Mouse pointer jumping around windows xp

Why does my Windows XP mouse cursor jumps around? Ask Question. Asked 8 years, 9 months ago. Active 8 years, 9 months ago. Viewed 1k times. Improve this question. Nathan 3 3 gold badges 9 9 silver badges 27 27 bronze badges. Are you referring to the built-in mouse?

Or an external one? Or does it happen with all mice? I use built-in one. I didn't have use external one. But that built-in was good before. Well, hardware sometimes fails. First thing to do now is try another mouse with the internal one disabled. Is there any softwaring way to solve the problem as a second thing? My mean is that, is there any code, statement or so on on Windows to dose that?

If it's in fact a faulty hardware, then no - your internal mouse just sends invalid movement information and there's no way to distinguish it from real movement. Show 1 more comment.

Active Oldest Votes. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password. A wireless router , keyboard , headset , cordless phones, and other devices transmit and receive signals that could interfere with the mouse signals. Electrical interference is also possible. Some computer monitors, and even hardware in a computer, can give off electrical signals that interfere with a wireless mouse.

For example, if the monitor is not properly shielded or malfunctioning, it can release electrical signals that may scramble or break up the signals from a wireless mouse.

The same concept applies to computer hardware, especially a power supply. It is also possible for EMI electromagnetic interference to cause issues with a wireless mouse.

If a device with a magnet is near the wireless receiver or mouse, it can cause interference that results in erratic mouse behavior. For all of these types of interference, the solution is to determine which device is causing the interference. Try moving that device to another location that is farther away from the mouse.

If it receives and transmits wireless signals to its receiver, try moving the device or receiver. If you find the computer monitor is causing the problem, replace the monitor, as it should not be generating an interfering signal and is likely defective. The same is true if the computer power supply is causing the interference; its best to replace it.

It is possible that a loose connection or bad port can cause problems with the mouse. Make sure that it's not either of these problems by disconnecting the mouse from the current USB port and connecting to another USB port. If you're using a touchpad , you may experience erratic behavior because of moisture or a liquid substance on your finger, such as lotion or soap. Wash your hands and wipe them with a towel thoroughly to remove any lotion, soap, or other oily substances from your fingers.

It may also help to clean off the touchpad itself to remove any substances on the touchpad. If you have other input devices, such as another external mouse, graphics tablet, or keypad, connected to your computer, it may cause interference. Try disconnecting these devices to make sure they are not causing the problem.

Because drivers control how the mouse interfaces with the operating system, if the drivers are bad, the mouse is not going to work properly. Make sure you have the latest drivers from your mouse manufacturer. We also recommend going into Add or Remove Programs also called "Programs and Features" in newer versions of Windows in the Control Panel and uninstalling all previous mouse drivers and software. Uninstalling old software is important when moving between mouse manufacturers, like going from a Logitech to a Microsoft mouse.

If the mouse cursor only acts erratically or jumps around while playing a video game, the computer may not have enough RAM or video memory. If this is the case, it can result in reduced functionality of the mouse.

If the graphics card in the computer is underpowered, the video game often experiences graphics lag. The mouse cursor also can jump around instead of having smooth motion across the screen because the computer cannot display graphics properly. Review the recommended hardware requirements for the game, especially those about the RAM and video memory. If your computer has the bare minimum requirements or does not meet the requirements, you need to upgrade its hardware.

If you have followed all of the troubleshooting options above and continue to encounter problems, the mouse is likely defective. To determine if this is the case, try connecting the mouse to another computer. You can also try connecting a different mouse to your computer. If your mouse does not work with another computer or another mouse does work on your computer, we suggest replacing the mouse.

If, after trying everything above, you're still having problems with your mouse, and another mouse doesn't work either, there may be corrupt operating system files on your computer. If one or more system files that interact with the mouse are corrupt, this can cause erratic mouse movement or failure to respond and click in various cases.