Success !!!!!!!
I've solved my jumping cursor problem.
The previous person who said it was the touch pad driver was right.
I was wrong.
I re-installed my touch pad drivers from the CD provided with my computer, and all my problems disappeared.
No more jumping cursor.
However, how others can solve their own problem with their particular brand of computer is another issue.
I was lucky in having the appropriate drivers on my provided CD. What IF one doesn't have such a CD ? What do you do then ?
Perhaps the experts can clarify, as this seems to be a perineal problem
For what it's worth, below is the blurb that comes with my computer on the subject. I hope that it is of use to someone.
"Prevent Accidental Pointing While Typing"
Unintentional pointer movement and accidental taps can be caused by accidentally brushing the surface of the TouchPad with your palm or another part of your hand. The results of this contact can be observed as a changing cursor location when typing, causing subsequent text to appear in the wrong place. Or text may spontaneously be highlighted and replaced.
Most often, this unwanted pointing activity occurs when typing on the keyboard. The TouchPad can detect and prevent accidental and unwanted pointer movement while you are typing.
If you see unwanted pointer movement occurring while you are typing, you can adjust the Palm Check slider located on the Touch Properties Page (synt0e7o.htm) in the Mouse Properties (synt1c4s.htm) dialog. Move the slider thumb to the right towards Maximum. Now accidental brushes of your hand on the TouchPad while you are typing are more likely to be ignored.
On the other hand, in the midst of typing, you might purposefully use the TouchPad to point and click, and sometimes the TouchPad may not seem to respond. In this case, move the slider thumb to the left towards Minimum. Now pointing during typing is less likely to be interpreted as an accidental brush with the pad surface, and will not be ignored.