Computer playing up: what could this be?

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27 Feb 2009, 10:42 am

OK, when entering text - whether into a box like this on an internet forum, or a WordPad file - the cursor often jumps back to a point way back in the block of text I've just typed, or disappears from the box entirely. Sometimes the box disappears. What could be causing this sort of thing? Just for the record, I'm using Windows Vista, on an Acer Aspire 5315 laptop.

Keith
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27 Feb 2009, 11:51 am

My thoughts are "Is the Num-Lock" key switched on?

TallyMan
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27 Feb 2009, 1:32 pm

I had exactly the same problem with my laptop. The cause was simple, the solution not so. Turned out it was the mouse pad. It had a "feature" that meant it periodically did a "mouse click" simply because my palm had touched the pad twice. In practice this meant that while typing the cursor just flew off somewhere else. It was damned annoying. There was no feature in Windows Vista to turn the damn thing off (I use a usb mouse anyway). So had to download synatics mousepad software which allowed me to turn the useless thing off completely.

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ValMikeSmith
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27 Feb 2009, 1:34 pm

My thoughts are "Is remote desktop switched on ... probably by a hacker or a virus?"

(might be called something else now, used to be PCanywhere ... which lets you use another computer as the keyboard, mouse, and screen for your computer through the internet.)

One way to find out is to unplug your modem while it's happening, and it would stop.

Pikachu
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27 Feb 2009, 3:08 pm

BPalmer wrote:

you're likely catching the mousepad as I sometimes do on my laptop, I'd not worry unless your system starts doing things that it wouldn't normally do

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khelben1979
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27 Feb 2009, 4:24 pm

Having a good firewall can also rule out the possibilites of that hackers might take over your system, at least to some degree.

If you don't have one, get Comodo (it's free).

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Mudboy
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27 Feb 2009, 4:26 pm

It is an ergonomic problem. Tilt your laptop keyboard from horizontal to an upwards angle, because your palm is brushing the touch pad when you type.

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lau
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27 Feb 2009, 5:21 pm

It is the touchpad.

On my Acer, Fn/F7 toggles the touchpad off. It may help convince you, if you can do that, that you then have no problems.

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BPalmer
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27 Feb 2009, 6:39 pm

Thing is, it's only been happening over the last week or so. I've had the computer for six months, and have been using a USB mouse since a few days after I bought it.

lau
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27 Feb 2009, 8:22 pm

The touchpad will still be active, even when you are using a USB mouse, unless you specifically disable it.

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computerlove
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28 Feb 2009, 8:08 pm

get a mac

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pakled
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28 Feb 2009, 8:30 pm

try this; connect an external keyboard, and see if the problem goes away. Fastest way to rule out the touchpad (I get that on my company Dell...

Fluffybunnyfeet
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01 Mar 2009, 4:32 pm

computerlove wrote:

get a mac

then look in your wallet
feel sad

computerlove
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01 Mar 2009, 5:22 pm

Fluffybunnyfeet wrote:

computerlove wrote:

get a mac

then look in your life
feel happy

quote fix'd

Last time I used my pc box, it caught a damn nasty virus, and I was not even using my admin account(Yes I'm careful). I was doing an interactive CD for a convention. Now multiply that for 400 CDs that needed to be done, it happened just the day before burning them, imagine that.
I'm not coming back, sorry, good luck.

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kip
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03 Mar 2009, 2:26 am

computerlove wrote:

Fluffybunnyfeet wrote:

computerlove wrote:

get a mac

then look in your life
feel happy

And my boss wonders why I use Linux...

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BPalmer
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03 Mar 2009, 4:58 am

It is possible to convert an Acer 5315 from Twisted Vista to Linux, isn't it?

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