Member Avatar for carla312

Hi Everyone:
I am Carla 312. I am having a problem with My Dell Dimension8400. I am running it on Windows XP. My mouse and Keyboard are freezing up sporadically and I can't do anything other than restarting the computer. I tried running a systems restore, And I got a message saying it couldn't complete it. So I turned system restore off, rebooted, then turned it on again. I am still having this issue. I tried some of the free antivirus software. I also am wondering if my drivers are all up to date. I can't seem to download any drivers without paying. Any help would be tremendously appreciated. PS I am not a computer Geek (but I'm learning), so I will need information explained if that's possible

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gerbil

Dani AI

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Brief expert summary tied to the thread: described intermittent freezes of both keyboard and mouse on a Dell Dimension 8400 running Windows XP. Replies from and pointed toward manufacturer drivers and System Restore behavior. A simple, ordered diagnostic sequence will separate hardware problems from software/drivers and make safe fixes possible.

Quick checks (do these first)

  • Boot Windows into Safe Mode (press F8 at startup). If inputs stop freezing in Safe Mode, suspect software/driver conflict.
  • Swap peripherals: try a known-good wired keyboard/mouse, try different USB ports (use rear ports on a desktop), or a PS/2 keyboard if available. Wireless sets: check batteries and receiver placement.
  • Check for obvious causes: loose USB connectors, damaged cables, or sticky keys.

Deeper diagnostics and useful commands

  • Inspect logs with Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) around the freeze times. Look for USB/HID, disk, or power errors.
  • Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) and check Keyboards, Human Interface Devices and USB controllers for errors. For each USB Root Hub, on the Power Management tab uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
  • Run chkdsk C: /f /r and sfc /scannow (XP may require the original CD). Use memtest86+ from a bootable USB to rule out bad RAM. Use msconfig for a clean boot to test third-party conflicts.

Notes and cautions

  • Toggling System Restore removes old points; recreate a restore point after a stable configuration (as noted). Manufacturer drivers are normally provided free on the vendor support site (see ). Avoid paid "driver download" services. Do not uninstall input drivers unless an alternate input method (PS/2 or remote access) exists. If hardware diagnostics fail, run Dell’s hardware tests and back up important data before considering a repair or reinstall.

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Member Avatar for pitti

Hi Carla, I'm no geek either but I was helping a friend with a DELL laptop which played up for almost half a year. Finally someone pointed us to this DELL support site and the help we've got from there was fantastic. Give it a go, they also have a 'driver download' option there!
http://support.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home.asp

Member Avatar for gerbil

"So I turned system restore off, rebooted, then turned it on again. ".. that action would have removed all your restore points.
Notwithstanding the advice from Pitti... Pay for drivers?.... no, they are always free in my experience. What you might have to pay for is the use of some system/driver analyser software's driver downloads. Don't do that, either. Device Doctor is free, their driver downloads are free. But with even the other Pay to Download the Driver programs you can always identify the drivers that could be updated and then gurgle or go directly to the manuf. site and find the driver.

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