Why do I have a second mouse stuck in one location on my Windows PC?
June 30, 2016 7:06 PM Subscribe
I'm dealing, suddenly, with a very annoying problem on my Lenovo laptop. It's running Windows 10 and is about 1.5 years old. When I opened it this evening, there was a second visible mouse cursor in a little bubble on my screen, and it won't go away no matter what I do. Uh oh...
It's almost as though it's pulling attention away from my primary mouse cursor, which still functions, but blinks and stutters and is semi-invisible. This second cursor is visible and stationary all the time, and changes along with the primary cursor (such as to an hourglass). This is the best screenshot I could get. I've restarted several times and done some googling, but I can't figure out what this could be. I've cleaned off the surface of the mouse pad, but I can't see anything on there that might be interfering. I need this laptop for work, and I can't afford another one, so I'm getting a little bit worried. Any ideas would be appreciated!
It's almost as though it's pulling attention away from my primary mouse cursor, which still functions, but blinks and stutters and is semi-invisible. This second cursor is visible and stationary all the time, and changes along with the primary cursor (such as to an hourglass). This is the best screenshot I could get. I've restarted several times and done some googling, but I can't figure out what this could be. I've cleaned off the surface of the mouse pad, but I can't see anything on there that might be interfering. I need this laptop for work, and I can't afford another one, so I'm getting a little bit worried. Any ideas would be appreciated!
Definitely looks like the touch screen is doing that. You could try disabling it in device manager or in the control panel.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 7:14 PM on June 30, 2016
posted by thewumpusisdead at 7:14 PM on June 30, 2016
Response by poster: Yes, I just played around with that. It does work, and it's an OK workaround if necessary to keep it functional for work. Does anyone have any idea why the touch screen would be doing that, though? If I disable and then re-enable it, the problem comes right back. I don't see anything physically on the screen. Weird.
posted by theantikitty at 7:19 PM on June 30, 2016
posted by theantikitty at 7:19 PM on June 30, 2016
Have you tried any of the solutions mentioned on this page?
posted by inkyz at 8:52 PM on June 30, 2016
posted by inkyz at 8:52 PM on June 30, 2016
A friend of mine had this happen on a touchscreen Windows 10 machine. Only it was a very recent model. It turned out to be moisturizer residue from her fingertips - it had to be removed with an abundance of screen cleaner.
Even though she doesn't use much moisturizer, and isn't touching the screen until it's well and truly absorbed, it had built up over many months to the point where it did this.
Once cleaned properly, it worked normally for another several months. Cleaning again helped it.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 9:59 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Even though she doesn't use much moisturizer, and isn't touching the screen until it's well and truly absorbed, it had built up over many months to the point where it did this.
Once cleaned properly, it worked normally for another several months. Cleaning again helped it.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 9:59 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Seconding blue_wardrobe, the capacitive touchscreen thinks you are always touching it at that point due to contamination. Capacitive touchscreens work by detecting electrical conductivity, so a stain which retains moisture or is electrically conductive for some other chemical reason will look to it like a fingertip that's always there.
posted by Bringer Tom at 3:41 PM on July 1, 2016
posted by Bringer Tom at 3:41 PM on July 1, 2016
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posted by theantikitty at 7:08 PM on June 30, 2016