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This is kind of RV related since I use my laptop to access the Moncaoers site.  This is for all the tech savvy people out there.

OK, this problem is getting worse.  My mouse and keyboard have started to lock up. Originally it only happened about once or twice a month, then weekly, then daily, now several times this morning.


I have a Dell XPS, it's about 10 years old but still has decent speed. It was my work computer and special ordered to meet my needs, at the time cost ~$3K.

The mouse will randomly lock up, can restart the computer and all is good. More recently the keyboard would lock up, will be typing and it just quits.
I went in and ran the Dell diagnostics, showed all was good. Checked for specific downloads for the keyboard and it did show a couple, one was marked urgent but dated 2018. I also did a check of any downloads, there were three so I went ahead and downloaded. Restarted the computer but when I restarted within minutes the touch pad locked up again.

I also ran a virus scan since the symptoms might indicate some sort of key board tracker.



Any other suggestions on what else I might do (besides buying a new laptop)?

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You could spend hours figuring this out, our spend hours backing up and restoring the operating system back to brandee new.

What operating system is it running?  If XP...time for a new computer.  If Win 7,8 or 10, then upgrade to the latest Win that the hardware will support.

But plan on buying a new computer soon.  It's had it's time.

 

If you just use the device for Internet surfing (like this forum), then buy an iPad 9th gen for $320 and an optional keyboard mouse.

Edited by DavidL
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Operating system is Windows 10 Pro.

I back up my files regularly but will do it again.  Back in 2015 I had a ransom ware attack, luckily I still had Dell Support/warranty and they sent me a thumb drive with the whole operating system so I could get my computer back but I did loose all/most of my files.  Since then I've made it a habit of backing the files up.

I will look at restoring my system after I back everything up. 

Yup sooner or later I'll have to buy a new laptop.  My desktop took a dump last year, lost the harddrive but was able to recover all the files. 

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I'd reload the keyboard and mouse device drivers for a start.  A long shot would be to disassemble the laptop and re-install the keyboard & mouse connectors.  Not much else I can offer. 

Maybe consider an external wireless mouse & keyboard.  External mouse might be easier.  External keyboard not-so-much. 

While we're talking computer issues . . . . I keep getting invitations to upgrade to Win 11 but my understanding is that it won't run non-approved software (I use some specialized software).  What's the skinny?  That and I hate change, especially learning new ways to do things that work perfectly fine.  Why they ever did away with Win 3.1 is a mystery to me (snicker snicker). 

- bob

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First, I understand how frustrating randomly occurring problems can be with a PC. I used to teach Cisco PC and repair and have some experience with situations like this. I've been keeping my wife's PC running for the past 11 years. Machine running Windows 10 (started with Windows 7) but can't be upgraded to 11 due to hardware. Machine started showing it's ass the past three or four months and I've pulled every trick out of my bag with limited success. 

The drivers for your hardware are probably contributing to your problems. Ten year old hardware is about 100 years behind what is out there now. 

I just ordered a new laptop for my wife. It will save me hours of frustration keeping the old one running. There are so many reasonably priced PCs out there that you will not spend anywhere close to what you did 10 years ago.

I always suggest making a list of what you actually do with your PC and what software you need to run on your PC. Often, people buy way more PC than they actually need. If your needs are mostly working with online accounts you may be able to get by with something as simple as a Chromebook. Here is a great article comparing laptop to Chromebook. https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/chromebook-vs-laptop-whats-the-difference/

Good luck with either figuring out what demons are in your old laptop or with purchasing something new.

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Jim,

Have you checked to see if there’s a BIOS update available from Dell? (Or did you recently update your BIOS?) That could affect built-in mouse keyboard operation on a laptop. 

The other thing I would check (mentioned above) is the internal connectors for the mouse and keyboard. 

Things that would affect mouse and keyboard on a laptop:

1. Windows drivers
2. BIOS
3. Hardware - connectors or mechanical/electrical failure 

hope that gives you some ideas to check…

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1 hour ago, jacwjames said:

This is kind of RV related since I use my laptop to access the Moncaoers site.  This is for all the tech savvy people out there.

OK, this problem is getting worse.  My mouse and keyboard have started to lock up. Originally it only happened about once or twice a month, then weekly, then daily, now several times this morning.


I have a Dell XPS, it's about 10 years old but still has decent speed. It was my work computer and special ordered to meet my needs, at the time cost ~$3K.

The mouse will randomly lock up, can restart the computer and all is good. More recently the keyboard would lock up, will be typing and it just quits.
I went in and ran the Dell diagnostics, showed all was good. Checked for specific downloads for the keyboard and it did show a couple, one was marked urgent but dated 2018. I also did a check of any downloads, there were three so I went ahead and downloaded. Restarted the computer but when I restarted within minutes the touch pad locked up again.

I also ran a virus scan since the symptoms might indicate some sort of key board tracker.



Any other suggestions on what else I might do (besides buying a new laptop)?

If your virus scan indicated you have a keyboard tracker, I hope you did not use you computer to access bank accounts.  If so who ever placed a keyboard tracker on your laptop has your login and passwords to your bank account plus any other personal information you typed in.  

I have a anti malware software and C Cleaner Pro on my laptop.  I run C cleaner when I shutdown my laptop every night.  

IMO, it is time to junk what you have and start new.

Chuck B 204 Windsor

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I’ve had this happen every 3-5 in the past 15 years   If that computer is 10 years old it’s time for a new one. That operating system is out dated and too slow to run todays programs. Heck a 5 year old computer to old nowadays. Good luck. 

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As suggested, it is time.

You can spend countless hours trying to solve the issue. Look for a restore point saved on your computer. IF you know where to find it and can find a previously saved point, try to restore it. If you have concerns about that, look up Restore and become comfortable.

There are a lot of tools you can use to diagnose and many things to check. You might need an updated driver and trying to steer you on how to do that would take a lot of time. Youtube is great. 

You probably have a "sub-turtle" system and likely only have the 2.5 GHz wi-fi capability. 

A new computer will be smoking fast. 

Have you done normal maintenance such as defragging? Have you checked your storage capacity on the hard drive, 

I suspect you have an old-style hard drive and it could be getting tired. 

You can spend money by upgrading to a solid state hard drive but once you start throwing money at an "old car", other things can die and you risk killing it anyway.

There are some great migration programs to move files and programs over. Some via wi-fi for example. 

I just retired my grandsons ten year old computer. I was able to clean it up and get it working properly with plans to upgrade the HD and ram but it is just too old to toss money at. He has a new computer anyway so the files are being moved to his new one. It is smoking fast. 

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Thanks for all the replies, since I did the updates yesterday there hasn't been a problem but it could come back at any time.

I think some of my problems are associated with the DELL support that is loaded on my laptop.  I notice that at times when it starts acting up and I go into Task Manager the Dell stuff seems to be working in the background eating up my CPU capacity.  One of the processes has similar characteristics of a virus but from what I read it is part of the Dell diagnostics and if you delete it the Dell support may crash (not that it would be a bad thing). 

I'm going to start checking on a new laptop, I live in TN and they have a tax free weekend on school supplies so it might be a good time to try and find one.

I've also started to check to see if there is any way to transfer the Microsoft Office I have.  Not working anymore but still have a need for a couple of the programs.  My days of using Power Point I think are over but I still use Excel and Word.   I still have a student addition from when I went back to grad school but it's 20 years old and may not load on a new computer. 

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On 7/24/2022 at 7:32 AM, jacwjames said:

I've also started to check to see if there is any way to transfer the Microsoft Office I have.  . . .  still use Excel and Word.   I still have a student addition from when I went back to grad school but it's 20 years old and may not load on a new computer. 

That could be an issue and I'll be facing the same some day.  Can you locate that 16? character activation code?  That would be too easy.  Otherwise it might be buried in the Registry somewhere . . . and most likely encrypted.  Heck, Win 11 may not even accept the old Office purchased format. 

MS Office is now an annual lease.  Every year you get to pay.  Not sure if alternative spreadsheet programs use the same formulas. 

- bob

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Bob H is only partially correct regarding MS Office going to subscription only. You can still get the Student and Home version that does not require annual payment. I don't believe it comes with cloud storage like the subscription model, though.

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7 minutes ago, SteveC said:

Bob H is only partially correct regarding MS Office going to subscription only. You can still get the Student and Home version that does not require annual payment. I don't believe it comes with cloud storage like the subscription model, though.

Last spring I had my GS add  the cheaper $100, one time addition, to his PC as he needed Excel for a class.  He probably could have got a cheaper price, but that was the going rate for MSFT from their website.  Amazon sells it also…ORIGINAL…and you have a DVD to use…

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39 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

Last spring I had my GS add  the cheaper $100, one time addition, to his PC as he needed Excel for a class.  He probably could have got a cheaper price, but that was the going rate for MSFT from their website.  Amazon sells it also…ORIGINAL…and you have a DVD to use…

I'll start looking at my options.   I could probably still use the old MS Office suite that I got when I was in school, the original computer that it was loaded on is long gone. 

 

So now that I am looking at a new Laptop, what make/model is everyone using.   I don't use mine for anything fancy, surfing the web, house hold record keeping, etc.  So I don't need a screaming machine, just something dependable with decent speed for the average person.   I started to look at what Sam's Club has available, I can save sales tax if I buy it next week. 

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With *MY* money I've purchased 2 Acers in my life, both i5 processors.  They seemed to be more competitive than the HPs, Dells & Lenovos at the time. 

And then there's capable tablets, Chromebooks and the like.  There are so many options and variations it will make your head spin. 

Good luck. 

- bob

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Thanks Bob,  I'll add ACER to the list of possibilities.

I actually bought a Microsoft Go 2 tablet last year to use with my Silverleaf.  I did try it a couple time for surfing the web etc but really like the keyboard function. 

Agree on many option, yes my head has started to spin. 

       

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This is just my experience, I've found that I don't need to be a tech-guy.

I can't even remember how many years it has been since I made the switch from the ongoing pain and frustration of my old PC XP to a Mac from the local Apple Store ....and they transferred everything for me.

Over those many years, whenever I have a computer problem,

 I just call the 1-800 number and immediately, I give their tech-support (a real human) access to my computer and to date, they have never failed to zero in and quickly help me to correct the computer or email  problem, FOR me.

Just my experience.

I hope you find the best solution that fits your needs.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So last week I went a couple days without a problem and then one day the gremlins were back with a vengeance. Both the keyboard and mouse started to act up and I was having to do a hard shutdown a number of times.

So back to the drawing board, I did more searching for possible solutions. Not sure what I did that finally cured the problem but here are the different things I did.
 

  1. One suggestion was to uninstall the drivers for both the key board and touch pad, then restarted. The drivers were suppose to reinstall on their own.
  2. When I downloaded the Urgent update from Dell I was under the impression it would install when I restarted but it didn't, I had to open the download and install it.
  3. I checked the Microsoft website for updates and there were a about 4 so I installed them.
  4. I had been having trouble with my battery and when I ran the Dell Diagnostics it showed it was bad so I ordered a new one and installed. While I had the battery out I checked as many connections I could without completely taking the whole laptop apart. I also used a can of air and blew the whole thing out including the cooling fan.  I had noticed that my fan was running more often but it seems to have helped that issue.

After doing all that the keyboard has not locked up one time and the mouse/touch pad only one time.  Didn't lock up yesterday or this morning at all. 

I will still be looking for a new laptop but decided to take my time. I'm thinking there may be some good deals after school starts and sellers inventory starts backing up due to the slower economy.   I just read an article this AM that said two of the larger computer  manufacturers were seeing a big drop in sales, the pandemic rush is over I guess.  So I'm hoping prices may come down. 

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1 hour ago, jacwjames said:

So last week I went a couple days without a problem and then one day the gremlins were back with a vengeance. Both the keyboard and mouse started to act up and I was having to do a hard shutdown a number of times.

So back to the drawing board, I did more searching for possible solutions. Not sure what I did that finally cured the problem but here are the different things I did.
 

  1. One suggestion was to uninstall the drivers for both the key board and touch pad, then restarted. The drivers were suppose to reinstall on their own.
  2. When I downloaded the Urgent update from Dell I was under the impression it would install when I restarted but it didn't, I had to open the download and install it.
  3. I checked the Microsoft website for updates and there were a about 4 so I installed them.
  4. I had been having trouble with my battery and when I ran the Dell Diagnostics it showed it was bad so I ordered a new one and installed. While I had the battery out I checked as many connections I could without completely taking the whole laptop apart. I also used a can of air and blew the whole thing out including the cooling fan.  I had noticed that my fan was running more often but it seems to have helped that issue.

After doing all that the keyboard has not locked up one time and the mouse/touch pad only one time.  Didn't lock up yesterday or this morning at all. 

I will still be looking for a new laptop but decided to take my time. I'm thinking there may be some good deals after school starts and sellers inventory starts backing up due to the slower economy.   I just read an article this AM that said two of the larger computer  manufacturers were seeing a big drop in sales, the pandemic rush is over I guess.  So I'm hoping prices may come down. 

Buddy and others suggest this….PC or laptop.  Been a PC user and “takee apart” since 1983 with a <10K SN and a friend that was one of the project directors when IBM developed the first “PC”.

First line of Defense.  Do a reboot.  I do tht maybe once every 2 weeks.  
Turn OFF any “auto install” apps provided by the manufacturer.  I use the Lenovo Vantage…but I control if the update is installed.  I only do critical ones such as Bios.

Check the vendors website and if the BUOS is out of date, then update.  REBOOT.

problem persists? Open Device Manager.  No yellow triangles with exclamation points.  GOOD.  Find one. Expand the item. Click on one.  Do the find new driver on and off machine.  If Windows says….best Driver…then UNIINSTALL.  Do NOT delete the driver….that may be needed…but fool hardy now.

uninstall any device that is acting up.  They will function until you do the reboot.  OK…reboot.

STILL NO JOY.  Shut DOWN the PC. On a LapTop, remove the battery. No power plugged in.  HOLD DOWN the power button for maybe 30 seconds.  This bleeds off any “electronic trash” in any component.  Battery back in, plug in…in case it takes a mom to come on and battery is weak. Power ON.

STILL NO JOY….BTW. With a stand-alone hime PC.  Unplug every single cable. HOLD ON a the power button for a long time.  Pull power on any peripheral and hold button down to dissipate a partial left over issue…then hook back up.  Power LAST to each external device…

SOMETIMES..you need to hold ON the power button….that forces Windows to do a reboot on startup….

FINALLY…find the driver specifically for the errant device.  Download from the manufacturer. Do NOT install or click on the download file,  Back to Device Manager.  Uninstall and delete the driver. Then do the install or click or whatever.  If you can’t find one….then don’t delete…

Bottom line….Windows and PC’s are great. BUT…you do not want to know how many days it took me to realize that my 4 YO high $ Thinkpad and the super Nvidia graphics card…and the base Intel Graphics card, in the main processor, were feuding.  I was trying to use a Lenovo docking station specifically for my PC. But, I had older monitors….maybe the problem….

so I finally told the Intel chip to go away…with a GOOD intel driver.  The. had to load the updated Nvidia….and told it it was king. Lenovo and auto updated both the Intel and Nvidia…and all heck broke loose.  Even with the new drivers, there was NOW a conflict.  Works great….

BUT, the last Windows and Intel update….switches the Wifi to “manual on”. Drove DW crazy.  I simply….first step like you finally did. Uninstalled it….and rebooted.  It is purrring…..

Long…but sometimes tenacious personality will win out…

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2 hours ago, jacwjames said:

So last week I went a couple days without a problem and then one day the gremlins were back with a vengeance. Both the keyboard and mouse started to act up and I was having to do a hard shutdown a number of times.

So back to the drawing board, I did more searching for possible solutions. Not sure what I did that finally cured the problem but here are the different things I did.
 

  1. One suggestion was to uninstall the drivers for both the key board and touch pad, then restarted. The drivers were suppose to reinstall on their own.
  2. When I downloaded the Urgent update from Dell I was under the impression it would install when I restarted but it didn't, I had to open the download and install it.
  3. I checked the Microsoft website for updates and there were a about 4 so I installed them.
  4. I had been having trouble with my battery and when I ran the Dell Diagnostics it showed it was bad so I ordered a new one and installed. While I had the battery out I checked as many connections I could without completely taking the whole laptop apart. I also used a can of air and blew the whole thing out including the cooling fan.  I had noticed that my fan was running more often but it seems to have helped that issue.

After doing all that the keyboard has not locked up one time and the mouse/touch pad only one time.  Didn't lock up yesterday or this morning at all. 

I will still be looking for a new laptop but decided to take my time. I'm thinking there may be some good deals after school starts and sellers inventory starts backing up due to the slower economy.   I just read an article this AM that said two of the larger computer  manufacturers were seeing a big drop in sales, the pandemic rush is over I guess.  So I'm hoping prices may come down. 

Interesting observation that after using the can of compressed air, the computer fan ran less and it helped wth the mouse and keyboard not locking up. 

It sure sounds like this is an older computer getting too hot and it needs a good interior cleaning. 

If you are handy, do a Google search of your computer model for a video on how to remove the case and do a good cleaning of the internal heat sinks and circuit board.  There are a lot of YouTube videos telling you how to do it.

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That's basically what I did, removed the back cover to be able to change the battery and while I had it out blew everything out.  I was hoping to connect/disconnect all the different components but most were stacked and I didn't want to dismantle the whole thing.

Not sure what actually (hopefully) solved my problem but for now I'm a happy camper. 

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Tom,

I think I did most of the recommendations.  My battery is internal so I had not removed it until Monday when I changed it out.  Possibly replacing the battery at that time helped, I had the battery out/disconnected for ~10 minutes while I blew out the computer and checked connections. 

 

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2 hours ago, jacwjames said:

Tom,

I think I did most of the recommendations.  My battery is internal so I had not removed it until Monday when I changed it out.  Possibly replacing the battery at that time helped, I had the battery out/disconnected for ~10 minutes while I blew out the computer and checked connections. 

 

Cool.  Fortunately mine is easy to pop in and out.  Dr. F is right....I need to do some case exploratory surgery and clean the fans and such.  Still has a service contract...may find a problem and have them do it.

The steps are seemingly complicated, but when you get a clash between drivers or a "messed" up situation like mine, you have to do it all. BTW...I ran one External Monitor, off the Nvidia card and the Laptop screen was run off the Intel GPU chip....for a year or so....with the docking station. THEN, Intel "Upgraded" and got ugly about wanting to share. Nvidia responded and wanted complete control over the External monitor....and then got fussy about whether it was a VGA or a DVI adapter cable.

Finally....after shutting down or telling (configuring the Nvidia) to control BOTH monitors....it was perfect...until Lenovo and Intel got into the act.  I had to WIPE out BOTH drivers. Then individually reload the Intel and then the Nvidia....and then reconfigure.  

One should NOT have to do such. The next Laptop will be a Win 11 and they have effectively, SHUT OFF the need for a docking station in that the built in app for going to a TV or a projector (buggy whip) now supports MULTIPLE monitors. I'm SURE that the PC manufacturers loved this....

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One thing I'm not sure on is how the battery may  have been affecting performance.  I knew I had a problem and it got so bad that most of the time I could not unplug the laptop without it dying.    Diagnostics said it was bad for a while but since I didn't use the laptop unplugged it wasn't a priority to replace. 

So I'm not sure if the battery needing to be charged all the time may have caused the higher power draw/demand or not.  Prior to changing the battery the cooling fan would start running soon after I booted up the computer and would continue to run until I shut it down.   I kept checking the task manager but there no processes using lots of power.   I did see some process using CPU but nothing out of line (other then the various Dell stuff running, i.e. Dell data collector & others  which I hate).

When I changed the battery this pretty much stopped.  But possibly some of the other things I did helped resolve the issue.

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