Short Circuits

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday July 10, 2007

GR

Q

My optical mouse cursor has gone haywire and skips all over the place. I swapped my wireless mouse for a wired one, thinking that might make a difference, and I installed the latest drivers, but the skipping hasn't stopped. Any ideas?

A

Downloading and installing the latest drivers is usually a good place to start when dealing with hardware that's acting erratically. But mice are trickier beasts to tame. A modern optical mouse doesn't use a rolling ball. They use a small camera, along with light-emitting diodes or lasers, to bounce light off a surface and onto a sensor. A signal processor then analyses the patterns and plots your cursor's position on the computer screen.

With all this technology at work, the surface on which you use the mouse can make a difference in how it performs. Although you don't always need a mouse pad under an optical model, using a glossy, glass or reflective surface can prevent the internal sensors from properly tracking the cursor, causing an erratic performance on screen. Grooved or dark surfaces and some wood grains have also been known to stymie mouse sensors.

Try a light-coloured matte-finish mouse pad. Wipe off the dust or dirt on the underside of the mouse that may interfere with its optics.

A wireless mouse, which communicates via radio signals with a receiver connected to or in the computer, may also be hindered by electrical interference from nearby electronic devices. Adjusting the position of the receiver or other devices may help. Also check to make sure you have fresh or fully charged batteries inside the mouse to power your pointing system.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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