Laptop mouse pointer keeps jumping around
August 26, 2022 3:08 AM Subscribe
Recently my laptop's mouse cursor has started jumping around - usually just as I click on something. It's happened before when I've had a graphics tablet plugged in - I assumed I was leaning on it or my magnetic watch strap was the problem but it didn't happen when I wasn't using the tablet so I didn't bother too much about it but now its happening all the time.
I don't have any external devices plugged in. If its relevant it started happening after I took my computer in to be repaired - my previous charger had overheated or something and the tip of the charger had sort of melted. I tried a new charger and that didn't seem to work either so I took my laptop to get repaired. When I got it back they didn't seem to have done anything except wiped it down with isopropyl alcohol. I put in my spare charger and it still didn't seem to be working but in the time it took me to vent to my BF, it started charging which left me wondering if just hadn't left it long enough the first time I tried and the repair shop had charged me £60 and done nothing.
That may or may not be relevant. Also, before this happened, I did have a dongle plugged in for an external mouse, but it started making the connected and disconnected usb noise so I took it out. (The mouse wasn't connected or turned on when this was happening).
The jumping around only seems to happen when I'm using the mouse, as I've sat here typing for several minutes and the cursor has not moved once. (then when I went to scroll down, the cursor jumped to the bottom of the screen again - and twice more to the top or bottom when trying to use the mouse to post this)
It's a laptop with a glidepad, no external mouse and the pointer only seems to move when I'm using it. It tends to jump to the bottom of the screen, generally bottom left but not always. Sometimes I'll go to click on a tab in my browser for example and it'll jump so that I click on a different one.
I contacted customer support and they had me run sfc /scannow and that did find some problems and claimed to have fixed them and the problem seemed to get better but not completely, and I ran it again and it found the same problems and claimed to fix them. Then I rebooted and ran it again and its now saying there are no problems.
I reported that to tech support and they've said the next step is a clean windows install which obviously I don't want to do. I'm sure there must be a more targeted solution but googling hasn't helped me find a solution that isn't related to external devices or similar.
I don't have any external devices plugged in. If its relevant it started happening after I took my computer in to be repaired - my previous charger had overheated or something and the tip of the charger had sort of melted. I tried a new charger and that didn't seem to work either so I took my laptop to get repaired. When I got it back they didn't seem to have done anything except wiped it down with isopropyl alcohol. I put in my spare charger and it still didn't seem to be working but in the time it took me to vent to my BF, it started charging which left me wondering if just hadn't left it long enough the first time I tried and the repair shop had charged me £60 and done nothing.
That may or may not be relevant. Also, before this happened, I did have a dongle plugged in for an external mouse, but it started making the connected and disconnected usb noise so I took it out. (The mouse wasn't connected or turned on when this was happening).
The jumping around only seems to happen when I'm using the mouse, as I've sat here typing for several minutes and the cursor has not moved once. (then when I went to scroll down, the cursor jumped to the bottom of the screen again - and twice more to the top or bottom when trying to use the mouse to post this)
It's a laptop with a glidepad, no external mouse and the pointer only seems to move when I'm using it. It tends to jump to the bottom of the screen, generally bottom left but not always. Sometimes I'll go to click on a tab in my browser for example and it'll jump so that I click on a different one.
I contacted customer support and they had me run sfc /scannow and that did find some problems and claimed to have fixed them and the problem seemed to get better but not completely, and I ran it again and it found the same problems and claimed to fix them. Then I rebooted and ran it again and its now saying there are no problems.
I reported that to tech support and they've said the next step is a clean windows install which obviously I don't want to do. I'm sure there must be a more targeted solution but googling hasn't helped me find a solution that isn't related to external devices or similar.
When this happens to me it's because the surface I use my mouse on (the arm of my chair) has gotten too smooth - essentially the (optical) mouse can't see/tell when it's moving properly. For me, simply scratching it up a bit fixes it for a few days. Previously I've had the same issue with boards, desks, books, and even mousepads so it's not just a fabric/chair issue.
Also check if your scratchpad is on...my mother brushes hers with her thumb and it moves the mouse pointer. Drove her batty until we figured it out.
posted by gible at 5:12 AM on August 26, 2022
Also check if your scratchpad is on...my mother brushes hers with her thumb and it moves the mouse pointer. Drove her batty until we figured it out.
posted by gible at 5:12 AM on August 26, 2022
I'm a little concerned that a USB port is maybe a bit borked since you're having USB problems after a power supply problem. Try your mouse in a different USB port. Try a different mouse (or other peripheral) in the same usb port.
Otherwise blow the dust out of the sensor area in the bottom of your mouse. It may have a bit of something in there that's causing it a freakout. If it's a wireless mouse, maybe it's getting interference from something. (I had one that would freak out when anyone in the break room used the microwave.)
posted by Ookseer at 5:43 AM on August 26, 2022
Otherwise blow the dust out of the sensor area in the bottom of your mouse. It may have a bit of something in there that's causing it a freakout. If it's a wireless mouse, maybe it's getting interference from something. (I had one that would freak out when anyone in the break room used the microwave.)
posted by Ookseer at 5:43 AM on August 26, 2022
Please note this in the question:
It's a laptop with a glidepad, no external mouse and the pointer only seems to move when I'm using it.
There is NO external mouse when this is happening to the OP. It is the cursor that's jumping around, not the mouse.
posted by beagle at 6:31 AM on August 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's a laptop with a glidepad, no external mouse and the pointer only seems to move when I'm using it.
There is NO external mouse when this is happening to the OP. It is the cursor that's jumping around, not the mouse.
posted by beagle at 6:31 AM on August 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
It is possible there's software or a driver from the external mouse dongle you mentioned that might be interfering with the cursor? Maybe search for those and remove them.
posted by essexjan at 7:48 AM on August 26, 2022
posted by essexjan at 7:48 AM on August 26, 2022
When I had erratic wireless mouse performance, I searched for tips and read that if the RF receiver is plugged directly into a USB port on my laptop or my USB hub, the electronics of the laptop or hub can interfere with the electronics of the RF receiver. So, as recommended, I got an extender cable so that the RF receiver is now spaced about 4-5 inches away from the laptop. That solved the problem.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:17 AM on August 26, 2022
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:17 AM on August 26, 2022
There is NO external mouse when this is happening to the OP.
This may not be right, although the question is pretty confusing. The OP says clearly:
"The jumping around only seems to happen when I'm using the mouse".
Is there some kind of "mouse" that's not "external"?
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:28 AM on August 26, 2022
This may not be right, although the question is pretty confusing. The OP says clearly:
"The jumping around only seems to happen when I'm using the mouse".
Is there some kind of "mouse" that's not "external"?
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:28 AM on August 26, 2022
Response by poster: To clarify. There is no external mouse. There is nothing plugged in to the computer except the power cable. When I say using the mouse, I mean actively moving the pointer by using the glide pad (or possibly just after I stop moving it, to click on something), when I'm just typing the pointer or cursor stays where I left it
posted by missmagenta at 9:54 AM on August 26, 2022
posted by missmagenta at 9:54 AM on August 26, 2022
When my laptop started having trackpad issues, it was because the battery was starting to swell and putting pressure on the components from underneath. The faulty charger may have damaged the battery, have you noticed any change in the battery life or laptop temperature?
posted by yeahlikethat at 3:14 PM on August 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by yeahlikethat at 3:14 PM on August 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Second on checking for a swollen battery, had same issue once.
posted by qwip at 5:43 PM on August 26, 2022
posted by qwip at 5:43 PM on August 26, 2022
Third the swollen battery possibility.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:14 PM on August 26, 2022
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:14 PM on August 26, 2022
Response by poster: The battery looked ok when I checked it. Would it look visibly swollen? I never have it on battery power really, its a gaming laptop so the battery life is pretty terrible to begin with. Window's estimate of battery life is 1.5 hours but I don't remember what it was supposed to be
posted by missmagenta at 3:19 AM on August 27, 2022
posted by missmagenta at 3:19 AM on August 27, 2022
Response by poster: I took the battery out completely and its still doing it.
posted by missmagenta at 3:13 AM on August 28, 2022
posted by missmagenta at 3:13 AM on August 28, 2022
How old is the laptop? Could anything have damaged the trackpad? That would be my suspicion, especially since it's only happening right around when you're actively using it. If it got damaged somehow, you trying to use it normally could cause it to be reading phantom inputs.
It's also possible it is malware of some kind.
posted by tubedogg at 3:27 AM on August 29, 2022
It's also possible it is malware of some kind.
posted by tubedogg at 3:27 AM on August 29, 2022
Response by poster: Laptop is 2 and half years old. There's no obvious damage, other than being a little smooth in the middle and clearly where I do most of my clicking haha. Its been like that for ages though. The jumping around thing is more recent.
I've uninstalled the drivers and devices relating to the graphics tablet but when I reboot, they come back. I don't see anything in startup that would be doing that though.
posted by missmagenta at 10:26 AM on August 29, 2022
I've uninstalled the drivers and devices relating to the graphics tablet but when I reboot, they come back. I don't see anything in startup that would be doing that though.
posted by missmagenta at 10:26 AM on August 29, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Melismata at 4:13 AM on August 26, 2022