- Feb 9, 2017
- 12
- 0
- 1,510
I'm not new to using these forums to troubleshoot, but I'm new to posting myself. This is literally the first PC problem I've ever had that required me to make a post as typically hours of scouring the web and messing around have allowed me to resolve any other problem. I'm no expert but I'm highly PC savvy for a non-techie. This is the most frustrating and difficult problem I have ever encountered.
I have an older PC running Windows 7 pro I use as a media box for my TV. I am currently not with the PC and can post it's stats later. I know the motherboard is an ASUS P5QL-EM and that it has a fairly low end dual core intel CPU. It has onboard graphics and audio and no additional hardware outside of a SATA HDD, 4GB of RAM, and a D-link wireless USB dongle to connect to my router. Although it is older, it is able to play HD video to my TV (through HDMI) without issue and all I use it for is that and occasional web browsing. I also have a few external HDDs attached to it, and use it with basic windows sharing as a server so I can stream the files from it to other devices in the house on occasion. It is fully up to date regarding windows updates and drivers for everything, and runs fine for what I need it to do. There is absolutely no lag with video or anything I do with it.
So finally, here is the issue. Ever since I last formatted the main HDD and installed Windows 7 pro (same OS as it used to have on it) there has been a curious issue: the mouse cursor lags behind every movement of the mouse just slightly. It's like it is just sluggish. This is the case ALL of the time, regardless of whether there is any load on the CPU or RAM or HDD or network adapter. Nothing else ever lags on the PC. It is consistent and always lags the same amount no matter what I am doing. The PC has only USB 2.0 and no USB 3.0. All ports work fine for every USB device I have ever used on it without issue. I have tried 6-7 different mice and the issue always persists. These mice work fine on other PCs. I have tried disabling/deleting/updating mouse, USB, and HID drivers to no avail. I have done the same with any mouse software (logitech setpoint and unifying) I use. I tried every BIOS setting related to USB that can be tweaked and nothing has worked.
I cannot find absolutely ANY forum post about this issue. Any posts about mouse lag are not like this. There is no stuttering, jumping, freezing, blinking, etc. It isn't because it is too slow. It is hard to explain without showing someone, but everyone who ever uses it immediately notices how weird it is to get used to. You can really notice it when you move the mouse quickly and then stop, and the cursor keeps moving to catch up a few fractions of a second behind. The pointer trail option is not activated, but it is almost like you are using that feature and the mouse pointer is one of the pointer frames that is toward the end of the trail all the time. Otherwise mice function just as they should on the PC, and the wireless keyboard using the same receiver as one of the mice (both logitech) has no issues: keyboard commands respond quickly and there is no noticeable lag. It isn't a frequency, frames, or response time issue with the TV or video adapter as nothing else is affected. I have tried connecting the PC to the TV with VGA and it didn't fix it.
I know the solution is probably to just format and see if it persists, but it would be nice to avoid and at this point I am just dying to know what is going on. I have never seen anything like this before. The only reason I did not reformat after noticing this right away is that I assumed it was something I could fix later and I just wanted the media box up and running since this is the only way I watch TV. I don't think it is a mouse hardware issue as the mice all work fine on other PCs. I don't think it has anything to do with PC performance in general as it is always like this no matter what I am doing with the computer without anything else lagging in any way and I have used various testing utilities to make sure every component is functioning normally. It's not malware as it was like this right after installing windows and I have also checked thoroughly for malware. I assume it is some weird software thing but I have done everything I can think of with the BIOS, windows settings, relevant drivers, and other software. And again, it did this right after install, so it can't be anything to do with unrelated software I installed afterward. I don't think it is a USB issue since everything else works fine, but I can't say for sure as USB issues can be really elusive these days. I have tried disconnecting all other USB devices including the wireless dongle and the issue still persists. One thing I just realized I have not tried is a PS/2 mouse or adapter, which I will try tonight to eliminate the possibility of USB issues.
So I'm putting this to the experts and asking the community for ideas. Any idea of what this could possibly be? Please, it is driving me mad.
I have an older PC running Windows 7 pro I use as a media box for my TV. I am currently not with the PC and can post it's stats later. I know the motherboard is an ASUS P5QL-EM and that it has a fairly low end dual core intel CPU. It has onboard graphics and audio and no additional hardware outside of a SATA HDD, 4GB of RAM, and a D-link wireless USB dongle to connect to my router. Although it is older, it is able to play HD video to my TV (through HDMI) without issue and all I use it for is that and occasional web browsing. I also have a few external HDDs attached to it, and use it with basic windows sharing as a server so I can stream the files from it to other devices in the house on occasion. It is fully up to date regarding windows updates and drivers for everything, and runs fine for what I need it to do. There is absolutely no lag with video or anything I do with it.
So finally, here is the issue. Ever since I last formatted the main HDD and installed Windows 7 pro (same OS as it used to have on it) there has been a curious issue: the mouse cursor lags behind every movement of the mouse just slightly. It's like it is just sluggish. This is the case ALL of the time, regardless of whether there is any load on the CPU or RAM or HDD or network adapter. Nothing else ever lags on the PC. It is consistent and always lags the same amount no matter what I am doing. The PC has only USB 2.0 and no USB 3.0. All ports work fine for every USB device I have ever used on it without issue. I have tried 6-7 different mice and the issue always persists. These mice work fine on other PCs. I have tried disabling/deleting/updating mouse, USB, and HID drivers to no avail. I have done the same with any mouse software (logitech setpoint and unifying) I use. I tried every BIOS setting related to USB that can be tweaked and nothing has worked.
I cannot find absolutely ANY forum post about this issue. Any posts about mouse lag are not like this. There is no stuttering, jumping, freezing, blinking, etc. It isn't because it is too slow. It is hard to explain without showing someone, but everyone who ever uses it immediately notices how weird it is to get used to. You can really notice it when you move the mouse quickly and then stop, and the cursor keeps moving to catch up a few fractions of a second behind. The pointer trail option is not activated, but it is almost like you are using that feature and the mouse pointer is one of the pointer frames that is toward the end of the trail all the time. Otherwise mice function just as they should on the PC, and the wireless keyboard using the same receiver as one of the mice (both logitech) has no issues: keyboard commands respond quickly and there is no noticeable lag. It isn't a frequency, frames, or response time issue with the TV or video adapter as nothing else is affected. I have tried connecting the PC to the TV with VGA and it didn't fix it.
I know the solution is probably to just format and see if it persists, but it would be nice to avoid and at this point I am just dying to know what is going on. I have never seen anything like this before. The only reason I did not reformat after noticing this right away is that I assumed it was something I could fix later and I just wanted the media box up and running since this is the only way I watch TV. I don't think it is a mouse hardware issue as the mice all work fine on other PCs. I don't think it has anything to do with PC performance in general as it is always like this no matter what I am doing with the computer without anything else lagging in any way and I have used various testing utilities to make sure every component is functioning normally. It's not malware as it was like this right after installing windows and I have also checked thoroughly for malware. I assume it is some weird software thing but I have done everything I can think of with the BIOS, windows settings, relevant drivers, and other software. And again, it did this right after install, so it can't be anything to do with unrelated software I installed afterward. I don't think it is a USB issue since everything else works fine, but I can't say for sure as USB issues can be really elusive these days. I have tried disconnecting all other USB devices including the wireless dongle and the issue still persists. One thing I just realized I have not tried is a PS/2 mouse or adapter, which I will try tonight to eliminate the possibility of USB issues.
So I'm putting this to the experts and asking the community for ideas. Any idea of what this could possibly be? Please, it is driving me mad.
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