Information Technology Services

Mouse Troubleshooting

Problem: Mouse moves poorly and/or in only one direction

Possible Solutions:

Ball Mouse

Clean off non-cloth mouse pad and mouse ball with any multipurpose cleaner. The wheels inside can be cleaned with a swab soaked with cleaner.
Check the mouse pad for dirt.
If the mouse pad is slick, try a cloth pad or vice-versa.

Optical Mouse

Some mouse pads are not suited for optical mice. Try to move the mouse over a smooth, solid surface and see if it works better.
Make sure there is nothing blocking the hole where the light is on the bottom. Sometimes the feet of the mouse get a little dirty and can just be scraped clean.

Problem: Mouse pointer on the screen doesn't move at all.

Possible Solutions:

Check to make sure the computer hasn't locked up. Try pressing Alt + Tab on your keyboard. This should cycle you through all open programs. If nothing happens, your PC is probably locked up. You will need to power it off and back on.
If the PC hasn't locked up, power off the PC by pressing Alt + F4 on your keyboard. Unplug the mouse, plug it back in and then power the PC on.

Problem: Cordless mouse doesn't respond

Possible Solutions:

Reboot
Try new batteries
Try pressing the reset button on the base
Try pressing the reset button on the mouse (pinhole on the bottom, use a paperclip)