You could have a problem inside your computer – either with the hardware or the software the controls the mouse – but you’re probably dealing with a much easier problem… which is good news!

A dirty mouse is usually the cause of the “jumping” and “skipping” that your cursor does on the screen when you move your mouse around. When the little rollers inside your mouse that send information to your computer get dirty, they don’t work quite as well as they should.

The very simple solution to this problem is to clean your mouse.

I have some really easy steps to properly clean a mouse over on About.com. Follow those steps and see if that helps.

This question came via email from Nancy R.