Mouse Madness

[rans6andrew]

I keep getting called through to my partners office to see some odd behaviour on her PC. When I get there it all behaves itself and nothing is happening. Apparently the mouse pointer moves around on the screen and clicks things randomly for a while but, by the time I get there, all there is to show for it is windows she doesn't want opened over the top of the stuff she was working on. This has been going on since lunchtime yesterday.

I will run the usual stuff, Spybot, CCleaner, Malware-Anti-Malware, Avast etc.

Has anyone seen this recently? What should I be looking for?

Ta.

Rans6......

[MacBoero]

Desktop or laptop?

Desktop mouse or trackpad?

[Capetonian]

I gave up using wireless mouses (mice?) after similar experiences.

[rans6andrew]

wireless mouse, desktop PC, I'll swap it to a wired mouse, just in case.

Rans6......

[MacBoero]

Try changing the monitor settings, in particular the screen refresh rate. I had a Microsoft Wireless Keyboard/Mouse set, that would have sticky keys if the monitor was at a particular refresh rate.

Anything else changed recently? New Wifi network nearby, new cordless phone, microwave oven. Most wireless keyboard/mouse devices operate in the 2.4GHz band, like most other things nowadays. There may be some new channel interference.

Some optical mice go freaky if you try to use them on shiny, glass and/or metallic looking surfaces.

[Saab Dastard]

It could be a low battery / charge state.

SD

[lomapaseo]

Do you have specks of food on your screen ?

[rans6andrew]

as far as I can be sure, nothing in the local hardware has changed since last week. Software has a tendency to "install downgrades" without explaining itself. Substitution with a wired mouse seems to have stopped the wierdness but it may be just that a re-boot performed during the swap over has stopped it for now.

Ta.

Rans6......

[Milo Minderbinder]

Its interference from another wireless mouse, possibly even next door.
Seen it happen in offices when one computer ends up controlling another one in the next office....

[jimtherev]

Me too. Comment from erindoors: 'Well, if you will buy two identical models at the same time, what do you expect?' Point taken, I suppose, tho wouldn't Windoze be able to discriminate? Anyway, didn't like the mouse too much, so back to the trackball.

[rans6andrew]

Funny old world!

Yesterday I swapped out the cordless mouse for a wired one and the problem went away.

This morning, I thought, I better get the wireless mouse and remove the battery before we find it corroded away in 3 months time. So I fetched the mouse and its receiver and I noticed that it moved the pointer on MY computer when I put it down on my desk. So, I had a mouse in each hand and both were driving my pointer.

This is the first time there has been a conflict in a few years. So, I re-matched one mouse to my receiver and now only one mouse works my pointer. For reasons which are now clear, the matching process changes the channel everytime you re-match the mouse and receiver to each other. Neat but confusing when it gets it wrong.

Rans6.......

[MacBoero]

Is it an old set, as I have not seen that happen for many, many years.

Most modern wireless keyboards and mice created a unique encrypted link between themselves and the receiver. It shouldn't be possible to do what you have done with a more recent device.

[green granite]

Got any practical jokers about rans6andrew? :E

[jimtherev]

... which reminds me of the time when we had 2 or 3 TV hire places in high streets, which ran demo models all night. I got hold of a couple of remote controls, and turned all the volumes up full. Non-residential area, so not so bad, but you could hear the shops from half a mile away. I felt such a smart-@ss.

I'd almost forgotten what it was to be young...