Wierd trackball behavior

I have been experiencing odd mouse (actually trackball) behavior over the past week or so. For example, it snaps to the far left monitor (I have 4 monitors in use concurrently) and right clicks on its own, or snaps to the far right and goes into drag lock own its own. Sometimes it looks as if it is trying to run a script or something, clicking, selecting and moving on its own for 3 - 4 seconds. This only happens when I am actually moving the cursor with the trackball.

The trackball is a Logitech Trackman Marble attached via the PS/2 port. I also have 2 more Logitech USB mice in use concurrently, and I can use them all day with no problem. (I have been using this same setup for just over a year with no problems until this week.)

I replaced the TrackMan Marble with a TrackMan Marble+ (the scrollwheel version, also PS/2) and it does the same thing, yet both work fine on another machine, so it's not the trackball. I can plug in an old PS/2 mouse and it works fine, so I don't think it's the PS/2 port on the computer. I can plug the trackball into a USB adaptor and it works fine, except that it can't be programmed because it is not recognized as a Logitech device, so this is not an option. I have uninstalled the Logitech software (mouseware) completely (manual registry entries, deleting common files and Logitech directory, etc.) and reinstalled 3 times with no change. The same issue occurs even with native Microsoft mouse drivers. I have posted a Hijack This log in the spyware forum but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in it and I don't think that is my problem. Everything else seems to be functioning perfectly.

I have used a trackball as my primary input device for 12 years and I really don't want to give it up now. Any thoughts / suggestions appreciated.

 

The best approach toward solvings problems of this sort is to use System Restore or your own backups to return the system to a state before the problem first became apparent. You may never know the cause but you can often ditch it that way.

You may also consider uninstalling any recent MS updates that were installed just prior to the problem arising.

If none of that is available to you, try uninstalling, re-installing & updating your video card drivers or MOBO video drivers.

Clean the video card edge contacts if applicable.

 

I have been using Cordless Trackman Wheel mouse for years on all my computers. My only suggestion is bring up Trackman Mouse Properties display screen (hopefully your model / my model have same program view??) on problem computer AND working computer. Click on Motion Tab and compare settings between both computers. If they are identical, CHANGED ALL SETTINGS on problem computer and Apply / OK screen. Now go back and change settings back to proper settings and Apply/OK screen. Possible throw a reboot in the middle to try to force a update/write to files.

 

Hmmmm, now things are getting curious - I cannot do a system restore at all. I tried going back to 5 different ones, some system checkpoints and one I created, but every time it says "unable to restore to [date] ". Still, except for the trackball freaking out everything else works just fine.

 

So I am back from a full, format-the-hard-drive new fresh clean pristine overhaul re-install of windows from scratch, and my trackball worked perfect until somewhere in the last round (something like 118 updates) of MS updates. Now that I think about it, it seems like my troubles started somewhere around the time I installed the automatic updates a week or so back.

It seems difficult to believe that one of these MS updates has caused such an obscure issue, but I don't know what else it could be? I don't know how I would figure out which one is at fault, since they don't all show up in "add/remove programs" and stupidly, MS doesn't put a time/date stamp in add/remove programs.

Any suggestions?? Is there such a thing as a PCI card with a PS/2 port on it? (Although I don't know if that would fix the issue.)

 

You might try resetting the BIOS.

 

Tried updating the BIOS and no change, updated the chipset drivers and no change.

 

Is an MS Update/Hotfix the problem ?

Hi Blueberry. Perhaps one of the latest MS Updates has messed with the trackballs' operation. You could try uninstalling updates one-by-one from newest towards the oldest to see if that cures the problem. Test thoroughly after each uninstall. If an update is the cause Logitech will issue a new driver shortly.

You can always reinstall all but the problem update.

 

Thanks for the reply wincrazy. I have been considering that course of action but it sounds a little dicey to start messing with those updates. I am considering just giving it up.

 

Hi Blueberry. Uninstalling Updates/Hotfixes is not hard or hazardous at all. Any/all updates can easily be reinstalled with Automatic Updates. There is no risk involved.

You will need to temporarily turn off Automatic Updates:
Control Panel > Security Center > Automatic Updates > Turn off Automatic Updates > OK

To uninstall Updates, run Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Check the checkbox "Show updates" at the top of the window. Start by uninstalling the last update in the list, which will be named like "Update for Windows XP (KBxxxxxx) ". Don't you just love how descriptive MS can be ! Select the entry and then click the Remove button. The uninstaller will tell you if you need to restart the PC.

Check to see the effect on the trackball operation. If that doesn't work then uninstall the next one at the bottom of the list.

If/when you find the interfering Update write its KBxxxxxx number down for reference. Turn Automatic Updates back on. This time select the option "Download updates for me, but let me choose to install them. "

Shortly you will see the yellow Update shield icon in the System tray. Double-lick this icon. Choose the option to review the updates and choose to install only the ones you select. Make sure they are all selected except the problem update. Choose to install all the selected updates.

The yellow shield icon will reappear asking you to install that problem update. Choose to never install this update.

Once a new driver is issued for the trackball to fix the problem you can go to the MS site and manually download and install that specific hotfix.

_

 

resolved, sort of

I purchased a USB version of the trackman marble wheel off of eBay and it works fine. So I never did figure out what caused the issue with the PS/2 version, but this puts me back in business.