Mouse problem continues and continues

[morgan]

I need help so bad, I will appreciate anything.

My optical mouse freezes at times, on and off for many minutes. Sometimes reboot helps, other times I can’t use the mouse at all after reboot. Sometimes the mouse works fine for 20 or 40 hours, then continues to freeze over and over for so many minutes, then works fine again. Sometimes it freezes once for a second or two, then works fine.

At first I thought it just wasn’t making good contact with the pad and table, but it has gotten worse. It has been going on for so long I don’t know when it started.

It does not matter what programs are running or not running.

I’ve checked everything under Google web search and groups and have done every possible solution I’ve found on the Internet.

Here’s what I’ve found out and the things I’ve done to fix it, none of which has helped. These are not in the order that I did them.

1. Bought a new mouse.

2. Used a different port- PS/2, then several USB.

3. Cleared all temp files including IE cache, ran defrag.

4. Replaced HD with two new serial 200gig hard drives and put swap file on D:.

5. Switched from Intel motherboard to a new Intel motherboard after updating bios on first motherboard did not help. I cleaned the fans and checked all connections.

6. Added another gig of RAM to bring it up to 2gig. It is hyperthreaded as all four slots are in use with the exact same Kingston 512.

7. Updated XP Home Edition to the latest.

8. Moved mouse receiver to many different places and changed batteries.

9. Closed and kept closed over time the programs that run at startup.

10. Ran virus and spyware removal programs.

11. Ran a registry cleaner.

12. Removed mouse drivers and updated them.

13. Removed PCI cards that I don’t use. Kept PCI video. Changed color from 24bit to 16bit. Removed video card and replaced this time with a brand new AGP GeForce 6200. Changed color from 32bit to 16bit. Then down to 8bit.

14. There is no hard drive activity when it freezes.

15. There is no processor usage when it freezes, except for system idle process and other processes use 1% for a moment or so.

16. For a short time I used a wireless keyboard along with a wireless mouse on the same USB port. Keyboard worked fine while the mouse was frozen, I think. I’m back to my wired PS/2 keyboard that works while my original wireless mouse freezes.

17. Changed user defined swap file to: Let Windows manage virtual memory.

18. Changed registry key to make Windows delete swap file at shutdown.

19. Changed swapfile to a different drive (only on D:) and made it 6gig as min and max.

20. Mouse is not shown under IRQ list.

21. There are no conflicts in Device Manager.

22. It’s so random that it doesn’t matter if the computer has been off all day or on for several days or on for two minutes.

23. Switched from one CRT to another CRT.

24. Safe mode has had mouse freeze too, I think.

25. I have not used a wired mouse, but since the motherboard and video card are different from when it first started, I don’t think it is necessary.

26. I did not think of uninstalling the Virge video drivers until after installing the new Nvidia. Now I don’t know how to uninstall the old drivers, but the new card is using the new drivers.

Thanks for any help I can get.

[AlanHo]

I would definitely try a standard wired mouse.

If this proves to be problem free - it is most likely to be your wireless mouse/receiver system at fault.

I have given up using a Microsoft wireless mouse and gone back to a wired optical one having had all sorts of intermittent problems. I am no radio expert - but I became convinced the mouse was being affected by stray radio waves from something in or near the house.

[-pops-]

At least try a wired mouse.

[morgan]

Thanks for the push. I didn't think of it before- I connected a ps/2 mouse so that when the wireless freezes, I can try the wired one at the same time. Now I'm hoping for the freeze so I can see if the wired one works.

[AlanHo]

Fair enough - but can you be sure that if the wireless one freezes that it will not affect Windows and affect the wired one too.

I would try the wired one on its own to be sure of no "cross" infection.

[andsome]

Is there anything nearby that is capable of producing a signal?

[morgan]

I can't believe I did all those things and never even tried a wired mouse. The wired mouse led me to other possibilities. Here are my latest conclusions:

The interference came from the monitor. I experimented with the receiver while the wired mouse worked and the wireless didn't and realized that the closer the receiver was to the monitor, the worse the wireless performed.

Although I had moved the receiver at first, I had always had the monitor in-between the mouse and receiver. I am about to buy a LCD monitor, and if I had already, I would not have known the problem was interference and probably would've thought it was something I couldn't explain.

There were actually two things that worked together to give me the worst case I could have gotten myself into with this. Ever since I was a kid, I would never completely unwrap the power cords connected to any new electronics I'd bring into the house. I would leave the twist tie there to hold the coiled part of the cord. Until now, I hadn't moved the receiver to this side of the monitor because it wouldn't reach. And anyway, the receiver was never more than three feet away from the mouse.

I can almost hear this case being brought up in the future as an example of how something so simple could become so complicated. I was going to buy a new video card anyway, since I really had gotten my money's worth with the Virge, it is sooo old. But now that I have a new motherboard too and so many other spare parts lying around, I can get a second computer for the cost of a new P4 that are very cheap now. So at least I don't feel as bad about the money I spent as letting this "mouse hunt" get so out of hand.

Thank you guys (and/or gals) for your help. I will browse here regularly hoping I can give some payback.

Morgan

[-pops-]

Pleased you're fixed up.

Stick around - you might like it here :)