Linux - HardwareThis forum is for Hardware issues.
Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I have noticed a tendency of my mouse cursor to gradually drift downwards, often to the point where a movement intended to scroll down text ends up on the panel and takes me to another desktop. It may be of course that I have an unconscious tendency to pull on the mouse, but I have noticed a certain amount of drift even when I am not holding the thing. What causes this?
there can be a lot of issues. You can for example try to unplug your mouse (to check if that helps). Sometimes a key is getting stuck (like shift or cursor down or ??) which may have interesting side effects.
The drift is downward and to the right at an angle of about 45 degrees. If I pick the mouse up and put it down again, the behaviour stops for some time, which suggests to me that it's intrinsic to the mouse and not a keyboard problem. I think the mouse sensor may be picking up dust or something from the desktop.
How do modern mice know where they are? The old-fashioned ones had a rolling ball, and the mouse port could keep a record of its rotation.
the ball generated a horizontal and a vertical movement event with two sensors, and the optical mouse will do the same, just the sensor is different. The communication on the wire is exactly the same, but the software is different.
The drift is downward and to the right at an angle of about 45 degrees. If I pick the mouse up and put it down again, the behaviour stops for some time, which suggests to me that it's intrinsic to the mouse and not a keyboard problem. I think the mouse sensor may be picking up dust or something from the desktop.
How do modern mice know where they are? The old-fashioned ones had a rolling ball, and the mouse port could keep a record of its rotation.
I'd clean/dust the sensor on the mouse. A damp cotton swab (either a little water or alcohol) will do it. Could also be that the lucite got scratched over time if it's an old mouse, and is causing an issue.
Is your mouse wireless? If yes, suspect need for batteries, poor connection or location of receiver, or other electrical interference, but try putting it down on the floor or on the other end of your desk and not touching it for a while at a test to see if the area you use it in is suspect.
No, it didn't seem all that important. And some of those options aren't even possible (I don't know if I have another mouse). Anyway, it isn't drifting right now. If it starts up again, I can try some of those things if only for curiosity.
It was the mouse. I did eventually find another mouse (Logitech) and plugged it in, and the cursor now doesn't move unless I move it. I think I'll clean the other one before I put it away. Just in case!
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
