Mouse icon freezes - PLEASE HELP!!!

[Guest]

Hello,

This has been a MAJOR problem for me the last couple of months and I feel
like I've tried everything to fix it to no avail.

When my PC experiences high PC usage (i.e. when large files are being copied
from one folder to the next; or when I'm renaming the ID3 tags in iTunes) the
mouse icon slows down and then ultimately freezes. However, after the high
PC usage is over, the mouse itself un-freezes, although the mouse icon is
still frozen on the screen. I can tell the mouse itself is still working
because you can mouse the mouse and mouseover buttons that will get
highlighted or click and drag "rectangles" on the desktop, for example. At
this point its like having an "invisible" mouse. (I hope I'm explaining this
OK)

I've got a Logitech Cordless Mouse Man Optical mouse. Batteries are not the
issue. I've also checked to make sure I have the latest drivers for the
mouse. I would be more than happy to provide any other information about my
PC/setup. The only way to 'fix' the problem is to re-boot, which is a
complete pain-in-the-rear.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you

 

[Alec S.]

When my PC experiences high PC usage (i.e. when large files are being copied
from one folder to the next; or when I'm renaming the ID3 tags in iTunes) the
mouse icon slows down and then ultimately freezes.

This is normal. Sometimes when certain programs use the CPU too much, the process that handles the mouse will not get enough CPU
time to do it's thing (although technically it should because that process is high-priority, but it's not always guaranteed). As
you point out, it begins working again when CPU usage drops to normal. Oh, and when you say "slows down", you mean it's movement
gets choppy right?

However, after the high PC usage is over, the mouse itself un-freezes, although
the mouse icon is still frozen on the screen. I can tell the mouse itself is still
working because you can mouse the mouse and mouseover buttons that will
get highlighted or click and drag "rectangles" on the desktop, for example.

So you're saying that when the mouse becomes responsive again albeit invisible, the mouse cursor remains on the screen? What
happens if you move a window (especially a topmost window) over the cursor and then away? Is the cursor still there? Try this,
next time it happens, open a command prompt (press Ctrl+Esc,R or Win+R, then type cmd.exe), then press Alt+Enter to go full-screen,
then Alt+Enter again to come back. Is the mouse cursor fixed?

At this point its like having an "invisible" mouse. (I hope I'm explaining this OK)

Yes you are; I'm all too familiar with invisible cursors, although it's usually caused by other problems.

 

[Ted Zieglar]

What you are experiencing is - for better or worse - normal behavior
under high CPU usage.

 

[Alec S.]

What you are experiencing is - for better or worse - normal behavior
under high CPU usage.

Not really. It's normal for the cursor to get jerky if a high-priority process uses the CPU heavily, but not normal applications.
Worse, it's not normal at all for the cursor to freeze or disappear afterwards (although it's common when games and such crash).

 

[Guest]

Alec S.,

The mouse gets choppy during high PC usage, and usually right after it gets
choppy the mouse cursor freezes.

The mouse cursor remains on the screen no matter what you do. I'll give
your recommendation a shot tonight when I get home from work and post the
results.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Alec S.]

The mouse gets choppy during high PC usage, and usually right after it gets
choppy the mouse cursor freezes.

The mouse cursor remains on the screen no matter what you do. I'll give
your recommendation a shot tonight when I get home from work and post the results.

Also, try changing the display resolution or refresh rate. If either of these affect it, then it's display issue. If they don't,
try using the Mouse Control Panel applet to change the cursor. If that affects it, then it's a cursor issue. If not, then it might
be a mouse driver issue.

 

[Guest]

Alec S.,

I tried your suggestion with mixed results. After hitting Alt+Enter twice,
the mouse actually worked correctly for a few seconds and then froze again.
This happened repeatedly. Any other suggestions???

Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

[Alec S.]

I tried your suggestion with mixed results. After hitting Alt+Enter twice,
the mouse actually worked correctly for a few seconds and then froze again.
This happened repeatedly. Any other suggestions???

So how exactly do you know when your system is in "high usage"? The only thing that would affect the cursor like that is the CPU,
and you've said that it doesn't work after it goes back to normal. How do you know that the usage has dropped?

If you aren't already, use the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) to view the CPU usage. You can also monitor which process is using
it, to figure out why it's bringing the system to a crawl. Like I said, under normal circumstances, the cursor should not be
affect, especially from file access.

 

[Guest]

I've already experimented with the Task Manager. Nothing looks out of the
ordinary on it. I can tell the CPU is in high usage because I've done things
like copy files (large or small) from one drive to the other OR rename the
ID3 tags in iTunes at the same time the Task Manager is open. I can see the
CPU usage spike.

I'm starting to think that iTunes is the reason. I can't remember exactly
when I instakked iTunes, but my problems started roughly around the time I
added iTunes to my PC. How would this effect the mouse freezing when files
are transferred from one folder/drive to the other?

 

[Alec S.]

I've already experimented with the Task Manager. Nothing looks out of the
ordinary on it. I can tell the CPU is in high usage because I've done things
like copy files (large or small) from one drive to the other OR rename the
ID3 tags in iTunes at the same time the Task Manager is open. I can see the
CPU usage spike.

I'm starting to think that iTunes is the reason. I can't remember exactly
when I instakked iTunes, but my problems started roughly around the time I
added iTunes to my PC. How would this effect the mouse freezing when files
are transferred from one folder/drive to the other?

It wouldn't. Copying or moving files does not require the CPU, so it should not be causing problems… unless the drive is failing.
If the drive is failing, then it will cause timeouts, which effectively hang the system for a while, or even completely.

Check the Event Viewer (Run->event), and look for Warning or Error events whose Event IDs are 9 or 51, or whose Sources are "disk".