Computer Mouse Problems - General Rules For Repairing Them

As the computer mouse is frequently moved from place to place, drop and drag, there are often kinds of foreign matter like dust, dirt, debris or grease and so on built up in it, which would probably cause problems with the mouse rubber balls, tracks and rollers. Sometimes an unfavorable mouse pad, hardware conflicts and driver configuration problems also would make your mouse movement slow, erratically leaping or even corrupted.

You can follow the general rules as below to troubleshoot your mouse problems:

Above all, you should check whether the mouse itself is dirty, if so then clean the mouse as per your mouse maker's instructions. Though this tip can not cure all your mouse problems, it is the easiest part to set about checking the malfunction. Sometimes a clean mouse or clean mouse pad actually let your glitches disappear. By doing so, you also can see if any part in the mouse is damaged.

Let's get into some specifics.

1. Carefully take the ball apart from the mouse and clean the ball.

2. Use a can of compressed air to blow out the dust inside the mouse, and clean the rollers.

Note that when you clean the mouse, do not put chemicals, wood alcohol or harsh cleaners into a mouse or on a ball. They may damage the mouse.

3. Replace the broken part if there is.

4. After the ball and the rollers are completely dry, reassemble the mouse and test it.

5. Clean the desktop as well as the mouse pad according to the type of its surface, and test the mouse on it. If the dilemma still can not be cured, try it on another surface or on a blank piece of paper.

Note that if the surface is fabric, try rubbing gently with a moist washcloth or rag and a bit of shampoo; if it is plastic, use any mild spray household cleaner and a cloth or sponge.

Second, check if the mouse to computer connections is loose.

For example, is the mouse cable securely plugged into the computer? If not, plug it in steadily.

Is it a USB mouse? If so, unplug it and then plug it in again.

Third, if your mouse does not response, try to restart the computer, when the PC is turned on, the mouse may not have loaded.

Fourth, reinstall, roll back, update or replace your mouse driver for it's possible that it has gotten corrupted. In case there may be more than one mouse, you need to uninstall the one that is not used. But on a notebook, don't remove the touch pad if you never use it.

To update, roll back or uninstall your mouse driver in Windows XP, you can go into Start - Control Panel - System - Hardware - Device Manager, double click Mice and other pointing devices, right-click the pointing device in the list and select Driver, and then you will see the options you want to choose.

However, usually the Windows driver can not always satisfy your high demanding, so you can try some driver manager tool like Driver Checker to help you install the most suitable mouse driver. Once you install one, you will never be disappointed at it, and you will find out more unexpected advantages.

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