Historically, mouse problems are caused by video drivers. Did you recently update your Display Adapter driver ? If so maybe it can be rolled back in device manager to see if that eliminates the problem.

This post was edited by mikie on Mon, Jan 28, 13 at 23:28

At times a mouse's operation can be effected by resource drain. The most common causes are too many applications running in the background, too much demand for the system at once, or a combination of both.

You didn't report how much RAM your system has.

If it is a wireless mouse I state the obvious as at times we all tend to over think things, the battery?

DA

Ram:280GHz 512MB

Nothing wireless. Mouse is Optical.

Sue

This post was edited by Sue-va on Tue, Jan 29, 13 at 9:20

512MB of RAM is a very small amount these days and insufficient to handle some of today's memory intensive tasks efficiently. I'm guessing that your computer is a number of years old. You should see if it is possible to add more RAM to it, which would be much cheaper than the new computer you will eventually have to buy. Go to crucial.com and/or kingston.com; both of them have very easy onscreen tools that will allow you to determine in a few seconds what additional memory your computer can handle and the cost.

One other suggestion. My computer has a lot more RAM than yours, but I will occasionally get a frozen mouse when using Firefox with a lot of windows open. Before this happens, I usually get a warning as the cursor starts developing a little lag. The solution is to simply close out all Firefox windows and re-open it.

Kudzu9, you are right, my computer is 5-6 years old. I don't do any gaming, downloading music, etc. I sometimes might have two windows open. I just surf and email.

I went to crucial.com where it says they will do a Free Scan. I clicked that, then there is a box to check if you agree to their terms and agreements, but I don't see what they are. Also at that point it doesn't say Free. I'm very cautious about these things.

Sue

Crucial is ok..
Been around a long time.. easy to deal with usually if defective memory. Which happens.

They ship really fast. I've bought from them off and on for my own computers. I like their easy ways mostly ,,, and ok prices too.

I order memory from Crucial too and have been very pleased with both pricing and speed of delivery. Sue, you should try another browser if you don't see the check box. There is no paid scan, it's always free.

I agree that the small amount of RAM could be the source of the problem.

In the meantime, try using Chrome as your browser. While not the worst of the bunch, Firefox is a bit of a memory hog. Chrome has a lighter touch and so by using less of the limited resources you have, it could be less likely to cause a problem.

Sue-
You don't have to worry about Crucial.com. If you want to read the terms and conditions for a scan -- in all their boring, lengthy lawyer-ese -- you have to hover your mouse over the words "Terms and conditions" and then click on it and a box will pop up for you to read. I guarantee it will be a waste of time for you.

Further, I don't believe you even need to do the scan. If you select the Memory Advisor option it should give you all the info you need. I think you only need to run the Scanner if you can't tell them the model of computer you have. And if you do need to run the Scanner, it's a harmless piece of software that you download, run, and delete afterwards. It's not going to do anything bad to your computer, or change it in any way, or install something on it you don't want and can't get rid of, or spy on you, or steal your credit card number, etc.

And I don't work for Crucial...I've just used them numerous times over the last 15 years, so I know they are totally legit.

This post was edited by kudzu9 on Wed, Jan 30, 13 at 13:31

Kudzu9, no, I didn't really want to read the T&A, I just wanted to know for sure if it was free.

I did run the scan and this is the results:

2GBkit (1GBx2) $37.99

1GBkit 512MBx2 $27.99

1GB $18.59

512MB $13.99

I hope to use this PC as long as XP holds out. By then I expect the "newest and greatest " to be available and I will only have one learning curve to hurdle.

So, Kuduz9, which would you recommend I order?

Thanks, and also to the others who replied.

Sue

P.S. And of course, the mouse froze just as I was ready to Preview, so I came to my word program and wrote it again. I've been trying to remember to do that, but I forget

How many slots do you have available? You may have to remove existing memory and re-arrange to get the maximum. If you are running XP 32bit, the maximum it will recognize is 3GB, and that's what I have in my computer. I have 4 slots with 1GB in each of 2 of them and 512MB in each of the other 2 for a total of 3GB. Mine originally came with only the two 512MB sticks of memory, so I ordered the 2GBkit. I put the two existing 512MB sticks in slots 3 and 4, and put the new sticks in slots 1 and 2. But a lot depends on your present configuration. Crucial should have shown you exactly what you have and how it is configured.

Sue-
I'd definitely go for the 2GB, especially since you want to hold on to your computer; it looks like a bargain to go with the most you can install and it should make a significant difference. I'm assuming the Crucial site showed you how many slots you have (probably 2?). If so, that means one is being used by the half GB you now have; you would simply pull that one and then install the two new ones. It's very easy to do this, so just ask if you need any help with the install.

Here is the info from Crucial re slots:

Memory:
DDR2 PC2-5300

Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 4GB
Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
Total Memory Slots: 4
Available Memory Slots: 2
256MB
DDR PC2-5200
256MB
EMPTY
EMPTY

I watched a video that shows how to install them. Looks easy enough.

Also, though, I'm sure there is too much in Start Up. What is the best way to clean it out? Back in the day it was simple.

TIA

Sue

Sue-
Since you have 4 slots -- two full, two empty -- that's good, because you can keep the old memory. Here is what you should do. When you get the new memory, pull the existing chips out and move them to the two slots that are now empty; then put the new memory where the original memory used to be. This will ensure that the computer makes the most optimal use of the new memory. If you get 2 GB of new memory, as I suggested, you will then have a total of 2.5 GB and that should make a significant difference. If in the future you want to go to the 4 GB limit, you would simply replace the two old 256 MB chips with two more 1 GB chips. However, just get the 2 GB set now and see if that performs adequately for you.

while in the case changing memory is an excellent time to clean out all the dust bunnies that can cause over heating and associated problems. Always be sure to either use a grounding wristband which you can get at any electronics store or department for just a couple bucks, or make sure you are grounded to the metal case,static electricity can do damage.

Eliminating static electricity is a good suggestion. I have used grounding straps myself, but I don't believe they are absolutely necessary as long as you dissipate any static electricity when you first begin to work. The link below has a good discussion about the realities of doing this.

Whatever you do, just remember to unplug the computer before doing any work inside so there isn't a shock hazard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grounding

Sue, you are just going to have to bite the bullet and get your mouse a warmer winter coat....lol

Sue,

I had the same problem with the cursor randomly freezing on my 10 year old Dell Dimension 4450.
Would have to restart the computer each time.

I did a 'BIOS' update from 'A02' to 'A08' about 6 years ago and haven't had the problem since.

Witz

Genes, Mices are supposed to grow their own. Jackets don't come in that size, so I moved my PC next to the fireplace and look what happened!

Witz, I have no idea how to do that.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: cursor

The computer is kept clean; I use canned air.

My last question was I'm sure there is too much in Start Up. What is the best way to clean it out? Back in the day it was simple.

If the memory has been fine up till now, I don't undrstand why it would affect the mouse.

TIA

Sue

Every task is becoming more and more intensive. An older system doing today's work will quite often reach its limits. With your 512kb RAM your system is operating Windows, any application(s) you might have open, your e-mail if it is on on realtime, and of course your AV. And there are more possibilities. Like a rubber band, you can only stretch it so far.

DA

WinPatrol and CCleaner both allow you to see what is in startup and both allow you to delete or stop programs from starting fairly easy.

Is your mouse from china ? I see in China some billionaire is selling cans of air now. Probably pretty expensive but most likey of the type mice like best.

It is not a good idea to delete entries in the startup. It would be best to disable them if necessary.

DA

All things considered, I'm going to get another PC for now. Maybe a refurbished, to use until MS drops support on XP, which gives me another year, and possibly much longer. My son is familiar with this machine and he told me he would not suggest putting any money into it.

Thanks again for all the helps and points to ponder.

Sue

Post a hijackthis log. I'll look at the start ups for you.