[solved] Mouse Pointer Misaligned

[Crumbs350]

I've noticed on several occasions recently that the mouse pointer location shown does not match where the system thinks the mouse pointer is. Example, pointer is on line 1 but line 2 is highlighted. Symptoms and system details below, kind of wonder if it just makes sense to start over fresh but it is unclear what would have corrupted cinnamon install to begin with. Also curious what others suggest to isolate the problem.

Symptoms

• mouse point location does not match visual
• problem does not occur every time
• problem does not persist for the whole session (example today it was doing it at the start of this session but works fine now)
• problem is not necessarily limited to vertical axis
• possibly related detail: Cinnamon seems to be doing other random odd things more frequently with very low probability, mostly around not opening, or notepad hanging. Stuff that should be simple

System Details

• desktop not laptop
• Mint 20.3
• Cinnamon
• fresh install April 2022 with consistent updates
• wired mouse, wired keyboard

[Hoser Rob]

There's nothing there that would tell me your installation is corrupted (BTW this isn't very likely at all to be a Cinnamon issue).

I'd just try another mouse first. Some of them are just not that compatible.

[SMG]

System Details

• desktop not laptop
• Mint 20.3
• Cinnamon
• fresh install April 2022 with consistent updates
• wired mouse, wired keyboard

Please open the System Reports app and click the System Information tab on the left. Your computer's information should come up in the right pane. Then click the Copy button in the lower right and paste the results into a reply window here so we can see how Linux Mint views your hardware.

Are you using fractional scaling?

[Crumbs350]

Got busy with work and forgot I'd posted this question. I appreciate the review and suggestions by others.

I am not using fractional scaling. I had to look up what it was. For others this post was useful. If it matters, automatic screen rotation is also disabled and there is only 1 monitor present. The problem while inconsistent has persisted across displayport or hdmi cable links. I assume it doesn't matter, just adding context..

For system configuration:

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System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-167-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.4.0 
           Desktop: Cinnamon 5.2.7 wm: muffin dm: LightDM Distro: Linux Mint 20.3 Una 
           base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:   Type: Desktop Mobo: ...
CPU:       Topology: 6-Core model: Intel Core i7-5820K bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Haswell rev: 2 
           L2 cache: 15.0 MiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 79181 
           Speed: 1200 MHz min/max: 1200/3600 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1200 2: 3498 3: 1200 
           4: 1200 5: 1666 6: 1200 7: 1200 8: 1200 9: 1200 10: 3367 11: 1699 12: 1200 
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA TU106 [GeForce RTX 2070 Rev. A] vendor: eVga.com. driver: nvidia 
           v: 525.147.05 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:1f07 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.13 driver: nvidia 
           unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,nouveau,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 525.147.05 
           direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: ...
Network:   Device-1: ...
Drives:    ...
Partition: ...
USB:       Hub: 1-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002 
           Hub: 1-1:2 info: Intel ports: 6 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 8087:800a 
           Hub: 2-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002 
           Hub: 2-1:2 info: Intel ports: 8 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 8087:8002 
           Hub: 3-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 15 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002 
           Device-1: 3-11:2 info: Holtek USB-HID Keyboard type: Keyboard,HID,Mass Storage 
           driver: hid-generic,usb-storage,usbhid rev: 2.0 chip ID: 04d9:0407 
           Device-2: 3-13:3 info: Elecom ELECOM TrackBall Mouse type: Mouse driver: elecom,usbhid 
           rev: 2.0 chip ID: 056e:00fb 
           Device-3: 3-14:4 info: Holtek USB-HID Keyboard type: Keyboard,HID 
           driver: hid-generic,usbhid rev: 2.0 chip ID: 04d9:0339 
           Hub: 4-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 6 rev: 3.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0003 
           Hub: 5-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002 
           Hub: 6-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 4 rev: 3.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0003 
Sensors:   ...
Repos:     ...
Info:      ... Init: systemd 
           v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.4.0 alt: 9 Client: Unknown python3.8 client 
           inxi: 3.0.38 

Odd it notes python3.8 but if I run python it is clearly verison 3.9.13. Yes I know multiple copies can be installed.

[SMG]

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Info:      ... Init: systemd 
           v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.4.0 alt: 9 Client: Unknown python3.8 client 
           inxi: 3.0.38 

Odd it notes python3.8 but if I run python it is clearly verison 3.9.13. Yes I know multiple copies can be installed.

Odd how your output has ... in places where mine has actual information.

Anywho, I'm running LM20.3 and my last section looks like the below:

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Info:      Processes: 224 Uptime: 21h 25m Memory: 3.76 GiB used: 2.10 GiB (55.7%) Init: systemd 
           v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.4.0 alt: 9 Client: Unknown python3.8 client 
           inxi: 3.0.38 

and my python version:

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python3 --version
Python 3.8.10

Linux Mint uses a lot of python code. How did you end up with "clearly version 3.9.13"? That seems like it might be a clue to this issue.

By the way, the latest kernel is 5.4.0-169 so you may have some updates waiting for a reboot.

[Crumbs350]

... = redacted to reduce and focus text. For example my number of running processes and amount of memory are not relevant to the current problem. The system does not run continuously so uptime is irrelevant. It was relatively short at the time of the post if I remember correctly.

re python, I was contrasting the system python versus the user installed version of python that loads if python or python3 are run at the command line. I know that newer versions exist, I know that multiple versions can exist on the same system. I was just noting that 3.8 was the system recognized version. I was forgetting my terminal is influence by the default conda environment.

[SMG]

... = redacted to reduce and focus text.

I scan inxi outputs every day and as with any other situation the mind picks up what is different/out of the ordinary. That meant it took much longer to go through your output because you edited so much. Your editing was not really helpful.

I was just noting that 3.8 was the system recognized version.

3.8.10 is the version your Linux Mint install should be using in order to run Linux Mint and its desktop.

I'm running LM20.3 right now and I don't recall ever seeing my system's mouse pointer misaligned as you have described. That would seem to indicate there is something running interference on your install which is causing the issue. There are many applets, extensions, etc. one can install so I have no guesses what the issue might be.

What I recommend is the next time you notice this happening check ~/.xsession-errors logfile to see if anything might have registered there as something newly added to your desktop or something causing messages to appear in that file. Maybe that will give a clue as to the source of this issue.

[Crumbs350]

@SMG was right to look at ~/.xsession_errors

• Error in ~/.xsession-errors occurs 4 times, possibly corresponding to my attempt to click, unclear.
• Misaligned persisted for few minutes and I mostly switched to keyboard navigation until I'd finished the form. Browsing web, or particular webpage is not previously associated with issue.
• Problem persisted until I changed applications: firefox to text editor.
• Unclear if cleared up because I finished form and closed firefox, because enough time passed, or because switched applications.

Error

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** (caribou:3228): WARNING **: 21:05:47.991: daemon.vala:147: error in text caret movement handler: Method "Get" with signature "ss" on interface "org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties" could not be processed as object /org/a11y/atspi/accessible/1637 does not exist

Searching the internet pulled up 2 links only for unassociated issues and provided no clear direction.

• /org/a11y/atspi/accessible/1637 points to accessibility, but all turned off in accessibility menu except on-screen keyboard which was not in use at the time
• searching "error in text caret movement handler" has 2 pages where the error happens to occur in someone bug report
  1. https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/issues/9628
     • Associated with Cinnamon lags and stutters after a while idling.
     • Not applicable, was actively using PC with no delays/pauses greater than 30 seconds
  2. https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment ... ction=edit
     • Bugzilla – Attachment 115010 Details for Bug 89698.
     • Does not seem directly applicable but also associated with an idle laptop, intel specific?
     • current CPU is intel based

page 1

[AndyMH]

... = redacted to reduce and focus text.

The system report or getting the same information in a terminal with inxi and the z option suppresses any sensitive output.

[SMG]

@SMG was right to look at ~/.xsession_errors

Error

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** (caribou:3228): WARNING **: 21:05:47.991: daemon.vala:147: error in text caret movement handler: Method "Get" with signature "ss" on interface "org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties" could not be processed as object /org/a11y/atspi/accessible/1637 does not exist

I also have that error message in my .xsession-errors so it does not seem to be the issue because as I am running LM20.3 and have never had the issue you described.

~/.xsession_errors should list what applets and extensions you have installed.

[Crumbs350]

This problem has not occurred recently but due to other unrelated issues I decided to just start over with 21.*

Marking as solved because could never prove hardware or software and can not replicate with same OS now. If it reoccurs I will reference this thread.