I have a Toshiba notebook computer that has an eraserhead type mouse in the center, among the keys. Periodically, like too many times, the cursor (arrow) just wanders off. A friend said I should pull the mouse forward and hold it in that position for a while because it has a gyroscope effect & needs this action every now and then. So I take a large paperclip and pull this forward and hold for a few seconds. It works. For a while. Does anyone else know anything about this, or have this problem, or know what should be done? Otherwise, I love the computer. Thanks.
I would try dl the latest set of mouse drivers. You may also want to do a search on the Tohsiba model series as well as some joystick mice suffer from cursor drift and there are patches to fix this.
Thanks, astro! Another project.
I’ve pulled maintenance on buttloads of Toshiba laptops.
The number one cause of this behavior, in my experience, was a poorly seated keyboard ribbon cable. This is not a user-fixable job, but is quite easy to do (if you don’t mind invalidating the warantee). The (distinctly) number two cause was drivers, and this is entirely end-user fixable.
Hmm. This is still under warranty, so maybe they should fix it, Tranquilis. I’ll have to get the paperwork together & call when I get home. I use this notebook on the road. Now at least I can maybe communicate with one of the techs. Assuming they haven’t all been laid off! Thanks for the tips. Will look into the drivers this weekend to see if I can do any type of download.
Definitely get Toshiba to look at it under warranty. Tranquilis is right - I’ve had the exact same problem on two Toshibas that I’ve “owned” (well, they were company property), and it’s bad alignment of the ribbon cable connector from the keyboard to the rest of the computer.
BTW, I used to think this was a Toshiba-only problem, except now I have a Dell laptop and it does the same thing. :mad:
OK, Earthling, I’ll contact Toshiba & hopefully will not have to visit the BBQ to rant about them. Thanks for the input again, everyone.
I don’t like that kind of mouse. As a matter of fact, I once wrote a subject here about them, referring to them as ‘clit mouses’…I guess that’s going to forever change your view of them?
You could try an external mouse, they work pretty well. What do you think?
Except for the cursor drift problem, I like this eraserhead mouse a lot more than an external mouse attached (tried it). I don’t like the square window type mouse. Can’t use it. I have a small hand, and it fits perfectly with the Toshiba notebook configuration. I don’t understand the clit reference.
Do note that some amount of that mouse wandering is normal. The mouse driver (or hardware? I’m not sure which) has some logic which tries to recalibrate the thing if it’s left in one position for a long time, to avoid the wandering, but sometimes it has the reverse effect. If you’re scrolling down a window for a while, with the eraser thingy pushed slightly down in the exact same position for a while, eventually, the “intelligent” logic will think, “oh, it’s just gotten a little off center”, and it will recalibrate itself. As a result, when you let go of it, it moves back up, which is, for a short time, interpreted by the machine as you pushing up on it. Mine usually recalibrates by the time the mouse has a chance to run all the way across the screen.
Annoying, but it sure beats a touchpad, in my opinion.
I think galt has it right here, I’ve had 2 Thinkpads with the eraserhead mouse, and they both drifted a bit. Unless the cursor is flying across the screen, or is never stable, I doubt its a fixable malfunction.
Doing a test right now on my current Thinkpad…
It appears that I can get the cursor to drift a bit as galt described, but it only drifts inch or so before stabilizing. I’ve noticed greater drifts from time to time, but it always stabilizes fairly quickly. Sometimes, I will just waggle the eraser head around a bit and the drifting stops.
Here’s a fun game:
- Push the eraserhead slightly to one side, so the cursor is moving really slow.
- Hold it perfectly still and wait for it to stabilize and stop the cursor.
- Push it a little further and hold it still.
- Go to step 2.
You can repeat this until you’re really pushing on it pretty hard, and the cursor keeps stabilizing so it’s not moving. Then when you let go, it hauls ass in the other direction and then settles down after a few seconds.
Don’t tell me I need a hobby. I have lots of them, and they’re all this stupid.
Note that I don’t mean to discount Earthling’s and Tranquilis’ suggestion that there’s a real problem with the hardware – just to point out that a little bit of this behavior is normal.
Very interesting experiment, galt! It worked just as you described. Again, I appreciate all the feedback.