Erratic pointer behavior

Question

During last 6 months my computer (Asus Zenbook evo i7, Windows 11) is going through sudden periods of erratic pointer behavior, window switching, and unintentional window openings. It's impossible to work during those periods. Avast antivirus and Microsoft Safety Scanner say no virus or potentially unwanted software were detected. I need to solve the problem.

Answer 1

Hi,

Does the issue persist in a clean boot state?

Type “msconfig” (without quotes) and press Enter.

In the System Configuration window, select the Services tab.

Check the box next to “Hide all Microsoft services”. Ensure you do it carefully, and not disable all Microsoft services.

Click on “Disable all”.

Select the Startup tab and click on “Open Task Manager”.

In the Task Manager window, select each startup item and click on “Disable”.

Close Task Manager and click on OK in the System Configuration window.

Restart your computer.

More details: https://aka.ms/wincleanboot

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Answer 2

Erratic pointer movement, random window switching, and unintentional openings are typically caused by hardware input issues (mouse, touchpad, keyboard) or their drivers rather than malware, especially when multiple security scans show no threats.

Start with hardware checks:

1. Test the mouse on another PC. If the cursor or buttons misbehave there as well, replace the mouse.
2. If using a USB or Bluetooth mouse, disconnect it and work only with the built‑in touchpad for a while. If the problem disappears, the external device or its receiver is likely faulty.
3. If the built‑in touchpad is suspected, temporarily disable it (via your laptop’s function key or touchpad settings) and use only an external mouse to see if the behavior stops.

Then verify drivers and Windows components:

1. Open Device Manager, locate mouse, touchpad, and keyboard devices, and update their drivers using the built‑in Update Driver option.
2. Run Windows Update and install any available driver or firmware updates.

If a mouse or keyboard does not work properly even on another PC, or shows no lights or response at all, it likely needs replacement.

If the problem persists after confirming that all pointing devices and drivers are healthy, consider that intermittent keyboard issues (stuck keys like Alt, Ctrl, or Windows key) can also cause rapid window switching and openings. Test with an external keyboard and, if necessary, have the built‑in keyboard inspected.

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References:

• Mouse and keyboard problems in Windows
• Mouse scroll (Keychron Bluetooth) not working in Copilot or other Windows dialogs - Microsoft Q&A
• keypad issue - Microsoft Q&A