Troubleshooting a Persistent Computer Glitch: A Frustrating Journey

In the ever-evolving realm of technology, encountering unexpected issues with your computer can be exceedingly frustrating. Recently, I faced a problem that rendered my computer nearly unusable—a mysterious copy-paste glitch that seemed to take over my desktop.

The Initial Symptoms

It all began yesterday when my computer started copying random text and files that I hadn’t even selected. Initially, a quick restart seemed to alleviate the issue, but within minutes, the problem returned, making it impossible to perform any tasks without interference. Despite multiple attempts to resolve the issue—restarting, resetting, and even uninstalling drivers—the glitch persisted.

As an additional troubleshooting step, I even swapped out my keyboard for another one in case it was a hardware issue, but unfortunately, that didn’t help either.

Identifying the Culprit

As I continued to investigate, I recalled downloading Radiant Viewer—a medical DICOM file viewer—before the trouble started, along with files from a USB drive provided by my professor. Strangely, these same symptoms appeared on my laptop after using the same USB drive and installing the software. It felt like I was trapped in a digital nightmare.

Throughout this ordeal, I documented my screen’s erratic behavior through videos here and here. Many of you could probably empathize with my frustration just by looking at my desktop at the time here.

Digging Deeper

After a series of resets and formatting attempts, I discovered that the issue was tied to the USB drive. My computer appeared stable until I reinserted the drive, which quickly led to the same chaotic glitch. Even a complete factory reset seemed to provide only temporary relief—within the hour, the problems returned.

I attempted various malware detection solutions, but nothing came up; it was becoming clear that a clean wipe might be my only option.

The Unexpected Twist

Things took an even more perplexing turn when I tested an old laptop for unrelated schoolwork. To my astonishment, it began exhibiting the same copy-paste glitch—even though it had no interaction with the troublesome USB drive. My investigation led me to suspect that perhaps my mouse, which I had connected to both laptops, could be the source of the issue.

Intr