PineRidge
Super Member
Bird I didn't know they still made mice with the rubber balls anymore. I thought they were all optical these days.
Puter Guys Help Me
- Thread starter MarkV
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MarkV
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Nope, it’s not a dirty mouse. I did clean it to be sure but that thing is still racing across the screen without being asked to. Doesn’t happen all the time and when it does it always heads to the right of the screen either in one quick shot or with a couple of jerky motions.
The computer is a Dell desk top about two years old and I am hooked up to a ridiculously slow dial up connection if it makes any difference.
Thanks for the help,
MarkV
The computer is a Dell desk top about two years old and I am hooked up to a ridiculously slow dial up connection if it makes any difference.
Thanks for the help,
MarkV
Freds
Veteran Member
Well how about this.... since you mentioned that it ends up on the right side of the screen, where you said you had a taskbar... did you accidentally activate some kind of "smart" feature?
Go into your mouse properties and check the settings, or do an uninstall/install on it.
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Go into your mouse properties and check the settings, or do an uninstall/install on it.
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
ronjhall
Super Star Member
My Dell lost it's mouse last year. Same symptoms as yours. Bought a new one. It's Logitech® MX™310 Optical Mouse. I suspect that old one went bad becuase cable broke inside.
California
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Pet hair.
I've had this happen several times. Fine cat hair gets wound around the axles that transfer ball motion over to the magnetic sensors. The hair acts like a coil spring and turns the axle when you don't expect it.
Get a magnifying glass and disassemble the mouse completely to clean it. You can pop the axles out of the bearings.
I used to replace cheap mice whenever Fry's had a $2.99 sale. More recently I buy and clean up $1 used genuine IBM logo mice from government surplus sales. The IBM mice for some reason last 10 times as long before they need cleaning.
I've had this happen several times. Fine cat hair gets wound around the axles that transfer ball motion over to the magnetic sensors. The hair acts like a coil spring and turns the axle when you don't expect it.
Get a magnifying glass and disassemble the mouse completely to clean it. You can pop the axles out of the bearings.
I used to replace cheap mice whenever Fry's had a $2.99 sale. More recently I buy and clean up $1 used genuine IBM logo mice from government surplus sales. The IBM mice for some reason last 10 times as long before they need cleaning.
CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
Mark -
I was having all the usual problems with a ball mouse about 2 months ago, and I made the best computer move I ever made. I bought a Logitech Marble Mouse (T-BC21) trackball, and I will never, ever, ever go back to a movable mouse - ball, optical, infrared, ultrasonic, Tip-tronic, bubonic or otherwise. It is just so incredibly convenient not having to move the mouse around. You can scroll forever just by spinning that big trackball with your index finger - forget running out of desktop. Highlighting text is easy and precise - just the thing for those cut-and-paste "flame" jobs. And cleaning takes about 3 seconds, and is insanely simple. All this for $19.99. (That's the price of a corded one, which is all Staples carried, and does just fine in the hostile environment of my shop). When my wireless optical mouse at home goes belly up (if not sooner) I'll get a wireless trackball to replace it.
It just seems to me that your troubles are mouse-related. I urge you to try a trackball, I bet it will solve your problem, and you'll be wondering why you haven't been using one all along. Once you go "track", you'll never go back. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
John
I was having all the usual problems with a ball mouse about 2 months ago, and I made the best computer move I ever made. I bought a Logitech Marble Mouse (T-BC21) trackball, and I will never, ever, ever go back to a movable mouse - ball, optical, infrared, ultrasonic, Tip-tronic, bubonic or otherwise. It is just so incredibly convenient not having to move the mouse around. You can scroll forever just by spinning that big trackball with your index finger - forget running out of desktop. Highlighting text is easy and precise - just the thing for those cut-and-paste "flame" jobs. And cleaning takes about 3 seconds, and is insanely simple. All this for $19.99. (That's the price of a corded one, which is all Staples carried, and does just fine in the hostile environment of my shop). When my wireless optical mouse at home goes belly up (if not sooner) I'll get a wireless trackball to replace it.
It just seems to me that your troubles are mouse-related. I urge you to try a trackball, I bet it will solve your problem, and you'll be wondering why you haven't been using one all along. Once you go "track", you'll never go back. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
John
Inspector507
Super Member
MarkV,
At work we have 75 Dell's that were put into service about 18 months ago. Every stinking one of them has the same thing you describe. Our IT guys and the techs at Dell have no idea what the problem is. The cursor just takes on a mind of it's own at times, disappearing off the screen.
I also read an article in the local paper last Monday on the same subject. He suggested there is a common virus out there that causes it, but I doubt it affected all 75 of ours right out of the box.
At work we have 75 Dell's that were put into service about 18 months ago. Every stinking one of them has the same thing you describe. Our IT guys and the techs at Dell have no idea what the problem is. The cursor just takes on a mind of it's own at times, disappearing off the screen.
I also read an article in the local paper last Monday on the same subject. He suggested there is a common virus out there that causes it, but I doubt it affected all 75 of ours right out of the box.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Maybe the newer ones aren't as good as the old ones? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif This old Dell I'm using is 4 years and 5 months old and the original mouse is still working just fine.
Freds
Veteran Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( and I will never, ever, ever go back to a movable mouse )</font>
Hey another trackball user /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif We are getting few and far between you know. Like you mentioned, Staples only carries one. I got two at Office Max a few years ago (MS, I used to use Logitech) and their selection wasn't near what it used to be for trackballs.
We are a dying breed, but I don't know why /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif You can't beat a trackball on a cluttered desk or if you don't like picking up and setting down a regular mouse to *adjust* it on the pad.
Hey another trackball user /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif We are getting few and far between you know. Like you mentioned, Staples only carries one. I got two at Office Max a few years ago (MS, I used to use Logitech) and their selection wasn't near what it used to be for trackballs.
We are a dying breed, but I don't know why /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif You can't beat a trackball on a cluttered desk or if you don't like picking up and setting down a regular mouse to *adjust* it on the pad.