For the past two weeks my computer has been operating like a dog. Specifically, it was my USB mouse. It's a Logitech MX500 (the model is not really important in this lesson).

Lately, I would be moving the cursor with the mouse and then suddenly the computer would stop detecting its movement. The disk would run a bit and then half a second later would pick it up again. Other times it would get worse and worse until it would stop detecting it at all. Plugging and unplugging the mouse from the USB port would not help; the problem would be the same. Changing ports did not help.

Yes, this was very frustrating. If I was still a hard core gamer I'm sure I would have kicked the computer off the desk by now. At work during my breaks I began pricing a whole new computer while at the same time poring over the web trying to find a solution. There were just too many variables.

• power to USB hub?
• bad mouse driver?
• bad USB driver?
• bad USB port?
• virus? Spyware?
• BIOS update needed?

I must have explored every one of these variables.

(Yes, I should have tried a different mouse but my extra is lost somewhere).

Finally, I stumbled over the solution. I read a post where someone mentioned that they thought it was the length of the USB cord (when they were trying to solve a USB drive issue). I thought, huh, maybe the distance of the cord is a variable. Then I looked at the cord.

My girlfriend, bless her heart, seeks to organize parts of my life and the computer area is no different. With my consent she'd carefully coiled all of the loose wires under or on the table and tied them up with a twist tie.

The moment I uncoiled the USB mouse cord and removed the twist tie the problem went away.

I'm just leaving this out there in case anyone had a similar issue that was driving them crazy. I don't know if it was the coiling or the metal twist tie, but I just know it works like a charm now. I may even load Counter-Strike again ... nahhhh.

My three year old computer still needs replacing, but I'll be able to bear it for a couple months longer.