Wacom won't detect pen.

Joopson

Hey guys;
I've had my Wacom Intuos 3 working like a charm since I first got my computer. My computer is running on Windows 7, 64 bit.
My Wacom has stopped detecting my pen. The blue light is on, on the wacom. If I touch the pen to it, it stays blue, and does not change colour in the way it is meant to.

It begins working, however, if I slide my mouse all the way over to the left of the screen (sometimes once, sometimes twenty times), and then try to use the pen. Then it continues to work perfectly, until the next time I use the mouse. Then it stops again. As you can imagine, this is a huge time-sink.

I tried older drivers, but had more trouble with them than they're worth, while still having this odd issue.

I googled, but it's kind of a hard thing to figure out what terms to google for something like this, and I've had no real help.

I've just checked, and I have the exact same issue on my girlfriends Macbook Pro. When it works, it keeps working until you use some other device, like the mouse. Which makes me think it might not be a hardware issue?

Any ideas?
Thanks

Two Listen

Is this it not working period - or not working in certain programs? Do you notice a difference in different programs, do you have any settings for the pen/tablet as app-specific settings, do you have any additional devices showing in your Wacom tablet properties (in control panel - for example, a mouse instead of just your functions/pen), etc? Does the "other device" that you use seem to be one device inparticular - if it's a mouse, is it the same mouse (same brand, model, etc?) or does this happen even if using say, a built-in mouse pad on a laptop?

My first thought was some Windows service being messed up or interfering, I know there are a variety of touch/tablet based services that are running with Windows and have become more prominent over the past few years, but then you mentioned it happening on the macbook...

If it's not app specific and you've already tried driver related things... What you're describing reminds me of of the reverse, where you'll have your pen laying on your tablet and then try to use your regular mouse and have it not move because the pen is still close enough to detect input on the tablet...sort of the reverse of that. Which makes me think something with the other input device counting as tablet input?

Sorry I'm sure I'm not being much help, usually when I have an issue like this I just poke around. One other random thing you might try, are you by any chance using the "Tablet Pressure Curve Tool"? I know that this program when opened to configure your pressure curve stops and restarts relevant Wacom services (and the read me file has some information related to them/the pen configuration files). If you already have it - maybe try running it to see if that helps, even temporarily thereafter? If you don't already have it, perhaps give it a shot (it's super nice on its own!) ?

Joopson

Hey Two Listen, thanks for the detailed reply!
It doesn't work as it once did in any program. As far as I know, I don't have any app-specific settings, and I don't have any additional devices listed.
The mouse is the only mouse I have; but on my girlfriends, I had the same issue with her trackpad. I turned off all of Windows' tablet settings ages ago, and they were the first things I checked when I started having issues. Nothing had changed though.

Your idea about it being the opposite of trying to use the mouse when the pen is on the tablet is something I hadn't thought of, but I wouldn't know how to fix such a thing anyway.

Weirdly, I plugged in my Girlfriends Intuos 4, and I have no issues at all. I think my tablet may just be at the end of its line. Bummer. Loved it like a brother.

Thanks again for all the help.

Two Listen

If your Intuos 4 works without any issues, then I'd say it may well be a hardware issue. So far as I know the drivers & relevant services were sort of updated across the board sometime after the Intuos 4 came out (that pressure curve tool I was talking about got updated on account of updated config files, or something like that), so I can only imagine something unique to your Intuos 3 being the issue.

Good to hear of your experiences, though, I've been using an Intuos 3 forever now and I'll cry when it dies. Nice to know of some things to watch out for.