This post is an appendix to my ‘old list of attempted solutions’ in my ‘attempt to fix my shaky wacom tablet cursor’ post.
Continue reading below if you want to find out all the things that didn’t work.
Attempted Solutions
Installing New Drivers, & Rebooting
Didn’t help. Even worse– if I Stop the Wacom tablet service, my tablet still shakes. It just takes more for windows to recognize the slight movement. That is to say, windows jumps the distance.
IF I stop the Tablet service entirely, I can’t use my Wacom at all. Strange.
Rubbing your hand on the drawing pad / really Polishing It
I have a Nintendo DS screen-wiping pad. I’m using it to wipe the pad.
- Wiped only the drawing surface: no success.
- Wiped it with my hand for 15 seconds: no success.
- Giving it a really good clean throughout it all (lifting the pad surface): no success.
Stopping Vista’s tablet PC service
My old PC was XP, and it also shook. I expect this to not fix the problem.
(just tried it): Didn’t fix the problem.
What happened: I couldn’t move my cursor with the the tablet at all.
Adjusting the Hertz rate of your monitor(s)
This happened between two different monitors (EG: Two different computers, my old and new one.) Tried it. Didn’t work.
Moving tablet-related input devices away from the tablet
Where my tablet pen is: On the desk, about 8 inches away. Where my tablet mouse is: About a foot away. Symptoms persist.
Moving the tablet mouse 4/5 yards away, to a bed. Symptoms persist.
Moving a mouse or such away from the tablet
Microsoft Intellimouse, plugged into a USB port. Current distance away: 4 inches. Moving it to where the tablet mouse in the previous solution was (about 8 inches to a foot away). Symptoms persist.
Testing for the same symptoms from the Wacom wireless mouse device
Wacom Mouse also shakes, in pen or mouse mode.
Unplugging any other mouse input devices
Unplugging my mouse didn’t do anything.
Moving your tablet further away from a Wireless Router
Wacom tablet is about a yard away. Moved it to two to three yards. Still had a problem. Moved the full length of the cord to an area with no technical devices nearby. Problem still not solved.
Moving the tablet cable away from the pC, excluding where it plugs into the USB port.
Still has a problem.
Moving your tablet to be beneath , or on-level with your tower PC.
Mouse seemed to shake MORE.
Moving the tablet straight up to the ceiling didn’t fix the problem, either.
Moving speakers or monitors further away from the tablet
See the above steps where I move away from the computer setup and still had the problem.
Waiting a duration between trying any of the above solutions.
Swapping to my mediary/control device immediately produced a pleasurable, error-free drawing experience, so it doesn’t need time to ‘cool down’ or be de-radio-waved.
Changing the Wacom Intuous recognition / standard drawing mode
Slightly changed the shake, but not enough to improve drawing.
Pen Nib is too short
Installed new pen nib, still had the problem.
Did as instructed (removed rubber and pen buttons), didn’t see a screw in the Intuous 3.
Trying another tablet pen.
Bought another when my last pen broke. No change/no fix.
Trying another USB Socket
Tried another socket, no success.
Shake the tablet
Shook it, tapped it. Didn’t hear anything rattle.
Check for general radio interference
(Use a ‘straight edge’ to test for radio interference)
Shakes differently in both directions. Obviously it’s not some missed sensor that causes a line to be warped.
Radio interference?
Walking around with the control device to see where it shakes the most, if it shakes on the control device
While testing, my laptop (control device) had no shaking. I tried a variety of methods by walking around with it. I tested the drawing in a drawing program, and had no wavy lines. That’s the crucial test to me– to draw a diagonal line.
After the above, I thought the proof was complete that this was a software/driver problem with something I had installed. (see edit at top)
I read this how-to on how to see hidden devices.
In the order, here is what I removed:
- EVERYTHING under “Mice and other pointing devices” that was not a highlighted icon. (This INCLUDES “Wacom Mouse”.). I remembered to ‘delete driver software’ on Wacom Mouse : No fix.
- EVERYTHING not-installed under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. No fix.
- THe same under “Storage Volumes.” No fix.
- Other items under “Other Devices”. No fix.
- EVERYTHING not-installed under “Monitors.” I had 2 not-in-use copies of one of monitors. Decided to reboot just in case those drivers would fix. (EG: My old ‘TV Card’.) Reboot didn’t fix it.
- Everything under “Keyboards” That wasn’t plugged in. Also: a strange entry that said a keyboard was plugged into USB. (there was none such keyboard.): No Fix.
- Removed entries from Disk Drives and DVD/CD-Rom Drives. No Fix.
- Human-Interface Devices – I noticed something funny. There was “Wacom HID Digitizer” and “Wacom HID Pen”. Neither were listed as active, even though my tablet was plugged in. a HID-Compliant Device entry and an USB Human Interface Device were disabled when the tablet was removed. What I did here continued below.
My Device Manager reported that the Wacom Digitizer and Pen weren’t in use.
- I unplugged my tablet, and then uninstalled every single device that was listed as not-in-use, EXCLUDING the Wacom entries.
- Re-plugged in tablet.
- Device re-showed up as “HID Compliant Device”… but neither Wacom entry was lit up.
- Uninstalled Wacom Tablet Software, and looked at the listing. I have 3 “USB H[IDs]“, and the Wacom Digitizer and Wacom pen entries. My Mouse is properly listed, so the remaining 3 USB HIDs have to be my printer, my camera (?), and my USB Bluetooth dongle. However, when I remove the bluetooth dongle, I get only the mouse and a USB HID. Apparently the USB HID was the Webcam. My Bluetooth dongle adds two entries. Rebooted.
- Looked at the list. Wacom entries remained. I uninstalled everything that was a default setting, including “Virtual Keyboard”, and Wacom’s settings. I DID Leave “Virtual Media Keys”, my PC’s mouse, and my PC’s webcam USB HID entry.
- Downloaded the Wacom software, and then reinstalled it (WITHOUT ATTACHING THE USB DEVICE). During the installation, Wacom HID Digitizer, Wacom HID Pen, and Wacom Virtual Hid Driver were installed.
- When I plugged in the Tablet, it showed up again as “HID-Compliant Device.”
- Still shook madly.
- Under the “Mice and other POinting Devices”, Wacom Mouse had a ! next to it. “Could not load the device driver for this hardware.” Told Windows to look for a solution (properties of the Wacom Mouse item), but I didn’t learn anything.
Began nuking services and processes to see what would get it working.
I even have the shaking tablet in Safe Mode… After a variety of disabled startup items and ended processes, I gave up.
Turning off every bit of power in the house.
I shut down the power to the entire house and still had shaking. (My PC ran on a UPS power supply.)
Tags: art, artistry, digital art, drawing, frustration, pen, shake, shaking, tablet, wacom, wobbl