Mouse freezing?

My mouse seems to freeze up and the only way to fix it is to restart the computer (putting the computer in stand-by and taking it out works most of the time). It doesn't happen as much on my user account as it does on the owner's. This started about a few weeks ago. I've tried uninstalling the driver twice now (it asks me to restart the computer after doing so, then it says it's found new hardware and needs to restart again). I don't know what could be causing this. It happens at a random time. I have the setting enabled so that when you click the CTRL key, a ring flashes outside the cursor if you can't see it. This does not work when the cursor is frozen. The hourglass sometimes works, though. I have a Windows XP Home Edition SP3 computer and the mouse is a HP optical mouse model 5187-2155.

Hey Nik came across this so I decide to cut and paste rather than retype 52. Mouse Freezes Lots of things can bring about mouse freezes: Insufficient memory. Bad drivers. Program conflicts, among other things. Some possible solutions: Improve the PC's memory. If your PC doesn't have enough memory, it may temporarily suspend mouse function while the central processing unit takes care of more important things. Empty the Temporary Internet Files and Temp folders, uninstall programs you no longer need, and delete unwanted files.Empty your Recycle Bin. Then, run ScanDisk and defragment your hard drive. All of that will make it easier for Windows to create a good swap file, which Windows uses as auxiliary memory. Check out your mouse drivers. Your mouse driver may have been corrupted. Reinstall your mouse driver or, better yet, download and install a more recent driver, if one is available. Check out your video driver. If the freezes occur while Internet Explorer or another graphics-intensive program is running, a balky video driver may be causing the mouse to freeze. Download and install a new video driver. To do so, visit the Web site maintained by the maker of your video card or computer. Tame hardware acceleration. By default, your computer is set to maximize performance of its hardware components, particularly those handling display functions. Sometimes, though, that works to your detriment. Taming display acceleration can put an end to mouse freezes. Go to Control Panel and click on the Display icon. Click on Settings. Click on the Advanced button, then the Performance tab. Set the acceleration slider to None and reboot. If the mouse freezes stop, return to Control Panel/Display and move the acceleration slider up one notch. Reboot and watch for mouse freezes. Repeat the process until you have decent acceleration but no mouse problems. Check the manufacturer's site. Last year Logitech discovered that an incompatibility between some chips found on some motherboards and its digicam was responsible for mouse freezes. The IBM Aptiva was one computer with the problem. The vendor of your mouse may have found conflicts between its products and a component generally found on computers, and it may have posted a fix. And if you have a Logitech QuickCam and are having mouse freezes, check out Customer Support Document 7332 at www.logitech.com/cf/support/7332.cfm. Run one device at a time. Have you added a PS/2 mouse to a laptop with a built-in pointing device? Not a good idea, unless you disable the internal pointer. If you cannot disable the built-in pointer, try using a PS/2-to-serial-port converter and then plugging your mouse into the serial port. Try another mouse. Have you considered that the mouse has gone bad? Try another one. If the freezing stops, throw away the old one. Look for a hardware conflict. If you recently installed another device, your mouse may be caught in a conflict with the added hardware. Go to the Control Panel and click on System. When System opens, click on the Device Manager tab. Click on the plus sign next to Mouse. Is there a yellow exclamation point next to the reference to your mouse? Call tech support for the device you installed and ask them to help you resolve the conflict. If the device you added was a mouse replacing an older one, uninstall any software that accompanied the old one. Switch USB ports. A mouse may act up if it is connected to a USB hub. Connect the mouse directly to one of the USB ports on the PC.