I have a genuine Microsoft mouse on the computer. About once per month it begins bouncing the cursor around. This I find from trash picked up on the little rollers inside.

Remove cap and bal, then with pencil remove fuzz and goo. Repeat next month.

Any simple things to stop this annyoance? I tried spraying starch onto the mouse pad, but that made it skip. Got a better idea?

Wm.

Purchase a PS2 Optical Mouse!!

Useful too to wash sed rodent's privates - the removable part...

And don't forget that on some rodents there are not just two "obvious rollers"; often there is one (sometimes two) corner mini-roller(s); these too need to be cleared of all fluff and stuck on material...

Otherwise use an optical creature as per WebsWonder...

Once you migrate to an optical mouse you will never want to return to a ball mouse. If you are currently using a PS/2 port you can search for a true PS/2 optical mouse or get one that comes with a PS/2 to USB adapter. It is important the adpter be bundled with the mouse. You may need to enable legusy hardware in the BIOS if using a straight USB optical mouse. Also, save lots of aggrevation an stay away from off brands. Microsoft mice are the most compatible of all. While I am on a roll I will state that IMO wireless mice are a pain, you know where, and not worth the trouble.

The 'genuine' microsoft mice seem to be the worst in getting clogged like that. Doesn't really make sense as they all roll across the same mouse pad. As already mentioned, a PS/2 optical mouse is the way to go.

I will have too agree,Optical mouse is the way to go. Plus they are not expensive to buy.
You should be able to find them for under
$10.00 bucks.

I disagree, I hate Optical mice with a burning passinon! I have so many issue with them.

Cleaning the mouse "ball" and rollers are just part of owning a regular mouse.

The best use for an optical mouse I have found is to use it as a 16x16 pixel(or aournd there) scanner. God I hate optical mice, I remember the first ones still with the heavy steal mouse pad with lines on it that could decapitate someone. Also I find regular mice to be alot more accurate and dont suffer from the jitter issues with optical.

It is really a too each his own with this topic.

Outlander, you are correct when you say it to each his own. However, you are definately in the minority. You are the first person I ever heard state they preferred a ball mouse to an optical after using both.

I think individual experiences with optical vary greatly; and some may well be less than enthusiastic about them...

"Some" of the current optical-rodents are a little inclined to be "picky" (touchy/finicky) about the nature of surface on which they run around... We have both ball and optical systems in use; some of the ball version work fine with a standard formica/melamine surface; others seem to prefer a standard "rodent mat"; some even seem to like either...

The optical version seems to be likewise - but generally seems to prefer a nice clean mat... (Got to keep those little paws clean...). If a non mat environment then the the surface colour to be a lighter shade of grey etc. - or should that be "a lighter shade of pale..."?

Yet... chez-moi I have an optical; runs around a standard pine surface (no mat) - well behaved with no jitters etc... - and I wouldn't go back to a ball version unless it was necessary...

My IT colleagues advise that they are currently field testing a more recent optical version; one that will apparently work on more or less any surface - not the least glass (clear or frosted etc..) frequently used on many "on-air" presentation desks in the broadcast industry. Thus far they seem to be significantly better than earlier/current strains...

"wireless mice are a pain"

Because they are free to run away.

    
 

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I'd have to vote with Outlander. Had an optical mouse (M$) where I worked before and it seemed to always know when I would be working on something important. Kept jumping to a corner position at the most inappropriate times. Got so fed-up with it that I yanked it and went back to a good old PS/2 (non-optical) mouse. Not saying that there aren't better ones out there, just that I've not seen one yet that can impress me.

I guess there are more optical mouse haters in the world than I imagined.

I would guess that the surface the mouse was used on was the cause of all the issues described.

My Mouse needs a bath. I suggest using Lukewarm water with lots of detergent and plenty of squeeks. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and soak well. Plug in immediately for best effects.

    
 

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echoing OtH... They are affected seeminlgy by the nature of the surface over which they "run"; both surface texture and transparency seem to be factors...; colour possibly less so...

The "latest" generation does not appear to be so - as I indicated in my earlier input...

Well, I have to on occasion about twice per month use the same mouse connected in to a docking station which is in turn connected in to a laptop computer. In my experience, the laptop computer is not smart enough to dissern the different signals and software. It goes just fine using a corded mouse. Thus I need to stay with a clean one, such that I do not have to give it a bath every so often. Had to do it five times in five days earlier this year, and then no problems for months.

Wm.

As with a cat or a dog... remember a rodent is not just for Christmas...

Be kind to one's long tailed fury friend...

Ah, the classic male vs. female mouse debate... I can't resist joining in, as I can see both sides.

I can certainly relate to bad experiences with optical mice, especially if your first impressions with them were in the mid 1990s on UNIX boxes. Those mice only worked on special metallic reflective mouse pads and were notoriously bad. Because of this, my initial impressions of optical mice were tainted.

Optical mice have come a long way in the last decade, as I only recently found out a few years ago at another job. They're no longer restricted to specialized mouse pads; they work on virtually any surface. They don't "lock up" like their mid-1990s counterparts, and are much more reliable than their male counterparts these days.

I guess it all boils down to your experience. You'll inevitably encounter bad optical mice, but some are quite good.

Anyway, who buys mice these days? I have acquired dozens of throwaways that are handy as spares. Occasionally I may even buy a good used mouse for a buck or two at a Goodwill or thrift store. Granted, most of the throwaways are male mice, but I no longer pass up on the female ones based on earlier experiences. They really have come a long way.

Male and female rodents eh...

Is that where the mini-rodents (as carried with some laptops) are come from?

T'would be wise to be careful where you stow/house the two types; as they may start to breed and then you'll be overrun with the little beasties...

trvlr

Maybe you are like me and haven't heard the gender applied before. Ball mice are male, I am assuming. This is one of those threads that seems to go on and on. I guess I never realized that laser mice were so problematic in past times. The only issues I ever had with them was getting them to install properly if they were off brands.

yes... it may go for a while yet... I keep hoping one or two others will chip in with a little more "humor" - Goon-show style (for those "olde enuff" to remember, that was a British - BBC radio - classic...); this if only to defuse the seriousness and intensity of it all...

T'would be wise to be careful where you stow/house the two types; as they may start to breed and then you'll be overrun with the little beasties...

D'oh! Too late. No wonder I have so many. I just wish the male and female M&Ms would do the same, but I think they're all eaten too quickly to find out.

>>>I can certainly relate to bad experiences with optical mice, especially if your first impressions with them were in the mid 1990s on UNIX boxes. Those mice only worked on special metallic reflective mouse pads and were notoriously bad. Because of this, my initial impressions of optical mice were tainted.<<<

Oddly, the one optical mouse that actually came close to being usable was an older mouse with a reflective "grid" pad---seem to remember it being a MouseSystems brand, if memory serves. Had a 25-pin serial connector, and had to use a 9-pin adapter with it, but it seemed to work great on DOS/Win 3.1. Actually hated to give it up when I couldn't find Windows95 drivers that would work on it...

M & M's are single sex/sort - no F's there at at all?

Thus M & M's will never breed...; neither will F & F's... However put one of each together and - erm - watch out???

^

Wow. There must be a severe shortage of plain M&Ms in your area. Interesting.

We don't seem to get the Ms variety at all... Nearest thing in the UK is a Smarty (typically genderless...) - and they're not smart overall...; otherwise they'd have figured it all out...? Mind you they do come in pretty colours...

I like my mice to have some "balls". I rememeber going into microcenter one day cause I needed a few "mouse balls" and I asked the sales rep that same question. He came back 2 minutes later and said, I quote

"I think you need to go to a pet store for that"

I laughed my ass off.

A mouse without any balls just doesn't feel right to me. Female mice suck. I feel so gay.

Core 2 Duo 1.86

^ROFLMAO.

On the other hand, put two Macintoshes together and what do you get... a Mac Mini! Or so I was told.