sudden, strange mouse behavior

On Mon, 21 Mar 2016 21:22:55 -0400 "Jason" wrote
in article

I have made no conscious changes to my system recently. I did install a
few MS updates, but that's it.

Now, my mouse is acting erratically. Sometimes, moving it causes nothing
to happen at first, followed by a wild leap a second later. It's an
optical, bluetooth Logitec mouse that's worked flawlessly for years. I
don't think the driver has been updated recently, but the USB drivers may
have.

Any ideas?

Sigh. Sometimes the simplest explanations win.

I noticed today that the erratic behavior seemed mostly to be when I
skated the mouse to the upper right quadrant of the screen. That didn't
seem like a driver could be to blame.

On a lark, I put my years-old mouse pad aside and just tracked the mouse
on the fake wood texture of the slide-out shelf for my keyboard & mouse.

Perfect.

Over the years, apparently, my slightly squishy mouse pad had developed
a "sheen" - doubtless due to dirt and my own oily hands... I scrubbed
the pad with soapy water, dried it out, and now everything is working
properly.

I've had nothing but great experience with Logitech wireless mice. The
battery lasts for a year or more (I changed it while trying to track
down my issue). I've never experienced interference from other nearby RF
sources. (Part of my ham radio pursuit involves running every external
cable on my system through ferrite cores to reduce radio interference on
my transceiver. The ferrite chokes work very well.)

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have this happen once and a while with my wireless logitech and what I
find is I have moved something that is now partially blocking the signal. I
move the receiver or the blockage and everything starts working right again.
If it is a battery powered mouse you might check your battery power.
--
Bill

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska

"Jason" wrote in message
...
I have made no conscious changes to my system recently. I did install a
few MS updates, but that's it.

Now, my mouse is acting erratically. Sometimes, moving it causes nothing
to happen at first, followed by a wild leap a second later. It's an
optical, bluetooth Logitec mouse that's worked flawlessly for years. I
don't think the driver has been updated recently, but the USB drivers may
have.

Any ideas?

En el artículo , David E. Ross
escribió:

Batteries are another reason why I do not use a wireless mouse. I do
not want to deal with a dying battery, especially if I have no spare
batteries.

That's rather a Luddite attitude. I have a wall-wart intelligent
charger. One battery gets used in the mouse while the other charges.
When the battery goes, swap them. Rinse and repeat.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) # ik ben Brussel
(")_(")

Mike Tomlinson wrote:

En el artículo , David E. Ross
escribió:

Batteries are another reason why I do not use a wireless mouse. I do
not want to deal with a dying battery, especially if I have no spare
batteries.

That's rather a Luddite attitude. I have a wall-wart intelligent
charger. One battery gets used in the mouse while the other charges.
When the battery goes, swap them. Rinse and repeat.

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low. Could be when
you need work done right NOW and even the time to replace the battery is
a severe interruption. How embarassing to have a presentation to tell
everyone to twiddle their thumbs while you dig out your charged battery
to swap it into your wireless mouse.

Too often I am trying to get something done and a wireless mouse
misbehaves because its battery is weak. No, they don't give you a meter
so you can swap out the battery before it is too weak. You find out
after the battery passes a low threshold.

The other reason that I do not like wireless mice is the weight of the
battery. I remember long ago opening some wired mice that were weighty
only to find out the manufacturer had glued in a lead weight simply to
make it seem their mouse was more solid because it weighed more. Don't
have to do that with wireless mice since the batteries are now the lead
weight inside to add heft to the mouse. My pinky gets tired having to
squeeze harder to lift a heavier mouse. Some folks may have huge desks
with mousepads the size of a desk but I don't. Everytime I've seen
someone claiming they don't raise their mouse that mouse that much ends
up lying (without malice) because I will watch them and they lift their
mouse all the time. They may have a large area in which to move the
mouse but once it goes outside the arc of their wrist movement then they
are likely to lift the mouse to move it back and put it down to continue
the movement. Some users compensate by setting the acceleration so high
that it takes only tiny mouse movement to send the mouse cursor
careening across the screen, and then they spend more time trying to
zero in on a small target: oops, too far, back a little, oops, too far
again, try moving even smaller. Even worse for having to lift up are
laser mice. They can detect movement from a greater distance away from
the surface, so you have to lift them higher to move the mouse without
the mouse cursor moving on screen. Lifting a heavier mouse means more
fatigue. You aren't going to change your mousing habits regarding
movement because you went wireless or wired.

I've seen where office users would complain that their mouse would move
without them even touching it. Had one guy who incurred interference
from a mouse user a floor above him. Luckily the mice let you choose a
different channel (and then had to sync with the transceiver).

On the other hand, I've seen wired mice that have some very thick and
stiff cords. I've had to use those and your wrist can get tired having
to add more torque to move the mouse to get its cord to bend around some
object on your desk. Wireless would eliminate cord stress but
substitute faster fatigue in lifting a heavier object.

A wired mouse never has you wondering why the mouse cursor becomes
erratic or why you have to shake the mouse to wake it up. A wired mouse
is always alert and sensitivity and response don't change over time as
will happen with a battery powered mouse. Of course, there are times
with a wired mouse just isn't practical. I still pack one in the bag
with my laptop (because I hate touchpads as pointing devices); however,
it can be either wired or wireless. When I'm at the hotel or resort, I
use it wired, plus it recharges via the USB port when I do want it
wireless.

VanguardLH wrote:
Mike Tomlinson wrote:

En el artículo , David E. Ross
escribió:

Batteries are another reason why I do not use a wireless mouse. I do
not want to deal with a dying battery, especially if I have no spare
batteries.

That's rather a Luddite attitude. I have a wall-wart intelligent
charger. One battery gets used in the mouse while the other charges.
When the battery goes, swap them. Rinse and repeat.

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low. Could be when
you need work done right NOW and even the time to replace the battery is
a severe interruption. How embarassing to have a presentation to tell
everyone to twiddle their thumbs while you dig out your charged battery
to swap it into your wireless mouse.

Too often I am trying to get something done and a wireless mouse
misbehaves because its battery is weak. No, they don't give you a meter
so you can swap out the battery before it is too weak. You find out
after the battery passes a low threshold.

The other reason that I do not like wireless mice is the weight of the
battery. I remember long ago opening some wired mice that were weighty
only to find out the manufacturer had glued in a lead weight simply to
make it seem their mouse was more solid because it weighed more. Don't
have to do that with wireless mice since the batteries are now the lead
weight inside to add heft to the mouse. My pinky gets tired having to
squeeze harder to lift a heavier mouse. Some folks may have huge desks
with mousepads the size of a desk but I don't. Everytime I've seen
someone claiming they don't raise their mouse that mouse that much ends
up lying (without malice) because I will watch them and they lift their
mouse all the time. They may have a large area in which to move the
mouse but once it goes outside the arc of their wrist movement then they
are likely to lift the mouse to move it back and put it down to continue
the movement. Some users compensate by setting the acceleration so high
that it takes only tiny mouse movement to send the mouse cursor
careening across the screen, and then they spend more time trying to
zero in on a small target: oops, too far, back a little, oops, too far
again, try moving even smaller. Even worse for having to lift up are
laser mice. They can detect movement from a greater distance away from
the surface, so you have to lift them higher to move the mouse without
the mouse cursor moving on screen. Lifting a heavier mouse means more
fatigue. You aren't going to change your mousing habits regarding
movement because you went wireless or wired.

I've seen where office users would complain that their mouse would move
without them even touching it. Had one guy who incurred interference
from a mouse user a floor above him. Luckily the mice let you choose a
different channel (and then had to sync with the transceiver).

On the other hand, I've seen wired mice that have some very thick and
stiff cords. I've had to use those and your wrist can get tired having
to add more torque to move the mouse to get its cord to bend around some
object on your desk. Wireless would eliminate cord stress but
substitute faster fatigue in lifting a heavier object.

A wired mouse never has you wondering why the mouse cursor becomes
erratic or why you have to shake the mouse to wake it up. A wired mouse
is always alert and sensitivity and response don't change over time as
will happen with a battery powered mouse. Of course, there are times
with a wired mouse just isn't practical. I still pack one in the bag
with my laptop (because I hate touchpads as pointing devices); however,
it can be either wired or wireless. When I'm at the hotel or resort, I
use it wired, plus it recharges via the USB port when I do want it
wireless.

My Logitech wireless does tell me when the battery is low (via a popup).

--
GW Ross

If only women came with pulldown menus
and online help.

Too often I am trying to get something done and a wireless mouse
misbehaves because its battery is weak. No, they don't give you a meter
so you can swap out the battery before it is too weak.

*sigh* Vanguard strikes again with misinformation and bull****.

Both my wireless mice flash a red light when the battery is low. If you
don't take the hint and fit a charged battery before an important
presentation, that's your own fault.

The mouse on the desktop I'm writing on now is within reach of my right
hand, and the wall outlet carrying the charger and a ready-charged
battery is within reach of my left.

It's called "being organised".

You find out
after the battery passes a low threshold.

********.

I can't be bothered with the rest of your wall of text. TL;DR ; not
worth reading anyway.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Windows 10: less of an OS, more of a drive-by mugging.
(")_(") -- "Esme" on el Reg

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 11:02:43 -0400, "G. Ross" wrote:

My Logitech wireless does tell me when the battery is low

You should be able to make a fortune with a talking mouse........

Sorry, reminded me of a few, very old, guy-walks-into-a-bar, jokes. ;-)

G. Ross wrote:

My Logitech wireless does tell me when the battery is low (via a popup).

That is handy so you can replace the battery before having to deal with
abnomalies in mouse behavior.

Mike Tomlinson wrote:

Vanguard said:
(attribution added that Mike omitted, and correct indentation, too)

Too often I am trying to get something done and a wireless mouse
misbehaves because its battery is weak. No, they don't give you a meter
so you can swap out the battery before it is too weak.

*sigh* Vanguard strikes again with misinformation and bull****.

Both my wireless mice flash a red light when the battery is low. If you
don't take the hint and fit a charged battery before an important
presentation, that's your own fault.

The mouse on the desktop I'm writing on now is within reach of my right
hand, and the wall outlet carrying the charger and a ready-charged
battery is within reach of my left.

It's called "being organised".

With everything at hand, sounds more like you being cluttered.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 01:49:34 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low.

That's been addressed by others. Not an issue.

Besides, I run my wireless mice to the point where they all but die, which
in my case is about 18 months, and there's several weeks worth of warning
before the batteries give out, even if you have one that doesn't provide any
kind of battery indication. Knowing that, I could simply proactively change
the batteries every 12 months and be completely assured of rock solid
operation.

The other reason that I do not like wireless mice is the weight of the
battery.

I can't imagine there being more than one adult human in the world for whom
a wireless mouse is a heavy lift. Your wall of text notwithstanding, it
simply isn't an issue.

--

Char Jackson

On 03/25/2016 01:49 AM, VanguardLH wrote:

[snip]

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low. Could be when
you need work done right NOW and even the time to replace the battery is
a severe interruption. How embarassing to have a presentation to tell
everyone to twiddle their thumbs while you dig out your charged battery
to swap it into your wireless mouse.

You do get to decide when the battery is NOT low. Change it before
beginning anything you don't want interrupted.

BTW, I'm not using a wireless mouse or trackball now, but I do sometimes
to avoid the (self-clicking) problems of touchpads.

[snip]

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong; it's like demanding that
grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't eat steak." -Robert
A. Heinlein

En el artículo , Char
Jackson escribió:

I can't imagine there being more than one adult human in the world for whom
a wireless mouse is a heavy lift.

I like it to have a bit of bulk and weight. The one that gets more or
less constant daily use is a Microsoft Explorer Mouse (with BlueTrack
technology), and it's the best I have ever used, period. I'll be gutted
when it meets its maker as it's no longer in production.

Microsoft make lousy software but do some very nice hardware.

The other is a Kensington "wireless three button mouse", model K72401.
This is smaller and lighter and is the one that travels with me. It has
an on/off switch so you can switch it off when it's in your travel bag.
Both have low battery warning indicators.

Like keyboards, though, mice are a highly subjective thing. What will
suit one person won't suit another.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Windows 10: less of an OS, more of a drive-by mugging.
(")_(") -- "Esme" on el Reg

Char Jackson wrote:

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 01:49:34 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low.

That's been addressed by others. Not an issue.

Besides, I run my wireless mice to the point where they all but die, which
in my case is about 18 months, and there's several weeks worth of warning
before the batteries give out, even if you have one that doesn't provide any
kind of battery indication. Knowing that, I could simply proactively change
the batteries every 12 months and be completely assured of rock solid
operation.

The other reason that I do not like wireless mice is the weight of the
battery.

I can't imagine there being more than one adult human in the world for whom
a wireless mouse is a heavy lift. Your wall of text notwithstanding, it
simply isn't an issue.

Geez, how did we get from discussing a heavier mouse (and wireless mouse
ALWAYS are heavier) to flexing egos as to how heavy a mouse or anything
else as to what you can bench press. It doesn't take much cogitation to
realize a heavier object will fatigue you faster than a lighter object.
I do not believe you are Superman or a cyborg. Why do you think
laptops, notebooks, netbooks, and tablets have gotten smaller and
lighter? No one wants to lug around an Osborne.

I have NEVER encountered the lifespan claimed by others for battery
life. My wireless mice never last longer than 3-6 months before
requiring a new battery or swapping with a charged pair. Obviously I
use my mouse a lot more than those claiming longer lifespans. Not going
to sleep [as often] means consuming more power. Not sleeping also means
instant response rather than having to slide the mouse a ways or shaking
it to wake it up. A crappy pen that requires you rub it in circles on
the paper before the ink flows to actually start using the pen is like
how wireless mice work because they go to sleep to extend battery life
and then have to *poll* to detect movement to know they are to wake up.

For drawing or gaming, I want accuracy and immediate respone no longer
how long the mouse has been sitting in plcae. For word processing,
e-mail, web browsing, and other slow activities, any mouse will do. The
same can be seen regarding keyboards: any cheap keyboard will work for
most users because most users can't type fast. They use 2 fingers to
hunt-n-peck. They're not fast on the keyboard and they're not fast with
the mouse.

For a desktop user, how is wireless needed for input devices that never
move? The keyboard stays in place and the mouse only moves around a
small area (which has to remain clear whether wired or wireless). I can
see using a wireless keyboard and mouse if you want to sit in your
recliner across the room while "computing" through your TV. I can see
wireless for mobile devices (laptops, notebooks, netbooks, tablets)
*when* they are actually mobile. When a mobile computer is no longer
mobile (e.g., you park it on the dining table at the hotel or resort)
then using wireless is mostly because it's there, not because it is
needed. For my laptop, I still like a wired mouse but like wireless
when actually moving around, so a mouse that is both wired and wireless
(I get a choice) gives me the best choice for the current setup.

Wireless makes sense where a cord is a nuisance or an impossibility but
it must be powered (a nuisance and extra cost) and susceptible to EMI.
I don't see that criteria applying to desktops. For mobile computers,
yes, wireless can make sense; however, even then a wired mouse can be
used with a laptop without the need for batteries or EMI concerns. The
point of being mobile is not lugging around a bunch of stuff, like a
charger and another set of batteries so you can swap them with those in
the wireless mouse. There are wired/wireless mice that will charge when
wired (they get power from the USB port to charge the batteries).

Heavier means faster fatigue. I don't care how you want to pretend
simple physics and biology don't apply in your case. Mice that have to
wakeup are a nuisance. Mice for which you have to buy batteries are
more expensive and replacing batteries (even within reach) incurs a
nuisance. Are the nuisances of wireless (batteries, physical RF
interference (blocked signal), EMI, greater expense) less than the
nuisance of using wired? Depends on the application. The sole nuisance
with wired is the cord: no batteries, no cost for batteries, no weak
power or charging time, no change in behavior due to weak batteries, no
going to sleep and delay to wake up, no RF signal blockage, no EMI
interference, not as heavy, just a cord (which to some is a big
nuisance, especially for mice with thick and stiff cords).

Yes, there are times when wireless is more desirable; however, it's more
about marketing to maintain or increase hardware revenue since wired
mice are very cheap to both make and sell. Same happens with most
consumer hardwa production costs go down and eventually a product
becomes a commodity so more features have to get added, whether feasible
or not, to keep up the sale price to increase revenue. Well, before
wireless, it was adding a lot more buttons and adding software to
program them. Sales prices went up but then gradually came down until
those became commodity products. Well, wireless lets them hike the
price back up. Then it was "laser" infrared diodes instead of LEDs
despite the only real effect noticed by most users was they had to lift
the mouse higher off the surface to move it to continue moving the mouse
cursor on the screen. Yes, there is a segment of consumers that
actually do need wireless or laser mice but that is not to who these
devices are marketed en masse. Newer and better: that's the time tested
sales mantra that sucks in consumers.

If wireless makes you happy then that is a big part of your purchase
criteria. For others, it's gimmickry with added expense and nuisance
not needed in their use of a wired mouse or keyboard. Most wireless
users don't have a real need for wireless. They want it, not that they
need it. Same reason they upgrade to newer versions of Windows and buy
new cars before they even get the current one paid off.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 20:39:30 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Char Jackson wrote:

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 01:49:34 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Alas, you don't get to decide when the battery is low.

That's been addressed by others. Not an issue.

Besides, I run my wireless mice to the point where they all but die, which
in my case is about 18 months, and there's several weeks worth of warning
before the batteries give out, even if you have one that doesn't provide any
kind of battery indication. Knowing that, I could simply proactively change
the batteries every 12 months and be completely assured of rock solid
operation.

The other reason that I do not like wireless mice is the weight of the
battery.

I can't imagine there being more than one adult human in the world for whom
a wireless mouse is a heavy lift. Your wall of text notwithstanding, it
simply isn't an issue.

Geez, how did we get from discussing a heavier mouse (and wireless mouse
ALWAYS are heavier) to flexing egos as to how heavy a mouse or anything
else as to what you can bench press.

Easy. You introduced it in the sentence that I quoted above. You must have
thought you were making a valid point, but alas, no.

It doesn't take much cogitation to
realize a heavier object will fatigue you faster than a lighter object.

If you seriously find yourself "fatigued" by pushing a mouse around, what do
you think would happen if you were ever asked to do real work?

I'll allow for the very real probability that you have a physical disability
that affects your ability to use a mouse, but you haven't shared that
information with the group, as far as I know, so until you do, I'll have to
call BS on the fatigue issue.

Besides, if you have trouble using a mouse, it must be hell to press a key
on your keyboard, yet you type over 100 lines of text at the drop of a dime.
Something's not right. Selective fatigue? Voice dictation? Secretary?

I have NEVER encountered the lifespan claimed by others for battery
life. My wireless mice never last longer than 3-6 months before
requiring a new battery or swapping with a charged pair. Obviously I
use my mouse a lot more than those claiming longer lifespans.

No, obviously you purchased a crappy wireless mouse. Shop wisely, read
reviews, and you too can have a wireless mouse with at least 12-18 months
battery life, a battery monitor, and just enough weight that you can
comfortably use it all day, just like I and many others do.

[snipped about 80 lines of text that I skimmed and determined to be a rehash
(and another, and another) of what I kept above.]

I don't know who pays you, but if it's by the word, you're making a killing.
I am worried, however, about your potential fatigue.

--

Char Jackson

En el artículo , Char
Jackson escribió:

I don't know who pays you, but if it's by the word, you're making a killing.
I am worried, however, about your potential fatigue.

He's a prime candidate for RSI*, for sure. Arguing about the weight of
mice. Pathetic.

* and bull****ter of the year award.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Windows 10: less of an OS, more of a drive-by mugging.
(")_(") -- "Esme" on el Reg