Help needed re my freezing cursor and keyboard.

[44Apple]

After my desktop sits for awhile (Windows 7), say three or four hours, my wireless cursor freezes and my keyboard does the same, as in I can't type any letters. The only solution I have is to reboot the machine, which always works. Bad mouse? Bad keyboard?

[Babubhat]

You need to upgrade to windows 10 soon to be 11. It should clear up problems

[JohnN]

I agree with the prior post. I had a Windows 7 and it just died.
Upgrade to Windows 10.

[J1ceasar]

No don't upgrade!!. I presume you have a wireless keyboard and mouse. The best thing is to unplug the small USB antenna going into your computer and plug it back in. Or you can set your computer to go into sleep mode after 20 minutes or so of inactivity and then if you hit the keyboard it will reactivate. No reason to have to learn Windows 10 or try to get Windows 11 to work on an old computer which it won't do to the fact that you most probably do not have the correct software and hardware for their new anti-hacking procedures

[daniel200]

After my desktop sits for awhile (Windows 7), say three or four hours, my wireless cursor freezes and my keyboard does the same, as in I can't type any letters. The only solution I have is to reboot the machine, which always works. Bad mouse? Bad keyboard?

Try for the easy solution first. Change (or check if you have a tester) the battery on your keyboard and mouse. Over the years, my mouse/keyboard problems have always been the battery.

[Pinball wizard]

To be a bit clearer...

1. You should upgrade to Windows 10 since there are no security update to Windows 7 any more and the upgrade is free.

2. After your system wakes up from sleep mode (I assume that is what you are talking about), then unplug the USB wireless adapter for your keyboard and mouse, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in.

Hope this helps.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

To be a bit clearer...

1. You should upgrade to Windows 10 since there are no security update to Windows 7 any more and the upgrade is free.

2. After your system wakes up from sleep mode (I assume that is what you are talking about), then unplug the USB wireless adapter for your keyboard and mouse, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in.

Hope this helps.

Not all of the older windows 7 computers CAN be upgraded to win10. You need (among other things):

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS

Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800 x 600

If you don't have at least that, then you -cannot- upgrade to win10 with that computer.

I had to buy a new computer because of that, four years ago. I tend to keep my computers until my software upgrades stop working and require a more updated OS.

As to the OP's concern, if it's a wireless keyboard and mouse, is it a dongle-based wireless, or bluetooth? If they're bluetooth, you might need to update your drivers. If it's wireless using a dongle (that little flat thing you stick into a USB port, that isn't a flash drive), then you probably just need a new battery.

If a new battery doesn't work, then you -probably- just need a new keyboard and mouse. I just had to buy a new mouse, after having my last one for 4 years and only needing to change the battery once.

I have a bluetooth mouse for my laptop, and I haven't had to replace it or change the battery since I bought the thing 5 years ago.

[44Apple]

More info, I have changed batteries (more than once) and I always start by unplugging and replugging the UBS. It might work 30% of the time. And, my keyboard is wired. Thanks.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

More info, I have changed batteries (more than once) and I always start by unplugging and replugging the UBS. It might work 30% of the time. And, my keyboard is wired. Thanks.

If by "UBS" you mean "USB" and by "USB" you mean the dongle, and by "always" you mean "every time you turn your computer on" don't do that. Leave it in the slot.

If your wired keyboard is an older mechanical-style keyboard (or actual mechanical keyboard) it could just be dirty. You can clean those, by popping off the keys, rinsing the keyboard in soapy warm water, then turning it upside down on the dishrack to dry for 3-5 days. And then snapping the keys back on.

If you don't know what kind of keyboard it is OR if you know it isn't a mechanical-style (or actual mechanical) do NOT try washing it. Washing a keyboard is ONLY for keyboards with keys that can snap and unsnap, that don't have a metal plate stretching across the device.

It's also possible that you just have crumbs or dirt or hair or lint stuck between the keys. You can use canned air to blow it out (no matter what kind of keyboard it is). Tilt the keyboard on its end, and spray the air downward, -almost- parallel to the keys. Then give it a few taps on the back while it's still upended, and most of the junk should fall right out.

Never ever ever EVER use rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to clean under the keys. You'll ruin the keyboard.

For a wired keyboard though, you can probably get a new one for under $20 at Staples.

[J1ceasar]

Another way to simply clean the keyboard is turn it around and bang it on your desk and get the crumbs out. And PS as said above , new keyboard and new mouse under 20 bucks virtually everywhere Walmart Staples office Max Amazon etc, the other thing I would definitely do is to go to your computer and find out where in your setup control panel, is usually the mouse slash keyboard settings and ask it to look for new drivers it's a semi-automatic process so don't worry

[davephan]

You’re computer is vulnerable to malware and extortionware, since you’re using an obsolete operating system system that isn’t supported anymore. The first thing you need to do is to back up your data, before you lose your data. Every computer should be backed up, but almost no one backs up their computer. If you don’t back up your computer, you’ll learn how important the backup is after you lose your data. Install Acronis True Image on your computer, and back up your computer to the encrypted Acronis cloud, and don’t forget your encryption password!

Even commercial businesses try to cut costs by using obsolete software and not properly backing their computer systems. The company that controlled the pipelines was hacked with extortionware because their management made the decision to continue to use obsolete software, plus they obviously didn’t properly backup their computer systems.

If you attempt to update your computer online, it’s possible that the update could fail. If you didn’t have a backup before the update attempt, then your data could be lost. If you’re hard drive dies, which could happen at any moment, your data could be lost if you don’t have a good backup.

I’m guessing that your Windows computer is probably too old, and should be replaced. If you want to eliminate Windows computer problems from you’re life, I suggest that you replace that old Windows computer with a MacBook Pro laptop computer. There’s about a month or two learning curve to get used to the Apple operating system. The Apple computers are far less likely to have problems than the Windows computers, which have to be constantly patched and updated, due to the poor design of the Windows operating system.

After you update to a MacBook Pro laptop, you’re computer problems will be gone, just like the hassles with snow, ice, and cold winter weather are gone when you moved to Florida.

[mcwood4d]

Upgrade now. Windows 7 has not been supported for years. Lack of support means no patches for malware vulnerability. Upgrade now unless this computer NEVER accesss the internet.

[davephan]

Upgrade now. Windows 7 has not been supported for years. Lack of support means no patches for malware vulnerability. Upgrade now unless this computer NEVER accesss the internet.

It’s very risky to do the online update without first having a backup. I’ve seen the online operating system update fail. I’ve also seen the Microsoft Windows backup fail to recover. It’s safer to use Acronis backup software. The reason that third party backup software exists is because sometimes the Microsoft backup software simply fails when a recovery is attempted! If the Windows update fails, you’re left with a computer system that no longer boots into Windows. If you didn’t have a backup before the update attempt, then you might or might not get your data back if you pay possibly thousands of dollars to a data recovery company to try to get the data back.

Before I retired, I worked in IT for decades. One of my specialities was backing up and recovering computer systems. I also patched Windows computer systems, which is a never ending job, due to the inherent poorly engineered Windows operating systems.

[Girlcopper]

After my desktop sits for awhile (Windows 7), say three or four hours, my wireless cursor freezes and my keyboard does the same, as in I can't type any letters. The only solution I have is to reboot the machine, which always works. Bad mouse? Bad keyboard?
Get rid of the computer and get an apple ipad. No issues ever and you dont have a huge weight taking up space on your desk

[irishwonone]

After my desktop sits for awhile (Windows 7), say three or four hours, my wireless cursor freezes and my keyboard does the same, as in I can't type any letters. The only solution I have is to reboot the machine, which always works. Bad mouse? Bad keyboard?
Cursor Freezing on Windows 7 Fix - YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig6k0X39IB0)

[JoelJohnson]

I stopped at Windows 7. After that I converted to Linux Mint and never went back to Windows. It's free, just works and your chances of getting a virus is very very small. The easiest way to convert is to get a SSD drive off Amazon, swap it out with your hard drive download Linux onto t a thumb drive and install that way.

Go to Main Page - Linux Mint (http://WWW.LINUXMINT.COM) to download it.

[KRMACK55]

You need to upgrade to windows 10 soon to be 11. It should clear up problems
Exactly ! That’s part of the reason it seized up

[kcal63]

Your problem is almost certainly a simple setting change in windows. USB slots are turned off to save power after a certain time by default and Windows, particularly win 7, is prone to lock from misread or misdirected wake function signaling. Find someone familiar with windows settings and registry (or research it yourself) and set USB power saving to 0, (off). This can be done for specific slots through editing the registry or changed for all through windows settings. Try that first, after making sure that batteries are good and mouse wake function is itself working (when you first try to restart using mouse do you see the light or not, don't look to windows till you are sure mouse function is good first). Hope this helps.

[Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com]

Get rid of the computer and get an apple ipad. No issues ever and you dont have a huge weight taking up space on your desk

Yep, I moved to an IPad a long time ago, wireless printer and it does everything that the Microsoft unit did and more, easier and much user friendly. I donated my older Microsoft computers. Apple are much more safe than the others, although there is no 100% SAFE system, Apple 🍎 🍏 works better.

[ensurconnect@gmail.com]

It could be a thermal issue with your computer. I have seen computers that consistently lock up after a certain time period. The computer heats up enough and the lock occurs. It may be a hardware issue. I don’t think it is a bad mouse or keyboard or only one would stop working.

If you just use a browser surfing the internet, a cheaper and hassle-free option is buying a Chrome OS laptop that you can get for as little as $200 new from Lenovo (IBM previously), HP or Acer. The other option is installing neverware (neverware.com) now owned by Google for free home use on most any old computer. It is Chromium OS which is just the Open Source version of Chrome OS.

[kendi]

No don't upgrade!!. I presume you have a wireless keyboard and mouse. The best thing is to unplug the small USB antenna going into your computer and plug it back in. Or you can set your computer to go into sleep mode after 20 minutes or so of inactivity and then if you hit the keyboard it will reactivate. No reason to have to learn Windows 10 or try to get Windows 11 to work on an old computer which it won't do to the fact that you most probably do not have the correct software and hardware for their new anti-hacking procedures

Yes, upgrade!!! Windows 7 is no longer secure. Anyone with windows 7 should have received the message from windows that they will no longer be supporting 7. That was at least a year ago. I upgraded to 10 for free.

[lem001]

No don't upgrade!!. I presume you have a wireless keyboard and mouse. The best thing is to unplug the small USB antenna going into your computer and plug it back in. Or you can set your computer to go into sleep mode after 20 minutes or so of inactivity and then if you hit the keyboard it will reactivate. No reason to have to learn Windows 10 or try to get Windows 11 to work on an old computer which it won't do to the fact that you most probably do not have the correct software and hardware for their new anti-hacking procedures

the wireless mouse has a kind of sleep mode to preserve battery life, which (like me) nobody uses. simply turn off the mouse for a second or two then back on
ideally, if you know you are not going to use the pc for a few hours, turn off the mouse

BTW i have windows 10 and have the same issue

good luck - hope this takes care of it

[butlerism]

Techie here
Windows 7 is legacy and most programs do not work well on the platform.

Next point, when was the last time you blew out the PC with a can of air. For laptops put a vacuum on the fan outlet while blowing air into the intakes.
Dust is drawn in and will make your computer all sorts of buggery.

A description of your hardware is needed...
How old?
Laptop or PC?
Hard drive? I will assume.... go buy a laptop with Solid State Hard Drive.

If you mouse locks up, just unplug it, that will force the PC to re-establish a bluetooth connection. This should typically free up the PC.

Security note:
1 - go to taskbar... what is running?
2 - Are you running windows Defender? most get duped into buying useless software protection.
3 - minimize your cyber presence. Every one needs to do this.
4 - multiple email accounts..... create one solely for personal stuff.
One for business. and how ever many you need to do all the rest.
5 - Avoid Amazon
6 - Change your search engine to "DuckDuckGo"
7 - Do not. I mean DO NOT use your phone for anything other than calls, texts, and to look up small stuff ( where is the movie theater, directions, etc)
8 - Get offline and enjoy life.
9 - Cook, dance, play pickle ball, make love with the extra hours you will reclaim.

~ The Auricle has Spoken

[PJackpot]

No don't upgrade!!. I presume you have a wireless keyboard and mouse. The best thing is to unplug the small USB antenna going into your computer and plug it back in. Or you can set your computer to go into sleep mode after 20 minutes or so of inactivity and then if you hit the keyboard it will reactivate. No reason to have to learn Windows 10 or try to get Windows 11 to work on an old computer which it won't do to the fact that you most probably do not have the correct software and hardware for their new anti-hacking procedures

I have windows 10....it sucks.

[Babubhat]

Mine works fine. Windows 11 will be here soon.

You Can Still Get Windows 10 for Free With a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key (https://www.howtogeek.com/266072/you-can-still-get-windows-10-for-free-with-a-windows-7-8-or-8.1-key/)

[Lancer]

Upgrade now. Windows 7 has not been supported for years. Lack of support means no patches for malware vulnerability. Upgrade now unless this computer NEVER accesss the internet.

Yes, you can continue using Windows 7 after January 14, 2020. Windows 7 will continue to run as it is today. However, you should upgrade to Windows 10 before January 14, 2020, because Microsoft will be discontinuing all technical support, software updates, security updates, and any other fixes after that date.Jan 14, 2020

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I’m guessing that your Windows computer is probably too old, and should be replaced.

The OP's problem is peripherals, not the computer. Seriously - talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

He just needs either a cleaned mouse/keyboard, new batteries, or a new mouse/keyboard. Total maximum cost on mid-range quality of both for full new replacement: Under $50. Total minimum cost: 0, plus maybe .01 for dish detergent and water.

[roscoguy]

~ The Auricle has Spoken

OK, but what does the Ventricle say? :icon_wink: (Guessing you meant 'Oracle'?)

[davephan]

I have windows 10....it sucks.

I agree with that! Windows 10 is lousy! It takes much more processing power to make up for the very sluggish Windows 10 operating system. It’s crude and clunky, and full of jokes that have to be constantly patched. I’ve used Linux before, and that’s a pain to use. Lots of screen savers, but poor user interface and lousy apps.

You’re much better off if you bite the bullet, and buy an Apple computer. The Apple computers are drastically better. The iPhones are drastically better than the crude snd clunky Android cellphones too.

It’s a pain if you’re favorite apps only run on Windows. Then you’re stuck using a crappy and buggy operating system. I worked for decades supporting Windows servers before I retired. It’s endless employment fixing the endless problems with Windows.

[RICH1]

Curb alert... your equipment is antique ... no offense but you need to start looking for a new laptop or Tablet ! Get a new wireless printer