firefox 18.0 got a new feature: cursor jumping from link to link, how to disable this?
windows xp sp3 Cursor is no more following smoothly with mouse movement, it stops and jumps all the time. Feel this annoying and would like to disable the feature but it cannot be found nowhere in tools-options. It just came with update to version 18.0
All Replies (20)
Hello jorma, try to Turn off hardware acceleration, and check it again.
thank you
Thank you for your fast reply. I alreade tried to uncheck the hw acceleration, unfortunately that did not help. Cursor still having bad behaviour in Firefox window. And only there.
Check it in Safe Mode, in Safe Mode window select "Start in Safe Mode" and see if this happen again, if not then see: Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems
(If the problem does not happen in Safe Mode, it is most likely because of an extension, theme or hardware acceleration, hardware acceleration not in your issue, like you said).
thanks again
You may have switched on caret browsing.
You can press press F7 (on Mac: fn + F7) to toggle caret browsing on/off.
- Tools > Options > Advanced : General: Accessibility: [ ] "Always use the cursor keys to navigate within pages"
It was not "caret browsing" either. Tried to check-uncheck with no change in cursor behaviour. Safe mode corrected this finally. So I went back to normal mode and tried to drop off add-ons one by one. It was none of them. It has to be some setting in Firefox itself but how to find it? Or do i need to reset the software?
Try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.
- Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available"
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
Please read from the beginning, disabling hw acceleration was the first suggestion.
Try to increase the value of the general.smoothScroll.mouseWheel.durationMaxMS pref on the about:config page a higher value like 1000 to see if that makes a difference with smooth scrolling enabled.
It wasnt that either. There was 400, i changed it to 1000 but that didnt help. Actually, the problem is not in scrolling, its in mouse movent across a web page. The cursor is "sticking" in links and jumping from link to link. There is no problem with web pages not containing links.
JJP trɔe
Are you sure that it isn't a problem with caret browsing?
What you describe sounds just like it.
Checked or unchecked "Always use the cursor keys to navigate within pages" does not change the bad behaviour of cursor.
I did a software reset (help>restart..) and it did not help.
Try to boot the computer in Windows Safe mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test to see if that helps.
I have the same problem, and I would like to add some details.
I have a two screen system. When I start Firefox 18, my cursor no longer moves smoothly around the screen, as long as the Firefox window is active. So, again: I have Outlook open on my left screen, and Firefox open on my right. If I click on Outlook to make that program active, my mouse cursor moves smoothly over both screens.
If I click on Firefox to make it active, my cursor moves with a maddening, annoying jerky motion with random pauses that are not associated with being over a link, even when it is over on the left screen showing Outlook. I do however, feel that is related to links, because if I move the mouse over an area with links, the motion is really jerky, and I can see the mouse hanging up on the links.
I would like this behavior to go away. All the way away. I don't want jerky mouse movement, either on a link or not on a link.
If this is a "feature", it needs to be one that can be turned off.
gnunesjr trɔe
What more can i get with windows safe mode? Firefox safe mode is enough to stop this problem but it did not help me to find the root cause. And i do not want to start Firefox in safe mode everytime.
JJP trɔe
If the problem does not happen in Safe Mode, it is most likely because of an extension, theme or hardware acceleration, (hardware acceleration not in your issue, like you said already) try to Disable all extensions and then if the problem no longer occurs with all extensions disabled, one of your extensions was causing it, then re-enable each extension one at a time to see the faulty one.
thanks again
Try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.
- Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available"
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
In Firefox Safe mode these changes are effective:
- all extensions are disabled
- the default theme is used (no persona)
- userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored
- the default toolbar layout is used
- the Javascript JIT compiler is disabled
- hardware acceleration is disabled
- plugins are not affected
- preferences are not affected
Intel Atom Z520, Intel GMA500, XP sp3, Firefox 18.0, only default theme installed - Once again: Tried to disable hw acceleration and all extensions & plugins, no change. Only Firefox safe mode helps. Got enough. Now im going to use Opera as long as new update is released for Firefox.
JJP trɔe
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems.
See "Creating a profile":
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer some files from an existing profile to the new profile, but be careful not to copy corrupted files.
I love how when everyone has the issue it has to be us or an extension. This started for everyone on FF 18 so logic dictates it's FF 18. I'm going to try to roll back if I can ... sorry, it just jumped...I'm going to try to find a previous version or just switch to Chrome. I'm tired of this b.s.