Timothy,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Please try the following:

Note: If any external mice are being used, disconnect the peripheral device and uninstall any application or drivers specific to it. If symptom persists, proceed with the first step:

2. The Touchpad settings should be adjusted through the Mouse/Touchpad Control Panel. This utility can be accessed by selecting the Mouse Control Panel through the Control Panel listing, or by double-clicking the Touchpad icon in the SysTray in most configurations. The variable settings for speed, acceleration, sensitivity, etcetera, should be adjusted as appropriate.
4. If adjusting the settings has no beneficial effect, the Touchpad driver should be updated to the most recent version available for the platform on the Dell Online File Library. If the system is already running the most recent version listed in the File Library, proceed to the next step.
6. If updating the Touchpad driver has no effect, or the system is already running the most recent version of the driver, then the system BIOS should be updated. The Flash BIOS update utility can be found at the Dell Online File Library.
8. In some cases, activity on the keyboard can be interpreted by the system as input to either the Touchpad or the Trackstick. As a troubleshooting method, disable the Trackstick through the Mouse Control Panel.
10. If none of these ideas help, then you should consider contacting Dell Support for a solution.

I, too, have had the wild cursor problem for about a year now on my Inspiron 4100, and have been amazed at Dell's lack of clear response to what is obviously a fairly widespread problem.

The message to which "Bob T." replies talks about mouse cursors flying around the screen, but "Bob T."'s reply is to disconnect the mouse. This doesn't seem quite right.

On my machine, BOTH the mouse and the touchpad, as well as the pointer stick, participate in the problem. My cursor travels to one side of the screen (I think always the right side) and stays there. I can't even get it back to the "Start" button so I can close the computer down. This always happens when I'm on a deadline and in the midst of something important.

Can "Bob T.", or anybody, really offer any help with this?

--Fred Powledge

This problem looks like it involves a lot of Laptops than just the two I am having problems with. Does Dell have any update on a permanent fix rather than just these work around's posted above which don't seem to be helping any of us.

Please update Dell. Thanks, Timothy.

Hi

I have the same intermittent problem on a 4100. It will be working fine for an hour or so and then the cursor goes crazy - this problem can occur at any time and last for anytime from a few seconds to several hours.

I have reinstalled drivers. Tried both PS2 and a USB mice. I have disabled the Touchpad and Touchstick but the problem still continues. The computer is fully up to date with Windows patches, Antivirus patches etc.

I have just found this board and am surprised to see that this is a reoccurring problem for lots of users.

Sfen

Why don't we mouse-jerk victims call (or try to call) Dell "support" and demand a fix? I'm still within my warranty period (though that made no difference to them last time I needed to use it). We've kicked this problem around on this forum (and under several titles on this forum), and users have offered potential cures, but none seems to really work. I have a friend in Africa who thought he solved it by changing from a USP to PS2 mouse--and then got the problem again.

Let's write to the PC magazines, especially the ones that slobber all over Dell's superior quality of "support." There ought to be a way to shame Dell into acknowledging this problem, and then, God forbid, fixing it.

--Fred Powledge

All, just yesterday I had to reinstall the drivers in order to make the mouse work correctly again!  Today, upon booting up, I had to reboot 3 times in order for the problem to go away.  There is more here than meets the eye.  I like Fred's idea of contacting one of the many Dell supportive magazines.  Feedback please.

I am sure Dell Employee's are ment to keep an eye on these forums to help with problems like ours but I don't see anyone doing that. This is not good Dell because everyone say's how great the support is and I have been very pleased up to now. Can someone from Dell update us with any information?

Or can someone call Dell and refers them back to this forum posting so they understand how many users are having this problem. Thanks. Timothy.

It's not just the users in this specific thread ("Mouse Cursor Moving") who have been reporting the problem. If you search through the forum, you'll see that the crazed mouse has been reported under a variety of subject lines, and for quite a while.

There was one reply from a Dell employee or moderator or whatever, but his solution to dealing with a wild mouse was to unplug all peripherals. This presumably includes the mouse. Duh! 

I suggest that whenever one of us actually calls Dell to complain about this defect, we keep a record of what we're told and what Dell does or does not do, and share the results with each other. I plan to call the company late today or tomorrow (Wednesday 11th-Thursday 12th) and will report on what I find.

I am quite certain that Dell will do absolutely nothing unless we make noise.

--Fred Powledge

I had my motherboard replaced five days ago and have not had the issues with my mouse that I previously had.  It looks like I found the cure!