Crazy mouse virus?

I seem to have got this virus(?) which makes my mouse pointer go crazy. The pointer jumps around, all over the screen, opening and closing windows, clicking on icons. So far it has not done any damage, but frequently interrupts my work. I'm not sure its a virus or something else (worm, spyware, ...). If I move the mouse when its active, it keeps acting up. But when I stop using the mouse for some time, it dies down. I find that I can use the mouse only slowly without activating it. Any quick, jerky movements tend to activate the flurry of activity.

I've got MS Windows XP Professional on my PC. I've used updated Norton 2003 and McAfee, but they have not been able to find and delete it. I use Rogers Internet, and I'm surprised it was able to pass through their firewall. I use both IE as well as Firefox. The bug becomes active whether I'm on online or offline.

Can anyone help? Thanks

Hi drtunio,

You've either got a bad mouse or a bad trojan. I'm pretty sure it's the mouse. Go out and buy a cheap new one--you should keep a spare around anyway--or borrow one from a friend and try it out. If that doesn't solve the problem let me know.

I've used updated Norton 2003 and McAfee, but they have not been able to find and delete it.

You should not have more than one Antivirus. There is no need for more than one at all. Doing so can slow down your computer. You should decide which one you would like to keep. And uninstall the other.

I've seen this once before exactly the same symptoms.

If you have a nice new optical mouse with a slim mouse pad, with a picture printed on it perhaps, the surface of the mouse pad causes multiple reflections which send the mouse crazy

Try turning the mouse pad over or putting a piece of paper on top of it and see if that fixes your problem.

I've seen this once before exactly the same symptoms.

If you have a nice new optical mouse with a slim mouse pad, with a picture printed on it perhaps, the surface of the mouse pad causes multiple reflections which send the mouse crazy

Try turning the mouse pad over or putting a piece of paper on top of it and see if that fixes your problem.

This is true... I use to have a mouse pad with a picture as well (while using an opitcal mouse), and I use to haev the exact same problem. However, I didn't relize it was the mouse-pad until I went out and bought a 30$ wireless optical mouse, and I still had the problem. So now I just use a plain mouse-pad. (a solid color).

I've seen this once before exactly the same symptoms.

If you have a nice new optical mouse with a slim mouse pad, with a picture printed on it perhaps, the surface of the mouse pad causes multiple reflections which send the mouse crazy

Try turning the mouse pad over or putting a piece of paper on top of it and see if that fixes your problem.

This is true... I use to have a mouse pad with a picture as well (while using an opitcal mouse), and I use to haev the exact same problem. However, I didn't relize it was the mouse-pad until I went out and bought a 30$ wireless optical mouse, and I still had the problem. So now I just use a plain mouse-pad. (a solid color).

If you have an optical mouse you shouldnt need a mousepad.

Thats the reason their optical, because the laser matches the terrain its on.

Well, it's not the color of the mouse pad (or surface if you don't use a pad) or whether there is a picture or not, but the degree of reflectivity of the mousing surface that makes a difference. A shiny surface is not good, nor is one with little detail (solid color).

Surfaces with zero detail and mirrors make very poor mousing surfaces.

I set my cheap optical mouse on a newspaper and I hear leather is also good.

Quotes are from the following web-page, and note I'm not endorsing the product being reviewed there, just the information on how an optical mouse works:
http://www.bit-tech.net/review/200/

The way optical mice work is well documented but just in case you are not aware, put simply, optical mice work by shining a light, (LED), on to the work surface and "reading" back the reflection with a camera. The mouse takes a continuous series of " snapshots" and since the reflected "picture" will be different as the mouse is moved, movement can be calculated by the mouse's built-in processor. Thus it follows that the work surface must have a degree of reflectivity and some sort of irregular pattern for the camera to work with. Surfaces with zero detail and mirrors make very poor mousing surfaces.

If you have an optical mouse you shouldnt need a mousepad.

Many people use a mousepad to protect their desk surface from being scratched and also for wrist comfort.

it's not the color of the mouse pad (or surface if you don't use a pad) or whether there is a picture or not, but the degree of reflectivity of the mousing surface that makes a difference.

Your quite right. I mentioned a picture because there seems to be a particular type of mousepad surface which causes problems and it seems to be one used when there is a photographic image, rather than a pattern or logo, printed on the mousepad. I'm guessing its to make the image viewable from steep angles or something?

It would be nice to hear back from drtunio to know if our suspicions were correct .....

If you are still having problems try this.

START>CONTROL PANAL>MOUSE, Select the HARDWARE tab go to thee ADVNCED SETTINGS.
Lower the SAMPLE RATE . Should be on 100 drop it back to 60. Uncheck the FAST INITIALIZATION. This should do it . If not just reset the chances. This will ot hurt you system .

acklan

Im on this board because I was searching for a remedy to the same problem.

Im sure that this is a virus and not a problem with my mouse, which is a ball type, not light.

Its a pain in the ass and its getting more and more frequent.
I tried the process explained above, but it didnt work.

I'll keep searching and if I find anything, will post it up here.

I have read the analysis of a trojan or worm just recently that does what is being described.
It is the result of the infection, not a hardware problem.

I simply don't recall which of the many hundreds it was.
I will be checking back through my notes in the near future to try and narrow it down.

I know the information is available via a link in the startup database on site, but the database is designed to track files and filenames, not symptoms of the infections that the filenames (if they are bad) cause, so it might take me a while to zero in on those couple or few that do the mouse-crazy side-effect.

It was, if I recall correctly, one that infects by way of an IRC channel ...
and possibly with it's code written to perform that insanity routine on some kind of schedule. I'll find it ...

BTW, a lotta good mouse advice has been posted.
I wish it was simply a bad rodent!

moochooser, it would be a lot quicker if you would be so kind as to post a HijackThis log. Would give us a quick idea of what's starting up on your system and save us both time. Without your machine in front of us, we're essentially working blind--a log will give us insight into what is running and will save us from having to ask troubleshooting questions that you may or may not know the answer to.

Let's do this: Instead of a regular HijackThis log, post a Startup List. Go to the following webpage and follow the instuctions for downloading and installing HijackThis:
How to post a HijackThis Log

You can of course skip Step 1, and when you get to Step 4, instead click the Open the Misc Tools section button, put a check next to List also minor sections (full), then click the Generate Startuplist log button. Copy and paste that entire log into your next reply to this post and we'll see if we can get to the bottom of this.

As far as how this thread has turned out--it has gotten a bit off topic until moochooser's post and I considered splitting the tips on mouse behavior off into the hardware forum. But if this is a result of some type of malware, then it would be better for it to stay here.

You've either got a bad mouse or a bad trojan.
...
If that doesn't solve the problem let me know.

It would be nice to hear back from drtunio to know if our suspicions were correct

Troubleshooting problems is a process of elimination and requires some feedback. I should have asked drtunio for a log first to eliminate the possibility of malware or a joke program first instead of trying to eliminate the possibility of a bad mouse or mouse driver first. That was my bad--It's just that I have personal experience with a bad mouse (and yes it was a ball mouse) and have seen similar problems solved on this board before by trying a different mouse.

But we can't eliminate anything without some feedback.

Well, we've had two people post a HijackThis log instead of a Startup List. Since it is a general policy to move HJT logs to the HijackThis Logs and Analysis they are over there now.

I'm closing this thread til we can find out if this is actually a malware infection or not. If anyone knows, send me or another moderator a PM and I'll reopen it and get this information posted.

I still suggest that anyone with a similar problem test their mouse first. If you still think it is malware, post a HijackThis log and let us have a look. Read this thread:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/How...s_Log-t956.html

superpankeka, your topic is here:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/HJT...html#entry92566