Mouse and Windows pinwheel hesitate every 2-3 seconds

[Larry Sabo]

Don't know what else to try and am about to upgrade-install 1909 and block Windows updates.

• Laptop: HP 15-af148ca Touch, AMD A8-7410@2.2GHz, 8GB​
• Windows 10 Home (unable to determine version)​
• replaced failed HDD with Crucial SSD​
• fresh installed 20H2, noticed loading pinwheel and mouse pointer hesitate every few seconds​
• installed WD SSD with Windows pre-installed, also ran Strelec Win PE: both run normally​
• cloned Crucial SSD to WD SSD: same symptoms, so problem is with OS, not hardware​
• ran clean boot (only Windows services, no apps): no change; Safe mode runs normally​
• fresh installed Windows 1909: ran normally until I installed pending updates​
• Process Explorer: nothing hogging CPU (85-90% free), disk or memory​
• updated 2 unknown device drivers using SDIO​
• disabled touch-screen driver, replaced Synaptics TouchPad driver with latest from HP​
• disabled all network controller drivers; updated BIOS to latest​
• ran DISM /Online /Cleanup /RestoreHealth​

... none of which helped. Any suggestions warmly received.

 

[phaZed]

Try removing graphics drivers via Device Manager - if that's it, you should see an immediate change in the mouse hesitation/interrupt. Especially applies if it has AMD graphics. Had a few cases of that with some 4-6 year old HP laptops where I had to revert the driver back to a 2015 or 2018 version (SDIO) - depending on the laptop.

Hope that helps.

 

[River Valley Computer]

Don't know what else to try and am about to upgrade-install 1909 and block Windows updates.

​

Had the same problem on the infamous HP 15-0xx Walmart specials. We tried everything. Finally junked them.

 

[Markverhyden]

Had the same problem on the infamous HP 15-0xx Walmart specials. We tried everything. Finally junked them.

LOL!!! Several years ago a neighbor came to me because her daughter's HP laptop was running like a dog. Was an HP Wally World special. 5400rpm spindle, Celery processor and 2gb of RAM. But it had a 15" screen! Did my due diligence knowing it wouldn't change things. Gave it back to her explaining that you get what you pay, $280, for always holds true.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Try removing graphics drivers via Device Manager - if that's it, you should see an immediate change in the mouse hesitation/interrupt.

Thanks! That's definitely it! Now, how to keep it from being re-installed automatically by Windows (after not enabling Optional updates to drivers).

 

[phaZed]

I used SDIO - it puts a "FORCED" flag on the driver it installs, so it shouldn't keep upgrading it. Make sure to tick the "Delete driver software" on the DevMan uninstall. Glad that was it!

 

[NJW]

I have to say (but I'm sure everybody already knows) that AMD and HP really don't mix very well. I like HP (business) machines, but never look forward to dealing with consumer HP+AMD. They're just cheap.

OTOH, the HP AMD thin clients are great machines.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Finally wrestled this one to the ground.

TLDR: Let Catalyst install any required drivers for AMD graphics issues!

When I removed the AMD driver and reverted to MS default graphics driver, all worked fine, I thought. Except that customer uses an external monitor and the MS default driver doesn't support/detect it (just like earlier AMD drivers I tried, using SDIO and rollbacks). Figured a listed Unknown Device was implicated and fixed that. Still no joy. In the package for the unknown device was a Catalyst install manager but it was broken. Downloaded and ran the latest Catalyst app and, after a couple of update cycles, all works normally! Both displays work and no more mouse movement lag. Phew!

 

[britechguy]

TLDR: Let Catalyst install any required drivers for AMD graphics issues!

A big, honkin' SECONDED!! for this advice.

On AMD boxes with Radeon Graphics it is AMD's software, currently called Catalyst, that should be allowed to handle everything related to drivers for said graphics. Life is so much easier that way. I have 4 machines in my own household that have AMD APUs with Radeon Graphics and none have ever had an issue and all use AMD's Catalyst to maintain anything related to AMD graphics.

I also now use the Intel Driver Support Assistant consistently on all machines with Intel components. They have been releasing driver updates much, much more frequently for their various bits of hardware than was once the case and these don't seem to be making it to either the computer OEM support sites or to Microsoft's Great Driver Library in the Cloud in a timely manner.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@britechguy Yep, let the tools do the lifting.

Bit of trivia, and you probably remember... but Catalyst was the brand name way back with ATI before AMD absorbed them. So I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[britechguy]

@Sky-Knight,

I don't recall, but that's because "way back when" I wasn't really heavy-duty into PC support. It's no shock to me that the Catalyst name has been around "since dirt" and is likely to remain.