# Computer stops recognizing mouse clicks and keyboard **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649 "2012-11-02T11:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/1 "2012-11-02T11:18:54Z")
I’m using a Dell Inspiron laptop,1545 I think, with Windows 7, with two user identities/sections. In the past month or so, on either identity, I’ll start it up fine and start doing various stuff, then usually within the first ten minutes, the mouse stops recognizing either left or right clicks, but I can still move the cursor. It also stops recognizing the keyboard. At this point, the only thing I can do is a hard shutdown by holding the power button. After I restart, I don’t think it has ever done the same thing again in that session. This happens not every time I use it, but almost. I have run Malwarebytes and Superantispyware and McAfee and it turns up nothing on any of them. I had McAfee running the whole time. Our local computer goddess took it and cleaned it out physically- she said it wasn’t much dirty- and ran all these and a couple more and did some Windows updating, and it never froze for her. So now I’m stuck. All the hard shutdowns can’t be good for it. Any thoughts on what might have happened and how to fix it? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/2 "2012-11-02T11:33:37Z")
Do you have a USB keyboard and/or mouse you can plug in when it happens? Not only would that help shut it down properly, but it could help troubleshoot and narrow it down. Also, try pressing every key and see if one isn’t sticking. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/3 "2012-11-02T14:24:04Z")
My next move would be to look to see if you can update or re-install the drivers for the keyboard and mouse. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/4 "2012-11-02T14:28:11Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > My next move would be to look to see if you can update or re-install the drivers for the keyboard and mouse. Which will definitely require having an external keyboard/mouse. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/5 "2012-11-02T14:59:50Z")
[IMHO] I personally think McAfee is crap. I would recommend Avast or MSE. [/IMHO] I doubt that you have a virus or malware problem though. Most likely it’s a hardware failure. Try **BubbaDog** ’s suggestion of reinstalling the driver first. If that doesn’t do the trick, then I personally would try removing the keyboard and reinstalling it. This probably isn’t something for someone who isn’t mechanically inclined and has never touched a computer before, but I’ve done it on a lot of laptops and it’s not that bad. Here’s a youtube video showing you how to do it. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMNjfJR2kH8) I don’t have a lot of faith that this is going to fix it though. Most likely the problem is on the motherboard itself. The only reason I suggest trying to reseat the keyboard is that it might be a bad connection in the ribbon cable that is making everything go wonky. I had similar problems on a Toshiba laptop once. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/6 "2012-11-02T16:37:22Z")
My first thought when I read that your computer stopped responding to the mouse and keyboard is that it locked up; when I had this happen to me, I could often still move the mouse cursor (presumably the cursor movement is controlled by a software routine that doesn’t crash when Windows does; if the cursor also freezes, then something is really wrong). That said, when i had it happen, I ended up having to replace the motherboard, but there were other problems occurring at the same time (failure to boot, restarting, all gradually worsening over several weeks until it died). ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/7 "2012-11-02T18:36:05Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Which will definitely require having an external keyboard/mouse. Well, if I read the OP correctly, he/she has 10 minutes of functionality after booting to do the task. ---
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-stops-recognizing-mouse-clicks-and-keyboard/639649/8 "2012-11-05T14:21:47Z")
After further paying attention, more data. After the first restart, it does not freeze up again during the new session. So I do not have to reboot after rebooting. Also, after a freeze, the external mouse is not recognized.