misbehaving mouse

[Kristi]

For quite a long time now, I've had various mouse problems. The mouse intermittantly doesn't work. I've purchased some new mice to correct the problem. This helped a great deal, but the mouse is still "sticky."

The mouse that I used for YEARS with no problems was a Logitech M-S34, a very basic 2-button mouse. My cat chewed the cord, so I had to get a new mouse. A simple one with a wheel. It seemed to work ok at first, but I hated it. Eventually it acted erratic.

Now I've purchased seven M-S34 mice. At first the mouse was ok then it started to act up. I went to the Logitech site and downloaded the latest driver for it. Then it seemed ok again for awhile. It seems it progessively gets worse.

I used to scroll eBay pages while they were loading and by the time all the thumbnails were downloaded, I was ready to go to the next page. I can't do that anymore because I don't have complete control of the mouse. It intermittantly freezes while a web page is downloading.

When I'm offline, some of my applications experience a lesser degree of the same problem.

Yes, I clean the mouse. Rebooting helps for a short time.

Any ideas?
Kristi

[glc]

This may not be a mouse problem, but a problem with too many background apps and CPU/resource utilization. It could also be a video driver problem.

[cuffs007]

Have you cleaned out your temp files, cookies, and internet temp files? done a defrag lately? if not, do all of 'em and see if speed picks back up with mouse and other programs...

hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to see how many background programs you're running, as GLC has mentioned

good luck
:-)

[Kristi]

Ok, last night I cleaned out files and defrag'd. I wish w98 had the % frag like w95. I restarted and it was ok for awhile and then the same thing.

These are the only programs working: explorer, em-exec, essolo, systray, rnapp. After a fresh reboot, the system resources are 94%. After being online, it was 86%.

GLC, you may have a possible answer with the video. My monitor quit working so I had to replace it. I won't tell you what I replaced it with, but let's just say it was free and "somewhat better than nothing??" I priced used monitors today and now I remember WHY I have this monitor! I'm going to trade monitors with my grandsons. They hardly ever use their computer and the little they use it, this monitor should be ok. (Unless they want to play a fast action game.) Anyway, maybe I'll just use it to try the video possibility. I don't want to start looking for an updated driver for this, so I'll eventually give in and buy a monitor.

Are there any other possibilities I can look for?

Thanks
Kristi

[glc]

I'm referring to the video card driver (display adapter), not the monitor.

Are you using dialup with a Winmodem? That can do it too. Hardware based modems are a lot easier on system resources.

[Kristi]

The display adapter is an ATI Rage Pro Turbo AGP. I ran the 6 diagnostics and they all passed: memory r/w, dac r/w, rectangle checksum, linear aperture memory pattern, linear apperture byte lane.

I went to the ati site and downloaded the latest driver, but haven't installed it. According to ati, corrupt fonts could occur with a specific version and w98. I have an earlier version than that one. I reset to the factory settings on my version. I'll see if that makes a difference before installing the latest driver.

I'm also checking on the possibility of the mouseware causing the problem. It seems that other people have had problems with that.

I'm using the usr modem that you recommended. By the way, in case you didn't catch my posting thanking you, at the time of that posting I had NO disconnects or freezing. Since then, I've had 2. So, thank you very much!!

Kristi

[glc]

There is no reason whatsoever to install Mouseware with a basic 2 button mouse. The standard Windows PS/2 mouse driver works just fine with no overhead.

[Kristi]

The latest video driver is installed and the mouseware is uninstalled. Same problem!!

Is there anything else I can look for? Can the video card be eliminated as a possibility because of passing the tests?

System properties > performance > graphics > Should I mess around with different settings on the slider bar for hardware acceleration?

Kristi

[bailey]

just to satisfi my coursity
go to sstem tools, information, hardware resources, irq's
and see it maybe it is shareing a irq with something else

[Kristi]

[Conflicts/Sharing]

IRQ 9 ALi PCI to USB Open Host Controller
IRQ 9 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
IRQ 9 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus
IRQ 10 ESS Solo-1 SoundBlaster Compatible (WDM)
IRQ 10 ESS Solo-1 PCI AudioDrive (WDM)
IRQ 10 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
IRQ 14 ALi Primary IDE controller (Ultra DMA)
IRQ 14 ALi Bus Master PCI to IDE Controller
IRQ 15 ALi Secondary IDE controller (Ultra DMA)
IRQ 15 ALi Bus Master PCI to IDE Controller


[IRQs]

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Communications Port (COM2)
5 U.S. Robotics 56K FAX INT PnP
6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7 ECP Printer Port (LPT1)
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 ALi PCI to USB Open Host Controller
9 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
9 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus
10 ESS Solo-1 SoundBlaster Compatible (WDM)
10 ESS Solo-1 PCI AudioDrive (WDM)
10 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
12 Logitech-compatible Mouse (PS/2)
13 Numeric data processor
14 ALi Primary IDE controller (Ultra DMA)
14 ALi Bus Master PCI to IDE Controller
15 ALi Secondary IDE controller (Ultra DMA)
15 ALi Bus Master PCI to IDE Controller
4 (free)
11 (free)


[Problem Devices]

There are no devices with problems on this machine


[Startup Programs]

Taskbar Display Controls Registry (Per-User Run) RunDLL deskcp16.dll,QUICKRES_RUNDLLENTRY

ScanRegistry Registry (Machine Run) c:\windows\scanregw.exe /autorun

SystemTray Registry (Machine Run) SysTray.Exe

ESSOLO Registry (Machine Run) ESSOLO.EXE

LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Run) Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme

Norton Auto-Protect Registry (Machine Run) C:\PROGRA~1\NORTON~1\NAVAPW32.EXE /LOADQUIET

Tweak UI Registry (Machine Run) RUNDLL32.EXE TWEAKUI.CPL,TweakMeUp

LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Service) Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme

[bailey]

well that all look ok to me

[Kristi]

Please don't give up on me! This problem is so frustrating. Last night I was using MS Publisher and it took at least 3 times as long as it should have because of the mouse.

There has to be an answer somewhere.

Thanks,
Kristi

[Kristi]

I tried this:

uninstalled the mouse
restarted
let w98 detect the mouse, select driver, and install the mouse

I thought this was the answer. The second I laid my hand on the mouse it felt "free". I didn't realize until then that the mouse not only freezes but it also drags.

I went to eBay and had 3 pages downloading at the same time. The mouse was "free" to go anywhere; Back and forth to any page and any place on a page.

After an hour the mouse was getting "sticky". After 1.5 hours the mouse was back to freezing, getting worse by the minute.

Does this info help in any way to diagnose the problem?

Kristi

[bailey]

not really, but it is more interesting though.

reading back through the threads, I have come up with one bad thought.

the cat chewing through the cord will have caused a short in the power wire feeding it to ground, this short would/could cause damage to the ps/2 port in the motherboard, which will give you the same problem you discribed,

if a resistor in the power circut got burnt from being shorted, but not enough to compleately distroy it, it very well could be changeing value as it gets warmed up to the point that the mouse no longer will works.

I'm not saying that this is the problem, but sure looks like a reasonable point to consider

[Kristi]

Could this be tested in any way? Special tools needed? Could I do it myself?

I'll snoop around for diagnostic stuff. I have some stuff I've never used.

Thanks,
Kristi

[bailey]

you could open the case so you can see the port real close, use a multimeter set for volts and measure the 5 volt line feeding the port when it is orking and then again when it is not working
see it the voltage is the same
if this is correct, then a new MB is in order.

[glc]

I know you bought a bunch of mice, but the next thing I would do now is try a USB mouse.

[bailey]

now that is a great thought, why didn't I think of that.
that would be a good fix too

[darksilverazn]

Why dont you get a new mouse.. some other brand besides logitech..? try a microsoft mouse or a walmart one?

[Kristi]

I did get a new mouse. 7 of them. The same kind that I used for YEARS with no problem. I have small hands and I've never held a mouse that fits my hand besides this one. That @*%$# wheel mouse almost crippled my hand in just a few MONTHS.

I'm going to seriously check out any mouse before I bring it home.

Kristi

[Kristi]

OK, will this work:

a ps2 to usb converter.

That leaves the ps2 port out of the picture, right?

I really, really like my mice! I've held many mice and this is the only model that fits me. A couple of times I liked a mouse that I was using (combining system pieces with others) and I remarked that it sure is a nice mouse, and I was told it is YOUR mouse we are using.

Kristi

[glc]

A PS/2 to USB converter that works costs more than a new mouse. Before we condemn the PS/2 port, just go buy a cheap USB mouse for testing purposes.

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=26-129-011-02.JPG/26-129-011-03.JPG/26-129-011-01.JPG

This is $9 plus $4 shipping - and it's small. I've also seen nice little Compaq mice at Radio Shack, designed for laptops.

[Kristi]

I can finally report that a serial mouse as well as a usb mouse have the same problems. I stayed offline with the ps/2 mouse for a few days and didn't have any local problems. It seems that internet explorer drains my system drastically and restarting is the only way to get back the resources.

So now that we know it's not the ps/2 port, what else can I look for?

Kristi

[glc]

Spyware? Something hooked into your browser? Try Mozilla or Opera and see if you have the same issues.

[claudenj]

I had that problem once... and opened the case up to find about an inch blanket of dust on the motherboard. It was not my PC, but she had the same problem. I found a dead roach inside while i was vaccuming it out.. HAHAHAHHAHAA.... Dust is conductive and if you let it blanket your motherboard, you will not only build up heat inside, but also minimize your optimization.. Not sure if you have the same problem.. but you should open and clean your power supply and cooling fan vents regularly. You can blow them out with compressed air, or use a static free vaccum. The air is cheap and effective.. Hope this helps.. I have seen many strange things like this because of dust and dirt..

[Kristi]

I downloaded Netscape 7.1 and have tried it out with no problems. This evening while using IE the problem was as bad as ever, so I closed IE and opened Netscape. I've had no mouse issues !!

Thinking back many, many months ago, I had an image show up on IE, on the toolbar I thnk, that resembled a yellow bulb. Someone told me it could be comet cursor's. Sure enough it was. I got rid of it, but maybe that's when all my problems started. I can't remember exactly, but it seems like it was about the same time frame. And it was also about the same time that my cat chewed my mouse cord.

If I download IE and install it again, should that take care of the problem, if that's what it is?

What is the most stable version of IE? I'm using 5.0 right now.

Kristi

ps- claudenj, I've had the case open several times and have blown out the dust (and cat hair) and I replaced the fan a couple of months ago. Thanks for your suggestion.

[glc]

I've been installing IE 5.5 SP2 on all the Win98 systems I work on. This is a 84mb download, do you have a friend with broadband and a cd burner? All you can get now from M$ is IE6 SP1, and I've had poor results with this on 98.

http://browsers.evolt.org/download.php?/ie/32bit/5.5_SP2/ie55sp2.exe

[Kristi]

Maybe I should post this question in a different forum, but I want to keep the continuity of this thread.

Should I uninstall 5.0 before installing 5.5? According to MS, when you upgrade to 6.0, only the files required are installed of the total program. Can I be sure the "defective" part of IE 5.0 will be replaced by 5.5 if I don't uninstall 5.0?

If I should uninstall it, I'll make a copy of my favorites, but what about Outlook Express? I use it for business purposes and don't want to lose anything I've saved.

Thanks for all your help,
Kristi

[glc]

With all versions of Windows starting with 95C, you can't uninstall IE (using normal operating system tools), you can only revert back to the base version that came with the OS. 98FE came with 4.0 and 98SE came with 5.0. Just install 5.5 SP2 from that distribution, it will update everything - your favorites and OE will survive just fine. If you choose a custom install, you have control over which components get updated.

[Kristi]

Rats! I thought for sure this was going to be the answer. The problem is just as bad if not worse, if that's possible.

This is what appears to be the siutation:

When I stay offline, I have no mouse issues.

When I go online with netscape, I have no mouse issues.

When I go online with ie, the problem doesn't show up right away, but the longer I surf, the more often and the longer the mouse freezes, until the mouse is at a dead standstill while a webpage is downloading. This process can take a half hour to an hour or longer.

The problem is temporarily gone if I reboot.

One time it helped to remove the mouse from the device manager and then let w98 install the mouse driver again. That time, the mouse was completely "free" (no drag, no stick) for the first time in many, many months and also the mouse issues took longer to surface in ie.

But, I did that again this evening, and this time it did not act that way. In fact, this evening I thought the problem started sooner than usual.

Have we exhausted every possibility?

Thanks for all your time and help,
Kristi

[glc]

It is NOT a mouse issue - it's an IE issue. Why don't you just use Netscape? 7.1 is a far better browser than IE anyway in my opinion in spite of all the AOL bloat. Is there any reason you HAVE to use IE other than it came with Windows?

[Kristi]

I've been using netscape tying to get used to it. I prefer ie, but I would like to be able to browse like I used to do and scince I can't, I'll just resign myself to using netscape.

Thanks for all of your time and help, it's much appreciated.

Kristi

[JLSwany]

Experienced similar problem with Win 98 2ed and upgraded to XP Pro. All is fine now as I found Netscape unfavorible by others in my household. So upgrading OS helped me with mouse.