System locks up

[jjryms]

I have a custom built PC running XP Home. Every once in a while the mouse moves on its own and different windows flash on the screen, almost as though the mouse is selecting them. This happens very fast until the system locks up. Usually I can close the frozen application through task manager but sometimes I have to restart. I've recently installed McAffee virus software available through AOL but no viruses have been identified. What else could cause this?

[Statica]

Try http://housecall.antivirus.com/ for a second opinion on whether its a virus. When did the issue start? Have you tried running system restore to take your system back to approximately before you started seeing these errors.

[jjryms]

It started several months ago and I considered it more of a nuisance than a real problem, but it is getting worse. I could try an old restore point but I've made so many changes since then that I'd hate to have to redo. I will try the alternate antivirus scan though.

[Digitalic]

What brand of mouse are you using and does it have it`s own software or does it use the default Windows driver?

I`ve run into similar problems with faulty USB hubs that caused erratic behavior. The curser would dance around the screen or could only be movedaround the edges of the screen. I`ve never had one open windows or applications though but I suppose it`s possible.

Also a good idea to do some online virus\spyware checks like Statica said. You can do AV, spyware and a bunch of other tests at PC PitStop.

[jjryms]

It's a cheap ps-2 mouse using system drivers, but the keyboard and mouse are connected to two systems through an A/B switch and the problem only occurs on the primary system.

[glc]

Connect a mouse directly into that system for troubleshooting. Your switch could be faulty.