Optical Mice

[TakeMyCrabs]

I had several optical mice throughout the years. After a little over a year, the left-clicker always get shoddy. It makes the clicking sound, but it doesn't register. I have to click really hard for it to count, and as a result, that sometimes registers as a double-click and it's really annoying. I believe this is a mechanical problem with the mouse.

Any way to fix this without getting a new mouse? Anyone else have this problem?

[rare]

Mine has a similar problem with the left mouse button; but mine instead randomly registers 1 click as two.

It's very annoying to click on things and have them being highlighted, opened, unselected, opened twice....

sigh.

[DurfBarian]

Wash your hands before you use your mouse, you filthy-fingered louts!

[TakeMyCrabs]

Mine has a similar problem with the left mouse button; but mine instead randomly registers 1 click as two.

It's very annoying to click on things and have them being highlighted, opened, unselected, opened twice....

sigh.

The highlighting is the worst. It takes at least three tries to highlight a phrase in full.

Any possible solutions?

[rare]

Well last time I opened up my mouse I managed to fix the mousewheel, but I did notice that the clicking mechanism was relatively simple...it was literally the plastic button pressing down on these two tiny little sticks on each side (2 for left-click, 2 for right-click)

Aside from maybe opening up the little area where those 2 tiny sticks go in and see if theyre bent or jammed up...I'd suggest a new one.

[ffejrxx]

if you have soldering tools you can swap the microswitches for the left and right buttons, if you dont mind your right button acting the way your right button does

[Dondrei]

How much is a new mouse? Sheesh.

[bladesyz]

I've had the same problem as well, and worse, one of them is on a mouse that i've bought only 3 months ago as part of a wireless desktop set. That really pisses me off.

[jmervyn]

How much is a new mouse? Sheesh.

I've often seen 'orb' units running as high as $600 USD, and those are similar pointing devices. The last gamer version I knew of, the SpaceOrb 360, runs between 100-200, if you can find one.

And yes, I want one.

[Dondrei]

Pay more than $20 and you're a sucker.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

Pay more than $20 and you're a sucker.

I paid $45 for my Trackman Marble nearly 8 years ago and it's still working just fine. It gets 40 hours a week of heavy use. I ran some basic numbers and it takes close to 10,000 clicks per day.

[jmervyn]

I paid $45 for my Trackman Marble nearly 8 years ago and it's still working just fine. It gets 40 hours a week of heavy use. I ran some basic numbers and it takes close to 10,000 clicks per day.

And Kensington trackballs always seem to run about $100. But I know I'm clouding the issue by comparing professional equipment with consumer items.

[Jigga-Scrooge]

i took my mouse apart once. its just a tiny rectangular piece of plastic that touches a little button. the rectangle just got wore down and wasnt reaching the button. i just put a little dab of liquid nail on it to refill the missing part and it worked again.

[SaroDarksbane]

Pay more than $20 and maybe you wont have to post on the forums yearly about how your left mouse button keeps going out on you.
Fixed that for ya.

This (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2135,CONTENTID=10917) is mine. Great mouse. Has some extraneous buttons, but unlike most mice they aren't easy to accidentally hit.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

And Kensington trackballs always seem to run about $100. But I know I'm clouding the issue by comparing professional equipment with consumer items.

Are they really that much better? I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I need a mouse that works well with that. The Logitech Trackman Marble works just fine but I'm always looking for something better

[jmervyn]

Are they really that much better? I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I need a mouse that works well with that. The Logitech Trackman Marble works just fine but I'm always looking for something better

Kensington? They're not "better", but they're far sturdier. I wore out two other "cue ball" trackball devices.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

I'll keep that in mind for the eventual failure of my mouse.

[bg1256]

I have Logitech MX 500 optical mouse that I've owned for 3 (?) years now, and it works as good now as it did when I first bought it...

Maybe you've just had some bad luck, man.

You could try blowing out the dust with an air compressor or something though.

[TakeMyCrabs]

I had a Kensington optical mouse first (not wireless, $20). Then I had a wireless optical microsoft mouse ($40). Now my gf got me a logitech wireless optical mouse ($40) and they have all encountered the same problem. I use my computer for much more than 40 hours a week because it's part of my major and because I'm a gamer.

I did try to take one of the mice I had earlier apart. Problem is, when I put it together, it worked even worse than before.

[mhl12]

my hp mouse that came with my computer back in 2001 is still working fine for clicking but sometimes the cursor just randomly moves toward the left of the screen when i'm not moving the mouse.

[Dii Legend]

I have a Kensington Optical Elite mouse that I bought when I got this computer just over a year ago. It still works fairly decently, although sometimes it doesn't register a click and I have to do it twice, or the pointer doesn't move when I move the mouse (which may have something to do with the mouse pad). It has punctures in the cord close the the mouse where the dog got ahold of it. I've been thinking about replacing it, but I haven't been able to find one I really like.

[Dondrei]

My mouse has two buttons and a scroll wheel, any more than that and you're just being silly. And they cram those extra buttons everywhere so you're always accidentally leaning on them.

I've had this one for four years and I've never had a problem with it.


I paid $45 for my Trackman Marble nearly 8 years ago and it's still working just fine. It gets 40 hours a week of heavy use. I ran some basic numbers and it takes close to 10,000 clicks per day.

A trackball? Get out of here, you deviant.

[DurfBarian]

Kensington? They're not "better", but they're far sturdier. I wore out two other "cue ball" trackball devices.

I use a Kensington mouse at home. It's good stuff. I'm leaning toward this Logitech (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2135,CONTENTID=12134) model for work, but I'd prefer a wired mouse to this wireless version. (FFS, if you're going to make it wireless then make it Bluetooth, so I don't have to use a USB port for your idiotic dongle.)

Actually one desk I work on is short of space so I'm thinking of a trackball there. Smeg, do you prefer a huge ball with buttons around it on the square base, or one of those smaller balls in a base that's shaped more like a mouse?

EDIT:

Pay more than $20 and you're a sucker.

My mouse has two buttons and a scroll wheel, any more than that and you're just being silly.
Have you ever posted in a thread and *not* whined about people departing from your arbitrary standards?

[Gertlex]

I use a Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse. Two buttons, scrollwheel, normal size. It's perfect other than the occasional bluetooth connectivity problem.

[dune6836]

my hp mouse that came with my computer back in 2001 is still working fine for clicking but sometimes the cursor just randomly moves toward the left of the screen when i'm not moving the mouse.

this happens with ball mice when one of the rollers gets dirty. remove the ball and clean off the two rollers and it will cure that problem.
--
i have had 3 mice in 6 years. the first one was a ball mouse that came with the comp, the left click stopped working properly and i bought a logitec wireless. this one was ditched after about a month because it was burning up2 aa batteries per week. will never buy another wireless mouse.
i bought a microsoft optical intellimouse with 2 shoulder buttons and i like it a lot. very useful to have shift mapped to the left thumb button in diablo. dune

[Gertlex]

... a logitec wireless. this one was ditched after about a month because it was burning up2 aa batteries per week. will never buy another wireless mouse.

Bluetooth mice have the advantage of using less power (bluetooth itself is low power). I use sucky rechargeable batteries and still get at least a month with a charge. Haven't actually kept exact track...

[jmervyn]

this happens with ball mice when one of the rollers gets dirty. remove the ball and clean off the two rollers and it will cure that problem.Ok, someone will have to do this right; might as well be me. (http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/mouse.asp)

[Dondrei]

Have you ever posted in a thread and *not* whined about people departing from your arbitrary standards?

Not my fault people don't know how to live their lives properly.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

Actually one desk I work on is short of space so I'm thinking of a trackball there. Smeg, do you prefer a huge ball with buttons around it on the square base, or one of those smaller balls in a base that's shaped more like a mouse?

This one (http://www.rcsnet.com/www_site/pix/products/904353.jpg) is what I use. It sits on a mousepad with a gel wrist support.

The mouse with the ball in the middle is intended for graphic artists.

[Dondrei]

Trackballs are for communists.

[DurfBarian]

This one (http://www.rcsnet.com/www_site/pix/products/904353.jpg) is what I use. It sits on a mousepad with a gel wrist support.
Ooh, thumbball. I was playing around with one of these (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2150,CONTENTID=5003) the other day; I'll have to find a store with yours on display so I can see how it feels too.

[Dondrei]

Using a trackball also weakens your immune system, making you more vulnerable to the homosexuality virus.

[ragnar_ii]

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2142,CONTENTID=10715

Heres my mouse, I highly recommend it. Dont worry about the 2000/800/400 dpi settings. Theres way more then that, its fully customizable. Also because its a laser and not an optical you wont have to worry about random motion when you move the mouse really really fast. I think it guarantees 8 million clicks too.

EDIT: Dondrei, Do you try to get on peoples ignore list?

[DurfBarian]

EDIT: Dondrei, Do you try to get on peoples ignore list?
What, Dondrei was posting in this thread?

Smeg, I done got me one o' them Logicool thumb-balls just like your'n. Seems pretty cool so far . . . it works much better on this messy crowded desk than the mouse I was dealing with. Thanks for the recommendation. (Bet you didn't know that's what you were giving me!)

[Stevinator]

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2142,CONTENTID=10715

Heres my mouse, I highly recommend it. Dont worry about the 2000/800/400 dpi settings. Theres way more then that, its fully customizable. Also because its a laser and not an optical you wont have to worry about random motion when you move the mouse really really fast. I think it guarantees 8 million clicks too.

EDIT: Dondrei, Do you try to get on peoples ignore list?


I have a cheap four button wire mouse (I've heard wireless is slower, and though I don't really believe it, it was an excuse to cheap out), and my only real problem with it, is that the pad gets dusty and it will occasionally bounce the pointer around for a sec. then it's fine. However, my nerdish brother has a similar mouse and tells me all the time how I need one of these things. what's the big attraction?

[ffejrxx]

some wireless mice are laggy, and nearly impossible to use for gaming
if your optical mouse is bouncing or moving on its own, it could be dust on the lens, take it apart and clean it occasionally

[{KOW}Spazed]

I have a cheap four button wire mouse (I've heard wireless is slower, and though I don't really believe it, it was an excuse to cheap out), and my only real problem with it, is that the pad gets dusty and it will occasionally bounce the pointer around for a sec. then it's fine. However, my nerdish brother has a similar mouse and tells me all the time how I need one of these things. what's the big attraction?

If you are talking about laser mice in general it is that they are just more reliable and offer a higher precision than straight up optical.

Otherwise just having more buttons can really come in handy once you get used to it.

[Dondrei]

I've never noticed any difference in performance between my optical and my old non-optical mouse. Except that you used to have to clean the damn ball all the time.

[{KOW}Spazed]

I've never noticed any difference in performance between my optical and my old non-optical mouse. Except that you used to have to clean the damn ball all the time.

That is probably because 98 can't take advantage of high DPI mice. Or maybe it is because you buy crappy mice. . .

If you are browsing the web and using Word all day a good mouse is pointless, if you do anything like Photoshop/3DSM or play a lot of games a nice mouse with a high resolution is a huge help.

[Dondrei]

Mouse support changed with later versions of Windows? Somehow I doubt it.

My mouse is as precise as it can be, I've never noticed any inaccuracy at all. I don't do photo manipulation at 2,000,000x2,000,000 but I do play a lot of games.

[TonoTheHero]

.
Mouse support changed with later versions of Windows? Somehow I doubt it.

My mouse is as precise as it can be, I've never noticed any inaccuracy at all. I don't do photo manipulation at 2,000,000x2,000,000 but I do play a lot of games.

:point:

[{KOW}Spazed]

Mouse support changed with later versions of Windows? Somehow I doubt it.

My mouse is as precise as it can be, I've never noticed any inaccuracy at all. I don't do photo manipulation at 2,000,000x2,000,000 but I do play a lot of games.

Donny, if you are going to refute someone how about coming up with some form of credibility or citing a source? You constantly knock people on tech issues or if you can't come up with anything witty just deny it.

Believe it or not mice have changed a lot, the support for them has been changed to reflect that. Most higher end mice require you to install extra drivers to get the full resolution support from them because Windows hasn't supported it yet.

What resolution do you run at? Having a 200dpi mouse on a 2560 x 1600 screen isn't going to cut if if you are doing anything that require precision.

Your gaming habits as far as I know are also several generations behind where games are at currently.

In short, from what I know of your computer habits you demand far less performance out of your box than most of the people on this forum.

[ragnar_ii]

I have a cheap four button wire mouse (I've heard wireless is slower, and though I don't really believe it, it was an excuse to cheap out), and my only real problem with it, is that the pad gets dusty and it will occasionally bounce the pointer around for a sec. then it's fine. However, my nerdish brother has a similar mouse and tells me all the time how I need one of these things. what's the big attraction?

On my mouse the main attraction is the dpi settings. You can change them while in game. You can preset up to 5 different settings and use any of those 5 at any time. It was nice when I used to play battlefield 2. The tanks took forever to turn around but, simply click it up to 2000 dpi and it would turn around with having to pick up and reposition the mouse 2 or 3 times. It worked well with the sniper rifle too, just click it down to 400 dpi and it will move really slow and feel much less "twitchy" allowing for better accuracy.

But, if you don't do intense gaming I guess you really don't need a mouse like this. I really only fully utilize it in FPS games.

[Dondrei]

Donny, if you are going to refute someone how about coming up with some form of credibility or citing a source? You constantly knock people on tech issues or if you can't come up with anything witty just deny it.

Believe it or not mice have changed a lot, the support for them has been changed to reflect that. Most higher end mice require you to install extra drivers to get the full resolution support from them because Windows hasn't supported it yet.

What resolution do you run at? Having a 200dpi mouse on a 2560 x 1600 screen isn't going to cut if if you are doing anything that require precision.

Your gaming habits as far as I know are also several generations behind where games are at currently.

In short, from what I know of your computer habits you demand far less performance out of your box than most of the people on this forum.

I've played plenty of recent games, at their highest resolution. I'm a year off at worst.

[ffejrxx]

any new video card or motherboard no longer supports win9x/me
no support or drivers for pci-e based video cards

back ot, microsofts generic mouse drivers can work with all ps2 mice
usb ones can be alot better, as long as you dont use the same controller for alot of other stuff, printer/nic/ext storage ect...

[TakeMyCrabs]

I recenty got a Laser-mouse. Wireless, usb port. The little usb thingie slides in under the mouse when not in use. It's an HP mouse that runs on 1 AA battery. Seems good so far.

[Dondrei]

any new video card or motherboard no longer supports win9x/me
no support or drivers for pci-e based video cards

back ot, microsofts generic mouse drivers can work with all ps2 mice
usb ones can be alot better, as long as you dont use the same controller for alot of other stuff, printer/nic/ext storage ect...

That's not true, my computer is pretty new and Win98 runs on it no problems. Mind you my video card is AGP.

Most compatibility issues have workarounds, Win98 still has an active community.