Problem Description: I normally use my touch pad to move the mouse cursor. Recently the mouse pointer has started drifting across the screen. The drifting can be horizontal (left to right and vice versa) or vertical (top to bottom and vice versa). The drifting starts very slowly and than becomes faster and faster until it is impossible to
move the pointer from the hedge of the screen. Once a direction of drifting has started it remains constant.
Sometimes switching from one application to another (e.g. excel to word) and then saving a document stops the drifting for a bit. However, in the last couple of days this has become impossible making working with the computer very difficult.

Trouble Shooting Steps: I  have tried to use an external mouse instead of the touch pad, but apparently the mouse has no  control whatsoever over the pointer.