Troubleshooting a Persistent Computer Glitch: My Journey to a Solution

If you’ve ever experienced a frustrating technical issue, you know how challenging it can be to track down the source of the problem. Recently, I found myself in a tech nightmare when my computer started exhibiting erratic behavior. It seemed as though it was continuously copying and pasting stray text and files without me even selecting anything. My ability to use the computer was severely hindered, and I felt at my wit’s end trying to figure it out.

The Symptoms Emerge

The trouble began suddenly, and despite multiple restarts, my computer returned to its erratic state within minutes. After attempting to troubleshoot by resetting and uninstalling drivers, the issue persisted. In a bid to determine whether my keyboard was the culprit, I switched it out for another one, but the bizarre behavior continued.

A Possible Cause Points to a USB Drive

Upon reflection, I realized that shortly before the troubles began, I had downloaded a program called Radiant Viewer, a tool for viewing DICOM files, and had uploaded some from a USB drive I received from a professor. Initially, I thought this was a coincidence. However, after I noticed that my laptop—where I had performed the same actions—began exhibiting the same problems, I started to suspect there might be more to this story.

To illustrate the issue, I recorded videos capturing the glitches in action, which can be viewed here, here, and here. For a visual reference of the chaos unfolding on my screen, take a look at this image: feel my pain.

Resetting and Diagnostics

Realizing the USB drive might be the problem, I formatted my disk and even performed a full system reset. For a fleeting hour, everything seemed fine—until I reinserted the USB drive, and chaos reigned supreme once more. A factory reset followed, providing temporary relief before the glitches returned.

As a last resort, I attempted a clean installation of Windows, but the issues persisted. Despite running various malware detection and anti-virus programs, nothing appeared to be amiss, leading me to conclude that a clean wipe was my next course of action.

A Twist in the Tale

Just