Why does my USB mouse seem to randomly quit working?

Question

While I am doing stuff... doesn't seem to matter what, my USB mouse just stops working... sometimes it will be the keyboard as well but usually not as often. Ubuntu forces me to press my power button to recover my mouse again.

Any ideas?

Let me know if you need more information.

This is a dual boot system and only happens on Ubuntu, and it works fine under Windows

Solution 1

If your mouse itself is flaky windows will handle this gracefully and ubuntu will sometimes not. I had that problem with a logitech mx518. The cable was bad and ubuntu is (was?) a little iffy on disconnecting and reconnecting your mouse over and over.

Solution 2

Your USB power might be failing because there are too many devices. Try plugging them into a different place; you might have to try several ports before you find a configuration that works or even makes the situation better. Also, if you are using a USB hub disconnect it from there.

To see if this is really the problem, open up a terminal, then when the mouse fails, type in lsusb and see if the mouse appears in the list. If the mouse has disappeared then lack of USB power is likely your problem.

A USB mouse can actually take up much power compared to other devices, and you might want to find a substitute. But if you have other high-powered devices, you can try unplugging them. If unplugging other USB devices from the PC helps, then you will have to find substitutes for them.

Comments

[Admin]

Is this a desktop or a laptop?

[Admin]

This is a desktop.

[TheXed]

Sorry I should have mentioned, and I will add it to my OP, but this is a dual boot system and only happens on Ubuntu, and it works fine under Windows so I don't think it is a power issue, but I suppose I could be wrong. I have a lot of USB devices plugged in though... all directly, no hubs... basically I have a mouse, keyboard, web-cam, a printer when I want to print, and my ipod if I choose to plug it in...