Keyboard/mouse Freeze Up

Torgo · September 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Can't seem to find the solution.</div> Now, I did a search for this issue that I've been having, but the topics that I've found basically just have a bunch of people saying they have the same problem as the original poster, and no real "solution" (if there is one?) is stated.

Anyways, the problem is game , I get random lock ups of the keyboard and mouse. Suddenly, all control will just go *poof* and in game, my character will just constantly walk to the left/right/foward like a button is being held down. (Note that all the other events around me are perfectly fine). Now, 2 out of 3 times, after about 5 seconds, the mouse and keyboard will unfreeze and I'll be good to go, but sometimes, control never comes back and I have to resort to an angry punch on the reset button.

This also happens in other FPS games, or any game that requires intense simultaneous use of the keyboard/mouse at the same time.

Oh, I'm using W2k and the keyboard and optical mouse are hooked up via PS/2 port.

So, thanks for any help, or just kindly point me to the blatantly obvious post about this problem with a solution that I've missed.

Thansal · September 2003

try updating drivers for everything (including MoBo)

infact, give us a full sysspecs

I am willing to be if every one with this problem read the tech help faq and gave us sys specs we could find the common thread

Torgo · September 2003

As you wish.

Operating System - Windows 2000 Professional
Motherboard MSI MS-6547
Intel Pentium 4 @ 1.5 Ghz
256mb DDR 333
Geforce 2 Ti500 Video Card
SoundBlaster Audigy
Logitech Optical Mouse (no fancy buttons, just regular)
Some default Memoxrex Keyboard (PS/2)
Direct X 9.0

Edit - All Drivers Up To Date!

Edit V2.0 -
</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>I am willing to be if every one with this problem read the tech help faq and gave us sys specs we could find the common thread </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

I didn't quite understand what you meant, but if you're looking for the thread that I said I found my problem in with no solutions, here it is.
<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=18&t=46416&hl=' target='_blank'>Clicky</a>

Thansal · September 2003

I am willing to bet that if every one with this problem had read the tech help faq and (thus) given us sys specs we could find the common thread

sorry, better? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

basicaly the kinda 'rule' for tech help is give us FULL system specs so we have a base <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

VeNeM · September 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Torgo @ Sep 9 2003, 03:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Now, I did a search for this issue that I've been having, but the topics that I've found basically just have a bunch of people saying they have the same problem as the original poster, and no real "solution" (if there is one?) is stated.

Anyways, the problem is game , I get random lock ups of the keyboard and mouse. Suddenly, all control will just go *poof* and in game, my character will just constantly walk to the left/right/foward like a button is being held down. (Note that all the other events around me are perfectly fine). Now, 2 out of 3 times, after about 5 seconds, the mouse and keyboard will unfreeze and I'll be good to go, but sometimes, control never comes back and I have to resort to an angry punch on the reset button.

This also happens in other FPS games, or any game that requires intense simultaneous use of the keyboard/mouse at the same time.

Oh, I'm using W2k and the keyboard and optical mouse are hooked up via PS/2 port.

So, thanks for any help, or just kindly point me to the blatantly obvious post about this problem with a solution that I've missed.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
check to see if your mouse is a seriel mouse, if it is, logitech doesnt support it under win2k and thats prolly your problem. Another guy had the same problem here and i told him to just update the drivers off the logitech website and luckily they worked. Try that.

joesus · September 2003

Alright, I'm having the same problem. Everything will work beautifully for a few minutes, then I will receive a one to two second lag (although sometimes it is worse) in the operation of my mouse and keyboard. Everything on my system is up to date, and here are my specs:

WinXP Pro
Athlon XP 2600+
Epox 8RDA+ motherboard
Radeon 9600 Pro vid card
1 GB Crucial RAM
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz soundcard
Logitech Optical Mouse
Microsoft Natural Pro Keyboard

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'>

Zhang · September 2003

I have the same problem. Suddenly my keyboard and mouse clicks will lag behind 5 seconds, and the only solution is to hit the esc key and then hit resume. This fixes it for only 50 secs though. This has happened with the beta patches and I do not remember this happening with 2.0. While keyboard input and mouse clicks lag behind, my mouse look is completely fine and never lags. Very strange.

My specs:

WinMe
800 mHz PIII
384 mB RAM
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer Optical USB
Dell Quietkey Keyboard (D P/N 0463C/D)
Verizon Online DSL 1500/128kpbs
GeForce 2 Ti 64mB

I have only found one remedy to this. DO NOT let your computer load a map after a current one finishes. I have not done extensive testing, but it seems to me that when I join midgame or right after a server has loaded a map, I do not get the keyboard/mouse lag at all for the entire map.

Hope this helps!
And I'm glad it's not just a problem with my computer. I don't get this with any other mod or program.

Zhang · September 2003

Update: I tested a variety of ways and it appears the not loading a map method I mentioned in the last post does not stop keyboard and mouse freezing.

Does anyone know a method of fixing this problem? Otherwise I will have to abandon NS.

joesus · September 2003

I'm still having this problem as well. I've tried running NS with absolutely nothing running in the background, and that hasn't helped. Hitting escape and then choosing Resume fixes the problem momentarily, too, but then it goes back to lagging. It's really getting impossible to play with any reliability.

Zhang · September 2003

I dled DirectX 9, installed, and then uninstalled my intellipoint software. Now if I don't connect through an external browser I have yet to encounter the lag issue. I will update if it does come back though.

joesus · September 2003

I installed Direct X 9 and uninstalled Mouseware but I'm still encountering the lag.

Tsungfai · September 2003

I don't think its an NS problem. I have the same problem even when I'm in desktop. The only thing I see the same with our problem is that our mouse are optical. So I'm assuming that optical mouse are kinda bad, IMO, but contact your vendor to see what it does that.

joesus · September 2003

I've never had problems with my mouse in any other instances, games or otherwise. I'm working on finding a solution, it's just strange that it would only be an NS problem.

Goobag · September 2003

Would you happen to use nview (Nvidia desktop management utility)?

Zhang · September 2003

This has basically stopped or greatly reduced occurences of keyboard lag for me:

1. Load NS using ingame browser
2. DL and install DirectX 9
3. Uninstall Intellipoint Software
4. Don't switch maps with the server! When a map change happens, bring up your console, type "disconnect" to disconnect, then "retry" to reconnect back on. It seems I rarely get lag when I join a game that is in progress.

But this is definitely a major bug and needs to be fixed or some very devoted NS fans won't be able to play anymore...

joesus · September 2003

Just to add to the current knowledge pool about this issue, I don't use Nview. Also, whenever I hit escape and then resume I am always facing a different direction from where I was before I hit escape.

Really, this is my favorite game. I wouldn't even be bothering anymore if I wasn't totally addicted to it.

Soylent_green · September 2003

If the lag is not NS specific I have a pretty good idea what it might be. How about a bad mouse cord? When you move it around it can lose contact for a while. I had this problem and it took me days to find the solution, it seemed random and occured mostly in games, so I went about mucking with drivers and looking into heat problems etc. Then I found it was the mouse and I managed to make it lag every few seconds by just twiddling around with the cord alot, so that was definetly where the problem was.

Swapping out the mouse(which was still working perfectly except for the brief periods of lag mind you) fixed the problem. In an fps type game your obviously moving your mouse more than when just surfing the web, but if this is an issue that is not specific to NS and happens mostly in games then this might be worth trying(at least if you have a spare mouse just lying around somewhere).

edit: when!= then darnit

Zhang · September 2003

Nope, this bug has to be ns-specific because it is the first time any of us have ever encountered it in any game or application we use.

It is not just with one version of windows; people using 98 through XP all get it.

Lately I have optimized by system tray and removed all useless background applications. I run NS through the ingame browser, and I have always had a steady connection.

The moment my keyboard and mouse decide to lag is totally random, and for me, mouselook doesn't lag, just the mouse clicks.

I'd love to hear more responses from people who have this problem so we might be able to get it fixed by 2.1.

Jim_has_Skillz · September 2003

I get the same problem <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'> I have a logitech usb mouse, I am gonna try my microsoft mouse later.

Jim_has_Skillz · September 2003

I have found that most of the problem comes from the fact that its a logitech mouse. I just bought a microsoft intellimouse and it works a lot better than the logitech one.

Zhang · September 2003

I run the microsoft intellimouse and i still get freezes. what exactly is the cause of this freeze???

joesus · September 2003

I echo Zhang. What is going on here? All we have so far is a lot of speculation and no real solutions.

We know it isn't a Logitech problem. We know it doesn't have to do with programs running in the background. We know it doesn't depend on updated drivers. It is not a hardware specific problem that we have found. It does not have to do with the version of windows. Is there anything else I'm missing that we have determined?

Zhang · September 2003

I tend to either not get and imput lag or I get it very late in the game if I join a game in progress (the server has already loaded the map). If I load another map with the server, then I am much more likely to get the lag.

That's the only pattern that I've seen thus far.

DocterJ · September 2003

M.ichael zhang?

Chriso89 · September 2003

Hi.... I was having the same problem with the mouse/keyboard inputs lagging in the game. I could free look with the mouse fine but just using the keyboard and the mouse at the same time would 'lag' my controls to the point i could not play.
I tested this on a LAN game with Bots, and also online... it was only occuring on the online part which made me think <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'> , could the problem lye elsewhere OUTSIDE of NS <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'> ....... well it does <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif'> ..... for me anyway

What i did was checked my firewall (zonealarm) and found that if i allowed 'Spooler SubSystem App' to access the internet, my lag problems are gone <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> .... i have NO idea how this occurs or why so please don't ask. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'> I just noticed that one day the 'Spooler SubSystem App' popup came up whilst loading NS and asked to access the internet.... so i just allowed it and VOILA, no more lag <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

I hope this might solve some of your problems.... if not, i'm sorry but it's fixed my keyboard/mouse 'freezing' so i thought it topical to reply..

Thanks!!
Chris......... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'>

joesus · October 2003

I'm bumping this because we still haven't figured out a solution. Any takers?

Zhang · October 2003

Now it seems to be that I always encounter the lag 10-15 min into a game, but never anytime before that.

Danceswithonos · October 2003

I have had problems like both of these - the lag problem was one I have had intermittently (this makes it all the more mysterious). I have also only encountered it only after about 10-15 minutes into a game, and at first it seemed to fix itself if I moved the mouse around very quickly and violently. It got very bad for a while, and then I changed rendering - either from Direct3D to OpenGL or vice versa. I can't remember which. The problem went away for a very long time, and then I switched rending modes back. It has resurfaced only infrequently and for short periods of time since then.

I also have experienced a freezing problem, but it's a little different from the one described here. For some reason, when I play a game - usually a game that involves heavy OpenGL acceleration (Sacrifice, American McGee's Alice, Quake 3, Jedi Knight 2, Jedi Knight 3, UT2k3, and even UT), my computer will lock solid, start repeating whatever sound it has been playing for the past half-second or so (probably whatever is in the soundcard's buffer), and onscreen activity will freeze. Keyboard LEDs become unresponsive. Pressing control-alt-delete causes the sound loop to go funny, and I have to cycle power to get the machine back into a useable state.

The freeze occurs sometimes in Natural Selection, so if anyone can figure out a reason why I'd be incredibly indebted to you. I can live without those other games, but NS is really something I would like to be able to play reliably.

System specs:
Pentium 4 1.5 GHz
256 MB RDRAM
GeForce2 GTS
SoundBlaster Live! Value (I have tried playing games with this card removed, and the problems persist. It is not the cause.)
Logitech optical mouse with mousewheel, connected via USB (I used to play with a standard (non-optical) Microsoft mouse with mousewheel connected via PS/2, and the freezing was a problem then, too.)
DX 8/9 (I have tried with both versions installed.)
Windows 98/Me (I have tried under both operating systems; a freeze in Alice hosed my intial Me installation, and I have used Win98 ever since.)

On another note, my particular freezing problem also occurs when I run Quake 3 or UT2k3 natively under Linux and when I use WineX to run one of the Jedi Knight games. It is quite curious and probably unique to me, but I bring it up here anyway. Homeworld, which uses OpenGL for a lot, runs beautifully with no freezes - it might be that there is some special OpenGL extension that causes the problem for me. Mayhap NS triggers it inadvertently, somehow.

EDIT: I just remembered something else about the mouse/keyboard lag problem. It comes up quite strongly in CS and DoD whenever I activate a sniper scope. Is this the same for other people? It may be that when some kind of sprite is drawn so that it covers a lot of your screen (if that is what happens when you bring up a scope), some sort of lag starts happening. Is it?

Zhang · October 2003

For me, this lag problem only occurs in the NS mod and nowhere else. That is why I think it is an NS-related problem. I can play CS, DOD, TFC, TS, and any other mod fine. All my other games work; I never see this happen anywhere else.

zojakownith · October 2003

i have the microsoft office keyboard and logitech dual optical mouse, both are usb and both come with their own extra software to use extra features.

If i have either of those installed i have this same exact problem but if i remove the software i NEVER get it. It only happens with NS so my guess its a problem with ns/hl interaction with mouse/keyboard drivers that use USB. (it started doing this the minute i got ns 2.0, never happened at all in 1.4)

Zhang · October 2003

It's not a usb-related problem, because I have my keyboard plugged through the keyboard port and have tried both a usb and ps2 mouse. It's really the keyboard's response lag that gets to me, because it really makes NS unplayable if I get caught with the lag as an evolved alien or HA and can't shoot or evade properly.

Why don't the devs answer this thread? I have a feeling quite a lot of people have this problem....

Worst of all is that it's starting to affect my other HL mods. I currently have ns uninstalled because the lag somehow got into firearms and dod too. Without ns, those mods work fine and I haven't gotten a moment of mouse/keyboard lag.

Keyboard/mouse Freeze Up

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