Mouse Problems

Mouse problems

Mouse pointer lurches

When you move the mouse, the mouse pointer (on the screen) is supposed to move also. If the mouse pointer lurches erratically (sometimes going fast, sometimes going too slow or not at all) or moves in just one direction (just horizontally, or just vertically, but not both), the mouse is dirty. Clean it and then the mouse will probably work well.

If the mouse doesn’t work well yet, try this experiment:

Take the ball out again. Rub your finger against the X and Y mouse rollers, and see if the mouse pointer moves also. If the mouse pointer works fine using your fingers but not by using the ball, the ball isn’t touching the rollers, probably because the ball’s cover isn’t locking the ball into the proper position. Reposition the ball and its cover.

If the mouse still doesn’t work well, just buy a new mouse. You can buy a plain mouse for under $10.

Mouse pointer hard to see

While moving the mouse fast, you might have difficulty seeing where the mouse pointer went, because the mouse pointer seems to become temporarily invisible.
That means your screen, video card, or eyes are too slow to keep up with you. That’s probably because you’re using a notebook computer that has the slowest kind of screen (passive-matrix).

It could also be because your eyesight is poor or you’re a beginner who feels lost. Like a magician, your hand is quicker than the eye or your screen.
To make the mouse pointer easier to see, create long “pointer trails” or buy a bigger monitor or a better notebook computer (having an active-matrix screen, which is faster than a passive screen).

Icons run away from the mouse pointer

If your desktop’s icons run away from the mouse pointer, you have the Magistrate virus. Get rid of the virus by using an up-to-date anti-virus program.

Dead mouse

If nothing happens on screen when you move the mouse, try these strategies.…:
Perhaps you’re just in the middle of a routine that doesn’t use the mouse. Try these ways to get out of a routine:

Press the Esc key twice (which might exit from a routine).
If the mouse doesn’t work yet, press Ctrl with C.
If the mouse doesn’t work yet, press the Alt key.
If the mouse doesn’t work yet, press the Alt key again.
If the mouse still doesn’t work yet, maybe the task you’ve been performing has crashed, so end that task by doing this:
While holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys, tap the Delete key. (If you’re using modern Windows, then press ENTER.)

If the mouse still doesn’t work, maybe the mouse’s cord is loose (tighten it!) or the mouse is dirty (clean it by following the procedure for “mouse pointer lurches”) or the computer forgot what kind of mouse you have (reinstall the mouse-driver software that came with your mouse, or reinstall Windows) or just buy a new mouse.