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My mouse stopped working.

I've been using the same wireless mouse for over a year. Yesterday, it just stopped working. Thinking it was the mouse itself, I plugged in the original wired Mac mouse only to discover it did not work either. I tried restarting and plugging the USB of the mouse into each different slot on my computer, but nothing has worked. Occasionally, the wired mouse will work for a minute or two, then go back to not working at all. Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jul 2, 2008 6:53 PM

Reply
12 replies

Jul 3, 2008 5:37 PM in response to ErinShephard

It's possible both of your mice need cleaning.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302417 How to clean your Mighty Mouse

Take a piece of bright white paper, turn the mouse upside down on it, press down on the ball, and run the mouse quickly in circles over the paper. This will remove all the gunk that's building up on the ball


TIP: To get to the gook inside the scroll nipple use a plastic toothpick.

"Other Options:" Wear latex disposable gloves. A box of same can be purchased from your local Dollar Store or Pharmacy.

Some cell phone leather cases actually fit right over the Mighty Mouse.

Clean/wipe the Mighty Mouse off with a damp cloth/rag prior to going to bed each evening.
Some users have found using the small alcohol pads quite successful. These can be obtained from any drug/pharmacy or Dollar Store.

Only do the following if your warranty has run out:
Cleaning inside and dismantling the Apple Mighty Mouse

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If so, then I suggest (if your 1 year warranty is not up and/or you have Apple Care Protecton Plan) you call Apple Tech Support & ask for a replacement.
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Mighty Mouse Take Apart Photos

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Or you can invest in one of these: User uploaded file

The above can be purchased from iSkin

User uploaded file

Jul 3, 2008 5:46 PM in response to ErinShephard

Hi Erin.

Do you have any other USB or bluetooth devices connected at the time? Does the trackpad work normally?

What brand of wireless mouse are we talking about here? If it is a "third party" brand it may be that you need to update its "drivers" (sometimes third party drivers will interfere with Apples own mice and keyboards, too).

Cheers

Rod

Jul 3, 2008 6:52 PM in response to Rod Hagen

Greetings,

My iPhone cable is the only USB I have plugged in currently. I also have another that connects to my digital camera, but it's not plugged in at the moment.

The wireless mouse is third party. The brand is Kensington (Model #72216) and I just tried to Google a driver, but couldn't find one. I don't remember installing one initially, though. Its trackpad isn't lighting up at all now.

The wired mouse is an Apple Pro Mouse and its trackpad seems to be working fine. The red light lights up whenever I move it.

Jul 3, 2008 7:08 PM in response to ErinShephard

Hi Erin,

many of the Kensington mice use "Mouseworks" software - see http://us.kensington.com/html/1385.html Not sure if yours is one of the models that is excluded though, and if it failed completely and suddenly, then it may just be dead.



By the "trackpad" I meant the trackpad on your MacBook Pro, rather than sensor on the bottom of your mouse.

For the "Apple Pro" mouse, though, I suspect that the problem with it, given its intermittent operation, is that it is suffering from a broken "tail". These mice often developed a problem where the cord joins the mouse over time. The fine wires inside the cable would fracture, causing intermittent circuits. You can often tell by wiggling the cord just where it enters the mouse, while keeping the mouse still. The light will go on and off. slight darkening of the cable at this point is often a sign, too. (I went through three Apple Pro mice because of this defect). You can repair it if you are good with a soldering iron and don't mind it suffering a bit of cosmetic damage - see http://www.sewardweb.com/applepromouse/


All in all, it DOES sound as if you need a new mouse though, I'm afraid.

Cheers

Rod

Message was edited by: Rod Hagen

My mouse stopped working.

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