyboard and mouse sit in one place and I've no benefit of wireless so all mine are wired up. So I've less awareness of what might also cause signal issues.

All keyboards and software will have a limit on how effective they are before your typing exceeds their capacity to keep up; however most should keep up with the average to very good typer today so if you'r getting loads of dropped keys and such it does suggests a problem with the keyboard and/or wireless signal is the source of the problem.

 

[Brian G Turner]

When mine does that, it means there's a hair over the light/laser underneath. Worth checking IMO.

 

[Boneman]

Thanks all! Couldn't see a hair (but I have got three cats!) so I hoovered the mouse and keyboard, and it seems to have had the desired effect!

 

[-K2-]

Yep, dog hair, cigarette ash, spot from liquid now dry, dandruff flake, booger...

That said, I cannot suggest strongly enough finding the cheapest microsoft wired mouse or similar you can find. They even make them with long cords, somewhere around $7-11. Besides the fact that it becomes significantly less-sensitive to outside interference (which is another issue as mentioned above), by virtue of their old tech, they tend to work like a Soviet tank vs. an over-engineered German one. Just a thought.

K2