Why is my optical mouse suddenly sucking?

December 16, 2008 6:06 PM

Why does my optical wireless mouse suddenly suck?

I've got this awesome wireless, optical mouse that I've loved for some time ... but in the last few days, it's started behaving really spotty. Jerky, erratic on-screen behavior, not registering mouse clicks ... totally useless.

It's gotta be something to do with the surface, because the portion of my desk where I use it is eroding and the paint is wearing off. When I pick the mouse up and use it on another, more pristine part of the desk, it works fine.

So, that means it just needs a homogenous-colored surface to work on, right? But that doesn't help either. I've tried a white sheet of paper, the back of a legal pad, and I just got home from Target where I bought a monochromatic mouse pad "guaranteed to work with all mice, even optical mice." Nothing - it still is totally crappy. The only thing that makes it work is using it on one of the other areas of the desk, which is totally not doable in the long run (left side, etc.).

So, is it the mouse? Is it me? What am I doing wrong here? (Fresh batteries, BTW)

posted by jbickers to computers & internet (19 comments total)

Have you checked the lens? Dust and dirt screws up my mouse from time to time.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:12 PM on December 16, 2008

My optical wireless mouse needs to be... rubbed clean occasionally. It just gets gunked up and stops responding.
posted by kate blank at 6:17 PM on December 16, 2008

... but it works fine on certain portions of the desk. Just not anywhere that's convenient ...
posted by jbickers at 6:22 PM on December 16, 2008

still sounds like batteries. Do you have another unrelated set to try?
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:29 PM on December 16, 2008

You said that it's not registering clicks. That's totally independent of the lens on the bottom. To me, it sounds like it either has low power OR a problem with the communications between the mouse and the receiver attached to the computer.

Make sure the receiver hasn't dropped behind the desk or try repositioning the receiver to a closer location to the area you normally keep the mouse.
posted by lockle at 6:34 PM on December 16, 2008

Buy a new mouse, they're cheap.
posted by fire&wings at 6:34 PM on December 16, 2008

Seconding batteries. This is exactly what happens when they need replacing.
posted by niles at 6:53 PM on December 16, 2008

or I'm blind. I read through the question 3 times looking for the word "batteries".
posted by niles at 6:54 PM on December 16, 2008

You say it's wireless. Is there a receiver you can relocate?
posted by pmbuko at 6:54 PM on December 16, 2008

Does it work on a plain sheet of paper over the "good" area of the desk?
posted by teraflop at 6:55 PM on December 16, 2008

I was having a similar issue, and I solved it with a $4 mouse pad from Staples. Haven't had any problems since.
posted by phaded at 7:07 PM on December 16, 2008

What's different about the other areas of the desk (other than the surface) ? Closer to the reciever? Farther away from speaker\cordless phone\other gadget?
posted by sanko at 7:26 PM on December 16, 2008

I was having a similar issue. Turned out that the signal from the mouse was being overpowered by a device next to it running on the same frequency, and thus the signal was not reaching the receiver.
posted by newtux at 8:26 PM on December 16, 2008

Sounds like interference. You should be able to tell the mouse to use a different frequency (or "channel").

An optical problem would cause erratic motion, but shouldn't cause problems registering clicks.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 9:59 PM on December 16, 2008

batteries, hands down.
posted by krautland at 12:48 AM on December 17, 2008

If its the desk why not just use a simple mouse pad?
posted by majortom1981 at 5:32 AM on December 17, 2008

As I mentioned above, I've tried a mouse pad, and it still is jerky. Also tried fresh batteries.

As near as I can tell, the only thing different about the "dead spot" on the desk is that the paint is wearing away. But it still makes no sense to me that a white sheet of paper or a mouse pad doesn't fix it.
posted by jbickers at 7:56 AM on December 17, 2008

Um - you install anything recently.

I've had the same behaviour sometimes after some crappy utility got installed - or if my machine was/is busy doing something...

Is it a regular RF wireless mouse or Bluetooth? Maybe a neighbour just got a mouse/keyboard on the same frequency?
posted by jkaczor at 1:00 PM on December 17, 2008

Oh - I didn't read the details about the specific location problem (whether or not a mousepad/paper is used) - well, if it works when moved to a different location you are probably getting some weird radio frequency interference.

(Since I moved to Bluetooth mice, I no longer get weird interference issues)
posted by jkaczor at 1:02 PM on December 17, 2008