Acer Aspire One...Unstable flickering cursor/pointer ?

[stephennity]

Hi,

I have just managed to get myself another Acer netbook running windows 7 starter and everything is virtually fresh and new...I bought it second hand (I know,I know but I`m skint !) although it is pristine condition and running nice and fast etc...however,the cursor/pointer at times jumps all over the place and flickers etc for around 10-20 seconds before becoming ok...but it has happened quite a bit...it has had the memory upped to 2gb ram by the previous owner...aside form that it is free of any junk software etc.


Can anyone help sort this out with some advice on what I can try to do to stabilise it ?

I have noticed that the mouse pad area seems to be exceptionally sensitive also...I have never had anything so sensitive to the inadvertant touch !

Hope you can help...thanks.

 

[stephennity]

Just to clarify...it is the mouse pointer/arrow that is flickering all over the damn place...it was fine for the first 5-6 hours I used the laptop but then began this instability...I thought I had found a good machine at last but it seems nothing is ever easy huh ?

 

[gregrocker]

I'd want to spec the RAM to make sure the owner put in the correct upgrade. You can check this by running Crucial System Scanner software to find out what type of memory is in your computer, comparing it to the PC's specs found via Google.

In addition test the RAM - Test with Memtest86+ for 5-6 passes or overnight to stress it.

If that doesn't reveal anything then work through the other Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7.

Be aware that the factory preinstall is an inferior corrupt install with all the bloatware and duplicate utilities that have better versions built into Win7. Most tech enthusiasts choose to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 to get a much leaner, cleaner perfect install. That's especially important on lower end hardware.

At the minimum I'd Clean Up Factory Bloatware

 

[stephennity]

Hi Gregrocker..........thanks for the reply and steps etc.......I`ll give this a go and see what comes up.....another thing just started...each time I hit a tab to re-open it,it closes...it`s a real pain as I`ve been helping one of my kids with college work and to se the whole lot fold down is getting beyond a joke...hmmm,where did that saying ever come from as it ain`t been a joke from the word go !

Cheers...I`ll give this a whirl.

 

[gregrocker]

You might try another browser (I use Firefox) to avoid the glitch which isn't surprising in the factory preinstall.

Be aware that a middle click on tab closes the tab, so it might also be misreading the mouse somehow.

 

[Layback Bear]

Just a thought. After 5 or 6 hours of use this happens. It could be a over heating problem.

 

[stephennity]

Hi...it seems to happen at any time and from searching for answers and related problems on the web have found that this affects a huge amount of users and is apparent with the "synaptics" mouse/cursor/pointer...I read a large amount of threads that were about this and it seems that nobody has yet found a permanent fix...not exactly what i wanted to hear.

i found the relevant "box" thing on my netbook and have tinkered around a bit and so far it seems to have lessened the instability a little...I`ll just have to see what happens but at least i have found the source of the problem...synaptics...and from what I read they have been aware of the problem for some time but there`s still no fix for it !

I`ll be happy to hear of any suggested solutions if anyone has any...Thanks.

 

[gregrocker]

You don't need the Synaptics software or any other software besides your AV running at Startup. At the most it would only affect Tap to Click and possible a finger scrolling bar on touchpad.

Did you follow the step in Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 to get a Clean Boot which should improve performance and might solve the issue?

Have you tried using a mouse?

 

[stephennity]

Thanks for the replies etc...I`ve managed to get it down to a reasonable level now by various means...it is very sensitive still but I can live with that !

 

[gregrocker]

I recommend a notebook mouse which is much more comfortable to use. Get a MS or Logitech with flush USB transmitter so it can't break off. Perfect.

 

[stephennity]

Thanks to all for the replies...



I got myself a mouse !!!