HT203171: If your pointer is jumpy when you use a trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse

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Esor Asil

Q: Jumpy erratic cursor/arrow - Moves & Selects without touching

I have a jumpy erratic curso that moves and selects without me touching the trackpad at all. It's driving me crazy. It makes it practically impossible to use my macbook.  The trackpad is clean. I'm literally not touching it when the arrow moves around and selects things. When I try to move the arrow/cursor, it either moves jumpily or selects anything it passes over. Help!

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Mar 11, 2013 8:06 PM

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Q: Jumpy erratic cursor/arrow - Moves & Selects without touching

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  • by thomas_r.,

    thomas_r. thomas_r. Apr 4, 2013 8:04 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 7 (30,919 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 4, 2013 8:04 AM in response to Esor Asil

    Too bad I didn't see this topic sooner, but I don't hang out in this particular area of these forums. Someone used the word "virus" and caught my attention!

     

    There are many possible causes for this problem, including potentially serious hardware issues. None of them involve a virus, though. See:

     

    My mouse keeps moving around on its own, as if someone is remotely controlling my Mac!

  • by noneother,

    noneother noneother Apr 4, 2013 8:05 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 4, 2013 8:05 AM in response to Esor Asil

    same here.. 2012 MBA 11"  just started occurring with last 2 updates.... have resorted to using my Magic Mouse again.. that works fine.. so without knowing MUCH.. the issue is related to the pad driver.. since the mouse runs fine...    I notice most when MS office and Chrome are highly utilized.. 8gb RAM so system memory shouldn' t be the cause either.. unless there's a leak that memory cleaning utilities aren't finding.. 

  • by clarafrommidlothian,

    clarafrommidlothian clarafrommidlothian Apr 4, 2013 9:10 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 4, 2013 9:10 AM in response to Esor Asil

    I am having the same issue with my 13" 2010 Macbook Pro. I had the battery replaced but still have the same issue after I've used it for a while.  Had the problem with Lion upgraded to Mountain Lion and still have the problem. It just started doing this in March 2013.  What updates would cause this?

  • by BigMattFromTheNorth,

    BigMattFromTheNorth BigMattFromTheNorth Apr 4, 2013 9:50 AM in response to thomas_r.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 4, 2013 9:50 AM in response to thomas_r.

    Thanks Thomas,

     

    Your link really helped! I have recently changed my MBP power supply and although it would appear to be an official Apple one, it was bought off eBay. Simply unplugging the power supply resolves the issue completely. I can't tell you how frustrating it has been.

  • by thomas_r.,

    thomas_r. thomas_r. Apr 4, 2013 10:14 AM in response to BigMattFromTheNorth
    Level 7 (30,919 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 4, 2013 10:14 AM in response to BigMattFromTheNorth

    That's a new one for me, but it makes sense that an aftermarket charger could have the potential to cause something like this. After all, some folks with malfunctioning chargers or similar issues have reported getting mild shocks, and a mild electric current in the chassis could influence how the trackpad works. I'll have to update that document to mention that possibility!

  • by floridajoe,

    floridajoe floridajoe Apr 4, 2013 2:22 PM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 4, 2013 2:22 PM in response to Esor Asil

    I had the same problem.  If your machine is out of warranty...

     

    Unplug the trackpad cable from the circuit board and plug it back in a few times.

     

    This fixed the problem for me.

     

    It seems there must have been some corrosion or dirt at this connection.

     

    You will need a small phillips heand and triwing screwdriver from Amazon ( it is not available at your local stores).

     

    Look at the You Tube videos about replacing your trackpad to see how this is done.

     

    None of the other solutions online helped me

  • by Celia Kilgore,

    Celia Kilgore Celia Kilgore Apr 7, 2013 12:21 PM in response to thomas_r.
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 7, 2013 12:21 PM in response to thomas_r.

    Great suggestion.  Based on the article, I checked the battery status and it shows that it needs servicing.  Mine is the original battery, so if it is swelling as the article suggests, that may be the problem. Thanks.

  • by crystallaine,

    crystallaine crystallaine Apr 10, 2013 6:50 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 10, 2013 6:50 AM in response to Esor Asil

    Obviously by the number of views on this post, it seems as though alot of people are having a similar problem.  I have been reading and searching for solutions before I call Apple.  I have a late 2011 MBP..and my trackpad is all over the place moving around and bring up pages, scrolling, zooming, whatever it is.. you name it.Its been going on for a few months, and I will admit that yes I have had food and drink nearby, but no spillage, but I wouldn't doubt a crumb or 2 may have seeped in..  (which was my first instict)... My second is talking to my cousin's ghost who passed a couple years ago..pretending he is messing with me...:)  (ok, I am trying to make light of this annoying situation. Bottom line, is that the only temporary solution that I have tried is blowing around the edges of the trackpad trying to clear any debris.. the other is taking a blow dryer.. and on a low setting and cool  and do the same thing... you dont want to mess up anything with too much heat..  It is only temporary I am sure.. but it has been the only thing that has worked to get the trackpad acting normal..until the next time.. Has anyone had the same issue or tried? 

  • by clarafrommidlothian,

    clarafrommidlothian clarafrommidlothian Apr 10, 2013 7:21 AM in response to crystallaine
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 10, 2013 7:21 AM in response to crystallaine

    I have noticed that this issue does seem to occur when my MBP is warm. If I am using a program which doesn't cause my MBP to heat up, it won't occur for a long time.  Eventually it will reoccur, but not as soon as when I play a power hungry game or stream a video.  And when it does happen, not only does my cursor move seemingly on it's own, but my MBP switches to Launchpad on it's own. So if heat is an issue, using anything to cool down your MBP might bring about a temporary fix. (I did have my battery replaced as another post suggested the swelling of the battery might cause the problem, but it did not help)

     

    By the number of post,  I really think this is an update issue.  Maybe something in an update is causing everything to heat up more.  My MBP seems to be running warmer than usual.  Does anyone else notice this?

     

    Just my observation.

  • by erictheise,

    erictheise erictheise Apr 11, 2013 2:34 PM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 11, 2013 2:34 PM in response to Esor Asil

    I, too, am having this trouble. It's terrifying to see my 2009 MacBook Pro acting so out of control.

     

    My power supply is the original Apple hardware that came with the machine, the battery was replaced at an Apple store earlier this year, the behavior happens whether I'm on battery power or plugged in. No spills or other shocks to the machine.

     

    Even typing this, with fingers no where near the trackpad, finds the cursor flying over to the dock, screenful of widgets sliding over, almost impossible to work. Cursing like a madman, scaring my co-workers...

  • by thomas_r.,

    thomas_r. thomas_r. Apr 11, 2013 4:09 PM in response to erictheise
    Level 7 (30,919 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 11, 2013 4:09 PM in response to erictheise

    Did the problem occur prior to replacing the battery? If not, I'd guess that the tech who replaced your battery screwed something up.

  • by Janiwo,

    Janiwo Janiwo Apr 11, 2013 5:27 PM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 11, 2013 5:27 PM in response to Esor Asil

    I'm beginning to think its because of the battery replacement. I had my battery replaced at an AppleStore here recently because it bloated up and I couldn't depress the button on the trackpad.

    That bloating could have cracked it. It seemed to work fine for about a month tho before I started seeing this random cursor movement problem tho and it seemed to start coinciding with that recent security update.

    Anyone else's built in battery get bloated?

  • by erictheise,

    erictheise erictheise Apr 12, 2013 6:20 AM in response to thomas_r.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 12, 2013 6:20 AM in response to thomas_r.

    In my case, Thomas, no, I've never experienced this problem before, it's just manifested during the past couple of days. I checked my calendar to see when I had the battery replaced, and that was back in January, so it's hard to assign blame. Other people are talking about battery swelling and I don't see any traces of that.

     

    I made an appointment at the local Genius Bar for late this morning, will post back later.

  • by clarafrommidlothian,

    clarafrommidlothian clarafrommidlothian Apr 27, 2013 8:26 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 27, 2013 8:26 AM in response to Esor Asil

    Suddenly all is well!  The trackpad works fine again and I didn't do anything to fix it.  Magic!

  • by Bensteready,

    Bensteready Bensteready Apr 30, 2013 1:53 AM in response to Esor Asil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 30, 2013 1:53 AM in response to Esor Asil

    Hi Seem to have fixed this on my machine in just a few minutes (well at least for the moment).
    I simply attached a mouse and went to the utilities folder in the Applications folder and opened DIsk Utility.

    I selected the hard drive and selected 'disk first ai'd and then Veriffied the Permissions and once it have finished verifying I then hit repair permissions. After that it worked fine again. Simple maintanence I know but it seemed to fix it. Hope this helps

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