A problem with HID

I have a client running Windows XP on a machine that controls various cameras and a Sonos as well as gate controls. That's about all it does. I ran into an issue where at the Windows logon screen, the mouse pointer flies across the screen erratically and the keyboard cannot input the password because it flashes like there is a key stuck and pops me right out of the password field. This happens even if I boot without the mouse installed (the pointer is still going crazy) or without the keyboard (I thought there might be a stuck key). Safe mode works fine. Nothing had changed on the machine since the last time it was accessed a week ago and everything was fine. In safe mode the event log showed no errors. There was nothing suspicious in the msconfig either. The machine is only used to control the devices and is not directly accessed for anything but configuration. Has anyone seen this before?

Nope.

But if it doesn't happen in safe mode, that tells me it's likely an auxiliary Startup process.
What sort of keyboard and mouse? USB or PS/2? Wireless?

If it is wireless, you pulled the receiver out before you tried to boot w/ no mouse, right?

What do you mean

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There was nothing suspicious in the msconfig either.

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? I'd like to verify that.

Did you try disabling all Startup Processes and non-Microsoft services? If you didn't please do and boot into normal mode and post back here. If that works, then start re-enabling Startup entries and non-Microsoft services until you find what tripped you up.

;)

Hmmmm,

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But if it doesn't happen in safe mode, that tells me it's likely an auxiliary Startup process.

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I really don't think so. The symptoms suggest that the "Normal Mode Boot" HID controller software has somehow gotten corrupted. When you boot into (fail) Safe Mode, Windows uses very basic drivers and only opens essential services, so it isn't using the same stuff, and is using minimalistic settings.

Does this machine have AV/security software on it? and does it auto-update. Also, I think that you should have had a Windows patch in that timeframe..........did all the patches install correctly?

Given that this is happening before Windows initiates startup, I think that it is most likely a one-off rather than an ongoing situation.

A bit like FireFox 3.6.14 that killed my Secunia PSI for some reason or other......strange that 3.6.15 came out about 3 days later :rolleyes: That was a one-off, as they worked fine together after I reinstalled PSI. Something must have happened during the actual installation process?

I would try (and you probably already have):


chkdsk (just on the file system NOT the HDD!)
sfc scannow (system file check)

I would also run the manufacturer's HDD diagnostics, and MemTest86, just to confirm that the problem was not possibly hardware related. I consider those to be the two most likely candidates given this machine's usage. There is no point in fixing a problem if it is bound to happen again?

You can also try a known good video card, monitor and cable, just in case it happens when the system is under slightly more stress than in safe mode; but I don't really expect any joy there.

You might also try system restore?

discovered that the issue with the mouse being uncontrollable and going wild all over the screen was because Windows was recognizing the serial connection for the DVR system configuration as a mouse and installed the Microsoft Serial Ballpoint Mouse driver. This was causing data signals from the serial device to be interpreted as mouse tracking and clicks. It seems that this is not uncommon with serial devices. The resolution is to disconnect the serial cable and disable the driver in the Device Manager>Mice and Other Pointing Devices. Just wanted to update in case anyone else is having the same issue.

http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?p=636601

Thanks for the update Bob, that's certainly a new one on me!

Any idea why it was working OK then suddenly went pear shaped?

:confused:

It looks like Windows does not always identify the device as a mouse. It may depend on what signals are being sent at the time. I only figured it out because I was installing an XP VM on the machine and noticed the new hardware pop-up that mentioned Microsoft Serial Ballpoint Mouse then immediate cursor control loss. This had not happened in the several years that the setup had been in place. It could have to do with a Microsoft Update. When this originally happened, I noticed that when I returned to pick up the machine, the cursor was working fine with no user intervention. After a restart the problem reoccurred. With the new Windows 7 machine we installed, the issue happened after a restart from the VMWare Player installation, but a restart remedied the problem and the driver was not showing in the Device Manager. It is certainly odd and I won't be able to research the exact reason for the problem. I just know that it is intermittent and will resolve itself just as randomly as it occurs.

abit late to the party. :D but none the less i was going to suggest opening the BIOS and disabling device initialization, you know just to see what happens. :eek: