cursor pinging and erratic

Question

Level 1

8 points

cursor pinging and erratic

Hello all

My cursor started behaving very erratically a few days ago. It also pings (as if you keep the space bar pressed) on and off. There were one or two hiccups a couple of weeks ago but they disappeared in a few seconds. The problem continues even if the mouse and keyboard (both on bluetooth) are switched off. I have no trackpad or other bluetooth enabled devices in the periphery of the computer.

I am on Mavericks on an iMac 27" and I have tried the basics i.e.:

- clean mouse and keyboard and changed batteries

- performed a CleanMyMac twice

- emptied trash

- disk utilities repair x2

- PRAM reset

- all softwares are up to date

I haven't installed any new software lately and cannot link the start of a problem to a particular event. The problem is dire on Mac Mail - I now cannot use it - and intermittent on Safari or Word.

Hope you can help and many thanks

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)

Posted on Jul 21, 2014 7:23 AM

Reply

Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,534 points

Jul 21, 2014 8:26 AM in response to mabuk

I suspect you have installed either some malware or some other garbage applications on your computer. You mentioned CleanMyMac, this is total garbageware and possibly the cause of your system. Please post an EtreCheck report of your system so we can tell how your system is configured, you can find EtreCheck by clicking:

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Reply

Answer 2

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jul 21, 2014 9:40 AM in response to mabuk

There are several possible causes for this issue. Please take each of the following steps that you haven't already tried until it's resolved. Some may not apply in your case.

1. Follow the instructions in this support article, and also this one, if applicable. A damaged or defective AC adapter could be the cause, even if it's the right kind.

2. Press down all four corners of the trackpad at once and release. If there's any effect, it's likely to be temporary, and in that case the unit must be serviced or replaced.

3. Open the Bluetooth preference pane in System Preferences and delete all pointing devices other than the trackpad, if applicable. Disconnect any USB pointing devices. By a "pointing device," I mean a peripheral that moves the cursor, such as a trackpad, mouse, trackball, or graphics tablet. A plain keyboard is not a pointing device.

4. Start up in safe mode and test, preferably without launching any third-party applications. If you don't have the problem in safe mode, but it comes back when you restart as usual, stop here and post your results. Do the same if you can't start in safe mode. If there was no difference in safe mode, go on to the next step.

5. Reset the System Management Controller.

6. If you're using a Bluetooth trackpad or mouse, investigate potential sources of interference, including USB 3 devices.

7. A swollen battery in a portable computer can impinge on the trackpad from below and cause erratic behavior. If you have trouble clicking the trackpad, this is likely the reason. The battery must be replaced without delay.

8. There's a report that a (possibly defective) Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter can cause the built-in trackpad of a MacBook to behave erratically. If you're using such an adapter, disconnect it and test.

9. There's also a report of erratic cursor movements caused by an external display that was connected but not turned on.

10. If none of the above applies, or if you have another reason to think that your computer is being remotely controlled, remove it from the network by turning off Wi-Fi (or your Wi-Fi access point), disconnecting from a Bluetooth network link, and unplugging the Ethernet cable or USB modem, whichever is applicable. If the cursor movements stop at once, you should suspect an intrusion.

11. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine and/or external trackpad tested.

Reply

Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

156,266 points

Jul 21, 2014 10:12 AM in response to mabuk

- performed a CleanMyMac twice

It is unlikely that CleanMyMac is the direct cause of the problem you describe, but it will cause other problems, and should be removed.

If you have a backup that you created prior to using CleanMyMac, now is the time to use it. For Time Machine, boot OS X Recovery, and at the Mac OS X Utilities screen, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup. Choose a date preceding the installation of CleanMyMac.

Using CleanMyMac to remove what it considers "junk" will corrupt a system.

Nothing less than erasing your Mac and rebuilding it from the ground up will undo the effects of having used it, and its developer's instructions for uninstalling it are not completely effective. Only MacPaw, its developer, can know the reason for that, but I can think of two possibilities: either they are purposefully leaving those components behind for reasons known only to them, or they simply don't know what they're doing. Neither one of those possibilities is particularly comforting for the user.

I know of no way to recover from the effects of having used CleanMyMac than to completely erase the volume on which it was used, reinstall OS X and essential software from their original sources, and restore your essential work files and other documents from a backup that has not been corrupted by CleanMyMac or anything else.

I know no other way to recover from having used it other than these recommendations.

Reply

Answer 4

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 21, 2014 11:43 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Hello rkaufmann87

Never heard of EtreCheck so learnt something there and here is the report:

EtreCheck version: 1.9.12 (48)

Report generated 21 July 2014 19:39:49 BST

Hardware Information:

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) (Verified)

iMac - model: iMac12,2

1 3.1 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4 cores

32 GB RAM

Video Information:

AMD Radeon HD 6970M - VRAM: 1024 MB

iMac 2560 x 1440

System Software:

OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Uptime: 0 days 4:36:30

Disk Information:

WDC WD1001FALS-403AA0 disk0 : (1 TB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (38.81 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

HL-DT-STDVDRW GA32N

USB Information:

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader 15.93 GB

NO NAME (disk1s1) /Volumes/NO NAME: 15.93 GB (618.5 MB free)

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

FireWire Information:

Drobo Drobo3 800mbit - 800mbit max

EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Sandbox (disk2s2) /Volumes/Sandbox: 499.02 GB (498.57 GB free)

Drobo (disk2s3) /Volumes/Drobo 1: 1.7 TB (747.03 GB free)

EFI (disk3s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Drobo (disk3s2) /Volumes/Drobo: 2.2 TB (2.2 TB free)

Thunderbolt Information:

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Gatekeeper:

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions:

[loaded] com.TrustedData.driver.VendorSpecificType00 (1.7.0 - SDK 10.7) Support

[loaded] com.attotech.driver.ATTOiSCSI (3.4.1b1 - SDK 10.6) Support

[not loaded] com.drobo.SCSI.ThunderBolt (1.1 [66012] - SDK 10.8) Support

[not loaded] com.nike.sportwatch (1.0.0) Support

[not loaded] com.olympus.CamBlockCommandsDeviceUP (3.1.0 - SDK 10.6) Support

[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.wacomtablet (6.1.6) Support

Startup Items:

ProTec6b: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ProTec6b

Launch Daemons:

[failed] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

[loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist Support

[running] com.attotech.iscsid.plist Support

[running] com.datarobotics.ddservice64d.plist Support

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist Support

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support

[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support

[running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist Support

[running] com.xrite.device.colormunki.plist Support

[loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.securetool.plist Support

Launch Agents:

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support

[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist Support

[loaded] com.epson.ews.launcher.plist Support

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support

[running] com.nike.nikeplusconnect.plist Support

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support

[running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist Support

[running] com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist Support

[running] com.xrite.colormunkid.plist Support

[running] com.xrite.device.message.plist Support

[loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.setupagent.plist Support

User Launch Agents:

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist Support

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist Support

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist Support

[loaded] com.shirtpocket.backupbytime.plist Support

[not loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.cleanup.plist Support

[not loaded] jp.co.canon.Inkjet_Extended_Survey_Agent.plist Support

User Login Items:

GrowlMenu

iTunesHelper

AdobeResourceSynchronizer

Dropbox

Canon IJ Network Scanner Selector EX

DDAssist

Internet Plug-ins:

WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 Support

Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.6 Support

WacomSafari: Version: 1.1.1-1 Support

AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

LogMeIn: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 Support

Flash Player: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support

LogMeInSafari32: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 Support

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8

AdobeExManCCDetect_x86_64: Version: AdobeExManCCDetect_x86_64 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.3 - SDK 10.6 Support

EPPEX Plugin: Version: 3.0.5.0 Support

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 60 Check version

Safari Extensions:

AddThis: Version: 1.7

Add To Amazon Wish List: Version: 1.8

Evernote Web Clipper: Version: 6.1.3

WhatFont: Version: 1.6.99991

Audio Plug-ins:

BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9

AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9

AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9

iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9

iTunes Plug-ins:

Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9

User Internet Plug-ins:

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 Support

3rd Party Preference Panes:

Flash Player Support

Growl Support

Java Support

Trusteer Endpoint Protection Support

WacomTablet Support

X-Rite Device Services Support

Time Machine:

Skip System Files: NO

Mobile backups: OFF

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 930.71 GB Disk used: 894.57 GB

Destinations:

LaCieBLACK TimeMachine [Local] (Last used)

Total size: 2

Total number of backups: 106

Oldest backup: 2012-07-24 02:20:13 +0000

Last backup: 2014-07-21 08:55:48 +0000

Size of backup disk: Too small

Backup size 2 < (Disk used 894.57 GB X 3)

Time Machine details may not be accurate.

All volumes being backed up may not be listed.

Top Processes by CPU:

2% WindowServer

0% fontd

0% Creative Cloud

0% Safari

0% Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5

Top Processes by Memory:

1.54 GB Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5

459 MB mds_stores

229 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent

164 MB Mail

131 MB Safari

Virtual Memory Information:

17.11 GB Free RAM

5.32 GB Active RAM

7.66 GB Inactive RAM

1.91 GB Wired RAM

526 MB Page-ins

0 B Page-outs

Chinese to me but hopefully it means something to you.

Thank you!

Reply

Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,534 points

Jul 21, 2014 11:50 AM in response to mabuk

The only major isssue I see is that you have installed:

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper

Locate the developers instructions and uninstall the app. Then restart your computer in Safe Mode, this will clear some caches and then restart normally and test.

Reply

Answer 6

John Galt

Level 10

156,266 points

Jul 21, 2014 4:02 PM in response to mabuk

Remove Trusteet Rapport as well.

If you elect to erase and reinstall as I recommend, do not reinstall Trusteer.

Reply

Answer 7

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 22, 2014 11:58 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you rkaufmann87. The problem was virtually gone earlier today but I still uninstalled CleanMyMac2, started in safe mode and restarted just in case. Problem is back with a vengeance tonight.... Puzzling!

Reply

Answer 8

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:03 PM in response to mabuk

Have you taken the other steps I suggested?

Reply

Answer 9

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:07 PM in response to John Galt

Thank you John and as I just replied to rkaufmann87 I have uninstalled CleanMyMac2 and the problem is still there. However I haven't reinstalled OSX and rebooted from my backup as I cannot face yet the 21 hours that it took just to copy my files from the backup the last time... and not sure whether I would manage to reinstall OSX given my track record in that area.

Reply

Answer 10

John Galt

Level 10

156,266 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:14 PM in response to mabuk

I did not recommend merely uninstalling "CleanMyMac". As I wrote, attempting to do so by following its uninstallation instructions will not remove it, nor will reinstalling OS X.

Reply

Answer 11

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:17 PM in response to John Galt

I know John but I'm not confident enough to erase everything and start again as I am not particularly tech oriented - sorry!

Reply

Answer 12

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,534 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:22 PM in response to mabuk

mabuk wrote:

I know John but I'm not confident enough to erase everything and start again as I am not particularly tech oriented - sorry!

If that is the case then you should take the machine into your local Apple Store or AASP and ask them to help you troubleshoot the problem. I would also follow Linc's advice, while not guaranteed to work he has a good understanding of OS X and iMacs.

Reply

Answer 13

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:28 PM in response to mabuk

Hi Linc and thank you for your reply. A few of the steps suggested don't apply as I don't have a track pad or Thunderbolt ethernet and I had changed the mouse and keyboard's batteries before the post.

The problem is definitely intermittent and doesn't follow a particular pattern and is more or less pronounced depending on the application I'm in. For example macMail and Lightroom 5 are virtually unusable but word, Safari and Photoshop CC are OK...

The cursor goes very randomly and, in terms of keys, the only 'constant' is that I cannot type a capital 'o' using the left shift key but I can using the right shift key. I can capitalise every other letter with the left shift key.

Reply

Answer 14

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:33 PM in response to mabuk

Go to Step 11. Good luck.

Reply

Answer 15

mabuk Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 22, 2014 12:35 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Yes I guess that is what I am going to have to do. Not looking forward to the prospect though. The last (and only time) I needed to get the computer to an Apple store it was kept for 3 weeks. When I got it back OSX was not installed so I had to do it myself which didn't work. A call to the help line established that I needed to go back to the shop, and 2 hours later with 3 engineers trying I went home with a brand new iMac. Must be jinxed but 3 years without a problem I guess I cannot moan...

Reply