Laptop misbehaving, could do with sugestions.

oh_really

Other half as an HP laptop, unsure of model no but can get if required. OS W10.
Mouse pointer seems to have a will of its own, hover briefly over a google link and it opens the page without user input, move it over a web page and it highlights text as if right clicked, but again no user input.

Searching on Google she is getting ads for womens self pleasure devices (this is in no way related to her browsing) etc.

I tried to run Trend housecall, I can't download the files, sticks at 5%. My initial thought was some form of contamination, so I ran a portable spybot. latest definitions, nothing to report but usual tracking cookies etc.
I'm running scanow sfc atm.

Grateful for any suggestions.

JJ_Egan

I would wipe and reinstall .

jsmith9

The two things may not be related but probably are.

Your mouse problem could be a faulty mouse (try swapping it) or motherboard. Your Google problem looks like a browsing hijack virus.

Unless you have the skills to fix this, I would agree that restoring the system is a good start. No need to wipe for the first try - go to settings / update / recovery and try re-installing but keeping your personal files.

If you have not backed up your personal data on an external drive (docs, spreadsheets, photos etc) then do it first

pramsay13

Sounds like there are two issues, mouse and browser.
For the mouse, does it have a mouse pad and doesn't need one, or doesn't have one and needs one? 
Can you try a different mouse to see if it is a faulty mouse?
Have a look in mouse settings, you can change sensitivity or even default actions so they might need tweaked.

What browser are you using? Try a different one. If you aren't already using it I would suggest Google Chrome.
If there are still issues report back.

Are you sure your partner isn't searching for a Christmas present for herself? Normally if you're getting malware or hijacked it is for guy products or !!!!!! but it seems to be relevant.

CoastingHatbox

pramsay13 said:

What browser are you using? Try a different one. If you aren't already using it I would suggest Google Chrome.
If there are still issues report back.

Not sure how switching browser would solve, rather than work around, the problem. Are there any dodgy looking browser plugins/extensions installed? Try disabling all of the browser plugins/extensions to see if the problem goes away. I would recommend really limiting the number of browser plugins used as they are a good route for exploitation.

If that doesn't solve the problem, the next step is blowing away the user profile in the browser. Can advise on doing that if the issue is not resolved.

And if that doesn't resolve it, then there's probably a nasty piece of software installed on the machine. You may/may not be able to remove it.

The malware could be opening links without mouse interaction? Is it coincidence that you are moving the mouse cursor when pages open? Is your  other half using the trackpad on the laptop or an external mouse? Do you have a spare mouse that you can test/check with? If it is the track pad, it might be possible to reduce the touch sensitivity. It could be registering a light touch as a tap.

Biggus_Dickus

OP,

I had a similar trackpad problem with my previous HP laptop. It suddenly developed a mind of its own. If I remember correctly the eventual fix was a driver update from HP.

A shot in the dark, but have you tried your ‘HP Support Assistant’ tool to search for any pertinent updates?

oh_really

Biggus_Dickus said:

OP,

I had a similar trackpad problem with my previous HP laptop. It suddenly developed a mind of its own. If I remember correctly the eventual fix was a driver update from HP.

A shot in the dark, but have you tried your ‘HP Support Assistant’ tool to search for any pertinent updates?

Thanks for that, no I haven't tried "HP support aast". I briefly had a driver check through device manager but nothing turned up.

For clarity, no mouse used, only trackpad folks.

Appreciate the comments, Ill look further if I get a spare hour tonight.

Cheers so far and hope everyone has a good Christmas..