Mouse not moving

Question

Hello. I tried to use my desktop computer today, and a few moments after logging in, the cursor fixed itself on a position on the screen and wouldn't move, no matter how much I dragged the mouse around. It would flick in the direction I was dragging, then back to the spot, rendering it unusable. I was using it just yesterday with no problems at all. I restarted the computer, and the problem persisted. I unplugged the mouse and plugged it back in, and the problem persisted. Using the start button and keyboard arrows, I navigated to the device manager and checked the driver for the mouse, and found that it was already updated. I used Windows Defender and did a quick scan for viruses, and found none.

I checked the computer for general Windows updates and found several available, but soon after selecting "download", all of the update statuses would be stuck at "initializing" or "pending", and upon checking the update history, it would register all of those downloads as "failed". I believe this is because the internet connection I'm using is a mobile hotspot, and may not be strong enough to allow the updates to install.

I don't have access to "normal" wifi and may not for a long time, and want to know if there's anything else I can try to fix this problem? My computer is completely unusable right now. (Note: I'm submitting this question on a separate device.)

Answer 1

Hi Nocturne_

My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

Power on and off your computer three times

On the third time, your computer will boot into the Advanced Recovery environment

Click Advanced Options

Click Troubleshoot

Click Advanced Options

Click Startup Settings

Click Restart

Press (4) to Enable Safe Mode

Wait while Windows 10 starts in safe mode.

Log in

Press Windows key + X

Click Device Manager

Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers at the bottom

Right click each entry then click uninstall

Exit then restart

Windows 10 will then redetect them.

Check if they then work.

Additional troubleshooting steps:

Press Windows key + X

Click Device Manager

Expand Mice and other pointing devices.

Right click on the Mouse and click uninstall

Press Alt + F4

Press the Windows key + X

Press the letter U

Press the letter R

Restart in Normal mode and see if the mouse works.

It was an issue with the Synaptics drivers for my touchpad. I had to disable some Palm Check sensitivity, which I had read about a few days ago, but could not find the option.

OR

Press Windows key + X

Press the 'M' key

Press tab once

Use the down arround to select Mice and other pointing devices.

Press the right arrow to expand Mice and other pointing devices.

Use the down arrow again to select your HID-Compliant mouse

Press the right click menu key on your keyboard (usually located between the Alt and Control keys)

Select uninstall

Hit Enter

Press Alt + F4

Press the Windows key + X

Press the letter U

Press the letter R

Restart

Other things you can try.

Method 1: Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. This troubleshooter finds and fixes common problems with devices on your computer.

Click Start.

Type Troubleshooting, and select Troubleshooting in the results.

In the new window, click Hardware and Sound.

In the list of options, click on Hardware and Devices.

Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

Method 2: Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files. This allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files.

Open Start, type: CMD

Right click CMD

Click Run as administrator

Type in at the prompt OR Copy and Paste these one at a time : (Hit enter after each)

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Also run the System File Checker utility:

Open Start, type: CMD

Right click CMD

Click Run as administrator

At the Command Prompt, type: sfc/scannow

This will check for any integrity violations

Restart your system

Answer 2

Thank you, I tried some of the tasks you suggested and it seems to have fixed the problem. I'm not sure what I did that fixed the issue, but I'll explain so you'll have better feedback on your assistance.

I followed all steps through "Power on and off three times" until "Log in", and tried a startup repair (it was the closest thing to "startup options" that I could see), and although I did press 4, my computer gave no indication for whether or not it was starting in safe mode. I tried the next couple directions, but saw no "Universal serial bus", so I skipped that. I had already tried uninstalling the mouse driver (sorry for not mentioning that in my original post), so I skipped that as well. The last thing I did was the Alt+f4, Windows button+X, letter U, letter R, and pressed 4 to try and restart it in normal mode (although I was still unsure of whether it was working). The next time I logged in, I was getting ready to run the device troubleshooter when it finally started working. Thanks again for the help; if the problem resurfaces I'll try the other steps you suggested.

Answer 3

Hi Nocturne_

I am Vijay, an Independent Advisor. I am here to work with you on this problem.

1. Take actions related to Display Driver as the first level of troubleshooting

Windows Key+X > Click Device Manager > Expand Display Adapter > Right click on entry below >

A. Rollback the Driver

Click Properties > Go to Driver tab > If there is rollback option, click it

B. Update driver from manufacturer's website

Go to the website of the driver's manufacturer or computer's manufacturer > See if some driver is released for your model and OS > If yes, download that > In previous option, click Uninstall > Install the downloaded driver > Restart your computer

You will need to restart your computer after the above steps.

2. Also update your BIOS and Chipset if you have got the updates for them,

If you are not able to boot, then try booting in safe mode

How to boot in safe mode - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/...

Do let me know if you require any further help on this. Will be glad to help you.