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Need -a- ClueFlag for United States of America

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Erratic mouse/cursor movements - latency

This one is a real BEAR. I bought a new Dell 5810 workstation with 1tb ssd, 32 gig ram and Windows 10. It was ordered with an Nvidia graphics card. Everything operated 100% except for intermittent unpredictable cursor movement. The cursor would take perhaps 4 or 5 jerky movements in response to one smooth flowing movement of the mouse. Sometimes the cursor would not move for .5 seconds or so after the mouse stopped. At that point I had only installed Chrome and one audio card. The audio card was a current Soundblaster by Creative Labs. One feature that I could not do without was a functional equalizer that came with the audio card AND have it operational with the optical output on the card. Neither Dell nor Creative could make it work. Creative subsequently admitted  that due to a firmware change that my requirement was no longer a possibility. So, I then installed a very similar card with virtually identical features  that I had used in a Dell T7500 workstation. This card did what I needed it to do and upon installation into the new pc also worked perfectly. I had only ordered the new card due to it being  certified to work with Windows 10 Pro. Obviously it did not. After very significant troubleshooting by Dell Pro technicians and even being escalated to Dell's "High Complexity Division" they finally suggested that they replace the entire pc with another brand new one.The new one also has the same exact problem. I did not experience this problem when the audio card was in the T7500 six year old pc. The card I am using is the Soundblaster Z series with an external component containing input and output jacks, microphones and tiny speakers.

I can only assume that since the only hardware that I had added to both new systems is the audio card that there is a good chance that it has something to do with my difficulty. All drivers are up to date. There ARE articles on the net suggesting a link between Chrome and soundblaster cards, however the offered solutions are above my level of ability to attempt implementing any of them.

I can offer a great deal of further information surrounding this situation but will wait for the Experts to suggest what more information they wish to have. Just ask. Please be aware that it is extremely difficult for me to predict when and the amount of time I will have available to reply quickly to posts. I REALLY want to get to the bottom of this situation and will respond as quickly as I am able to. I don;t want to clutter this question with information that the Experts do not need. One bit of info though: I am using a brand new Microsoft wireless keyboard with matching mouse with the model number of 5050. However, I did substitute it with another identical set with the same problem showing. I then used a standard wired keyboard and mouse with no improvement.
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Lee Ingalls
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Does the problem persist in safe mode?
Does the problem go away after a period of time?
Is Anti-virus startup scan enabled?
Make sure the wireless transceiver is not blocked... i.e. in a computer cabinet.
Replace the batteries in mouse/keyboard.
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ASKER

Hello Lee Ingalls, thanks so much for responding! I just returned to the pc in question. I will work on getting you the answers to the questions right away. The answers I DO have immediately are:

The problem does not go away after a period of time. I leave the pc on 24/7 except for reasons I need to reboot.
I have not installed or configured any anti-virus software yet on this new machine.
The wireless transceiver is only 4-5 feet away from the keyboard and mouse. I have exchanged these three items with other brand new items and the exchange did not change anything.
The batteries are fresh and tested brand name alkaline batteries that measure 1.56 vdc in  use.

Since the problem is very intermittent I have no idea how long it will take to manifest itself in safe mode, IF  it does at all. I will run it for at least 90 minutes with constant use then report back to you.

I REALLY appreciate your assisting me on this problem.
I would think in safe mode there would be no latency or erratic mouse behavior unless there is transceiver interference.  

When NOT in safe mode and it's acting erratic have you looked at the Task Manager?
Look at Processes, sort by CPU... what is using the most CPU?
Then sort by Memory and note what is using the most memory.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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fred hakim
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Experts....I believe that the solution has been discovered. I do not want to call it "fixed" until it has been working for at least a few days. Each time the problem manifests itself I will make a "switch" and see if it changes the problem.  I am waiting  for an item to be delivered from Amazon that will aid in troubleshooting. I do not want to post exactly what I am doing until the item arrives. If it is truly the source of the problem then I will explain fully the "INCREDIBLY SIMPLE REMEDY" to this problem. ( With a substantial degree of embarrasment about a fact that I did not know. More on all this in a few days. It does look very encouraging at this point.

Moderator: Please do NOT close this question. I am not ignoring it. i am only waiting for a delivery to confirm that a solution has been found. Thanks!
Lee Ingalls, I am 95% sure that all is well now. Here is the unbelievable solution. You suggest :   try moving the receiver.  First of all, I had NO idea whatsoever that there was/is any difference between a usb port on the front of the pc as compared to the rear of the pc. I had the rf dongle for the wireless keyboard and mouse plugged into the front. BIG MISTAKE. I was told that the front ports are purely for data and not for anything that requires power more than the slightest amount. When I transferred to the back usb port       the erratic behavior has stopped. SUCH a simple move. I want to thank you for your expert advice. I will save your comments because I can see that they could be very valuable on similar problems.