Windows 7 64-bit mouse freezes/stutters multiple times per minute when network activity is high

Anonymous
2010-09-20T19:37:48+00:00

Hi All,

I recently bought a new Packard Bell computer with an OEM Windows 7 that have a problem with the mouse and keyboard. I have been in contact with the manufacturer but they are as puzzled as I over this issue. After searching through numerous of threads regarding mouse problems in windows 7 I have found that there are many who have this problem but there is no consistency in HW setup, i.e. it seems more of an OS problem.

I really like both the machine and Windows 7 but I have a nagging issue with frequent 1-2 second freeze/stutter of the mouse during "high" network activity (e.g. streaming a YouTube video). During my search I have encountered at least 4 people who refer that to network activity affect the mouse behavior.

Sometimes both keyboard and the mouse becomes totally unresponsive and the system must be restarted. However, at these occasions, the rest of the system is not affected - e.g. skype and other programs continue to run without any glitch or lag.

To try to solve this I have done the following (with no affect on the problem):

  • Updated all drivers to the latest.
  • Tried different version of the mouse drivers (running latest now).
  • Tried different versions of the network driver (running latest now).
  • Changed keyboard/mouse to the PS2 that came with the computer.
  • Set the system to "high performance"
  • Changed to USB mouse
  • Tried different Bios "Power/suspend mode" settings (proposed as a solution in another thread)

One thing that did have a strange affect on the problem was:

  • Having both PS2 and USB mouse present, touching one when the other freezes/stutters will instantly resolve the freeze/stutter.

What I have investigated/noted:

  • There has never been an "error box" popping up in Windows when this happens.
  • In the event viewer I see warnings from "i8042prt" regarding (remember, thie is translated from swedish :) "The device sent an erroneous reply after the keyboard was reset" (This was what I found, if you need more info please ask but provide what to search for and where)

My system has the following specs:

Operating system:        Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Versions:                     6.1.7600 build 7600

Manufacturer:              Packard Bell

Computer model:         ipower G3720

Computer type:            x64-based PC

Processor:                   Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         860  @ 2.80GHz, 2801 Mhz, 4 core, 8 logic processors

BIOS-version and -date American Megatrends Inc. P01-B1, 2010-03-23

SMBIOS-version 2.6

HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) Version = "6.1.7600.16385"

Installed physical memory (RAM) 6,00 GB

In addition to the original outfit, I have also installed a Wireless PCIe network card, D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme N PCIe Desktop Adapter (using the latest windows 7 drivers from d-link)

FYI: this is an offspring per request from MS support, trouble report first posted here:  http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/01655e0a-1489-44e0-ad75-e9ee5486d91e?prof=required

Thanks for any help in this matter

/Rasgra

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2010-11-24T19:20:24+00:00

Hi Chris,

I might have a happy ending to this topic :)

I returned my old system end got another one, it worked fine initially but then the mouse started to stutter yet again.

The system had only a few programs installed so I began to uninstall them to see if it changed anything.

One program did - Skype.

I never suspected it as friends of mine are using Windows 7 and Skype without any problem, although they might not be using 64 bit version and quadcore.

My system has now been without stutters and glitches for a week, so I'm fairly sure that this was the problem.

As Skype is a very wide spread IM, it might apply to others as well.

Thanks for your help!

/Rasgra

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-09-23T19:26:08+00:00

    Hello Chris,

    I hope rasgra will also answer your questions, but my case is very similar (see my contribution in link to original thread), so I thought to respond a well. I can reproduce the problem every time by copying a file from my other computer in my LAN. The mouse immediately stops responding and continues to behave normally after te copy completes. Also in safe mode! Internet explorer does not come into the picture (so is unrelated), but downloading a file from the internet does give the same result. In my case no relevant eventlog message is logged (no i8042prt). So might be a coincidence in rasgra's case? I also tried a second mouse (Logitech optical tilt mouse USB) which works fine all the time, just like with rasgra. I think both (the other one is Logitech MK300 wireless) work on the same Logitech driver 5.0.15.0

    Did not try chipset driver update. Did a bios update before though. Is that the same thing? If not, can you give instructions?

    Hope this helps.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-09-22T21:09:07+00:00

    Hi rasgra,

    Can you confirm this only happens when there is high network traffic?

    Have you tried to disable your network adapter to see if you encounter the lag with the mouse?

    Have you tried booting into Safe Mode with Networking to see if the issue is still present?

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Advanced-startup-options-including-safe-mode

    Have you tried using Internet Explorer without add-on?

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Tips-for-solving-problems-with-Internet-Explorer

    Can you post a link to the brand and model of the PC you are using, maybe from the manufacturers website?

    The "i8042prt" is an Intel (motherboard manufacturer) error regarding the failure of a device driver.

    In this case it appears it may be related to the keyboard/mouse, which makes sense as you are experiencing an issue with the mouse freezing.

    The second mouse working correctly as the first fails lends some validity, as the second device is not affected.

    If the second device failed at the same time, I would think that there is an outside source (such as network traffic causing a resource drain).

    I see that you have updated all your drivers.

    However, I suggest checking the chipset drivers for your motherboard to see if there is a recent update available from Packard Bell.

    Chris

    Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

    Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-09-21T18:16:47+00:00

    Wow, dats n extensive research uv done. I wudn't seriously bother 2 go ahead with this. Seems like ur system is screwed. As far as i knw, wireless mouse/keyboard hv problems with wireless connection s their frequency can interfere. So thats one thing u can look into. And ur error i8042prt showed up this result in google.

    http://it.megocollector.com/?p=386

    http://www.vistax64.com/vista-hardware-devices/70621-i8042prt.html

    Hi rakuteer,

    Please read the problem description before posting links to any google findings on keywords such as "i8042prt". This is a Windows 7 issue regarding stuttering/freezing mouse, not a Windows Vista bootup issue. In the future, keep in mind that posting irrelevant links are just confusing and steals time from those who are searching for an answer.

    As for HW, I am using wired PS2 mouse and keyboard, but during my investigation of this issue I noted that this problem applies to wired/wireless PS2/USB mouses with no consistency in manufacturer (some were standard MS mouses)

    Searching "windows 7 mouse freeze/glitch/lag/stutter" produces 1-16 million hits on google stretching back since Windows 7 64-bit RTM, so this issue is larger then this thread. I have searched through numerous of these but not found a solution to this issue.

    So given this... do I have a choice of not going ahead with this if I want a working windows 7 system?

    If you propose giving up my system and buy a new computer I would be reluctant in buying a windows 7 machine, knowing that this issue has been left unresolved.

    • I like windows 7 so I'm giving this thread a shoot.

    Regards

    /Rasgra

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-09-21T10:20:44+00:00

    Wow, dats n extensive research uv done. I wudn't seriously bother 2 go ahead with this. Seems like ur system is screwed. As far as i knw, wireless mouse/keyboard hv problems with wireless connection s their frequency can interfere. So thats one thing u can look into. And ur error i8042prt showed up this result in google.

    http://it.megocollector.com/?p=386

    http://www.vistax64.com/vista-hardware-devices/70621-i8042prt.html

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