Erratic PC behaviour

Camarilla

Camarilla

Camarilla

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Joined
26 Jul 2010
Posts
900
Location
Hull/Bridlington
Can anyone help?

Yesterday, while browsing on Firefox, my PC began behaving oddly, acting as if I had pressed mouse buttons even though I hadn't (eg. if I hovered the cursor over a bookmark, it might randomly open that page) or typing things I hadn't typed (eg. I clicked into the Google searchbar, attempting to search for 'erratic mouse behaviour', and instead 'iarn1ki' appeared there and then searched itself). It also began popping in and out of private browsing, moving back/forward through pages, and minimising/maximising itself at random.

It also happens on the desktop, for example moving the mouse sometimes brings up the selection box as if I was holding the mouse button.

This occurs both whilst connected to the internet and whilst not, and I have run numerous scans both in and out of safe mode, using MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, Spybot Search & Destroy, Avast and recently Hitman Pro. I have tried using rkill and CCleaner before scanning, but nothing untoward has turned up, save some tracking cookies the first time which haven't appeared since.

I've completely run out of ideas now, save re-formatting, though I want to avoid this if possible, so any help would be appreciated (For the record, I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit, if it's important).

Thanks,
Cam
 
Sorry for being a bit slow to respond.

I did originally have my laptop next to me while I was using the PC (typing on one, researching on the other), though the strange behaviour continues with the laptop turned off and taken away, and there is nothing else nearby, and nothing else is plugged in, save the monitor, speakers and router.

I'm now going to test it using an old keyboard and mouse, so I'll report back when I have done.

Edit 2:

I've been testing it with a different mouse and keyboard, and the problem seems to have stopped, though I still don't know what caused it in the first place. I'll keep an eye on it and see if anything changes, but fingers crossed it seems to have stopped.

Thanks for the responses,
Cam
 
Last edited:
Disregard the previous edit, the problem is with the back USB ports on my motherboard. I tried the different mouse originally in one of the front ports, which worked fine, and the different keyboard I tried isn't a USB keyboard, it uses one of the round connectors whose name escapes me. But, I just tried putting the different mouse in one of the back USB ports, and it started acting up again. I assume this means that it's some kind of problem with the motherboard?

Thanks,
Cam
 
Don't suppose you might have a short of some kind near the USB ports on the motherboard? Typically the mounting screws if they are metal, but can be caused by a loose screw or fixing falling between the motherboard and backplate or onto the motherboard surface.
 
Check the usb port for dirt/dust...give a nice blow :)

Also you could try uninstalling all usb from device manager then it will reinstall on reboot...just in case its a software problem.
 
Honestly, I don't know. I can't see anything obvious, but I'm nowhere near savvy enough to be able to say yes or no with any certainty.

Sorry :(
Cam

Edit:

@postmanfw: I'll give that a try. Thanks.

Edit 2:

@postmanfw: Just to clarify, do you mean uninstall everything under the 'Universal Serial Bus controllers' section, or the items under 'Keyboards' and 'Mice and other pointing devices'? Also, I tried blowing dust out of the ports to no avail.
 
Last edited:
So, having done as postmanfw suggested and uninstalling the USB devices, everything seems to be working okay again. Phew.

Fun fact, it turns out the keyboard wasn't being faulty, it was the mouse's macro feature recording parts of my typing then playing them back randomly. The joys of excess features.

Thanks for the help,
Cam
 
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