My cursor hangs when I plug in my Interactive Whiteboard. Help!

I received the following question from a user about his Traceboard.

What is the problem when my trace board is connected to the computer system, the cursor will immediately hook (hang, stops), when disconnected it works? I will appreciate your quick response please. Thanks.

This issue can happen with any Interactive Whiteboard and there could be any number of reasons as to why a cursor might hang or stop working when a device is plugged in. A Traceboard is a touch-based Interactive Whiteboard but even pen-based boards may have similar issues when interacting with a pen. While this article might not fix the issue, it will give some steps to try and see what the problem is before calling in the experts!

Is there something blocking the signal?

All interactive whiteboards have something to make them interactive. Most of them have infrared signals along the edges of the board. Some have a mesh built into the back of the board. Some even use magnets, particularly those that are pen-based. The main cause of problems is that there is something else stuck to the whiteboard. It could some form of magnet, it could be a holder for a duster, it could even be dust built up over time! If there is absolutely nothing stuck to the whiteboard, give the board a good clean. This can have surprising results!

Are the Cables damaged or loose?

Often after a period of time, cables become worn from plugging in and plugging out over time. Another check to do is to see if you replace your USB cable with another one and see if that works. If it does, then your current cable is broken.

Turn it off and turn it back on!

A clichéd but tried and tested method! Sometimes, simply turning off your computer and turning it back on will rectify the issue.

Drivers

When Interactive Whiteboards came out first, almost everyone was using Windows XP. Over time, lesser known brands like Traceboards fell away from the market and up to date drivers may not have been produced or might be difficult to find. It’s likely that you will have to have upgraded from Windows XP (or you have a whole load of other issues!) so you might need to upgrade the driver for your Interactive Whiteboard. This might also fix your problem.

Any other checks?

Each Interactive Whiteboard has its own ways of doing things so before giving up, a quick Google of the problem with the name of the Interactive Whiteboard might throw out a few other ideas. IWBs generally have a lifespan, of course, and maybe, it’s simply run its course of time.