Jerky Mouse

Hi all,

I was hoping some one could give me tips on mouse surfaces. My problem is this, I am using a MAC, the mouse with the little ball on the top. When scrolling around an image the mouse movements is very jerky and sometimes jumps the wrong way.

It was just on the desk surface, but that wore away a bit and made it worse, now it is on a pad of plain white paper, it helps a bit but is still jerky and jumpy. Any suggestions on a good surface for my mouse, mouse mat recommendations.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

Paul

Paul, this may sound a bit off, but every mouse issue I've encountered with errant movements were resolved by taking the mouse ball out and cleaning the entire mouse internally. If the ball does not come out I'm not sure what can be done. If this came on over time that maybe worth looking into. Also, I assume you have already looked at the mouse settings in the Control Panel area. Although I do not think it addresses anything to do with ball movement.

Sorry I should have mentioned, my mouse doesn't have a ball underneath, it has the red light, optical mouse.

Paul

I love the Mac mouse with the tiny trackball on top - when it is working. But I got so tired trying to clean the ball just gave up on it and attached a low end two button optical mouse that I found for $2 at the local Goodwill store. I lost side-to-side movement but have regained my composure.

In regards tot he surface I found all my erratic cursor movements went away when I put the Mac mouse on a normal mouse pad. It did not like the shiny desktop on its own.

Paul, after reading your response and now Richards, I would think that the optics does not like glare. White paper being worse overall. So, I would think the use of a very dull and dark mouse pad would help in this case.

I had those issues with what sounds like the same optical mouse. That was on white paper. I'm using a gray mouse pad (18% as a matter of fact!), and it's smooth sailing.

Hmmmm...I have an old Mac with an optical mouse (plus a new laptop but I digress). My optics are fine but the clicker gives me fits. Many times it thinks I have let go of the clicker - say like when resizing
a box it thinks I let go and it quits resizing the box. Anyway that is my problem....

As to the optical issue, I have used a grey mousepad for YEARS (like 8) and it is always faithful. Let us know what happens when you go this route. It is always possible you have a rat instead of a mouse!

I, too, use an optical mouse and the other day it started with wacky cursor movements...I looked closely at the indented area where the laser sits and found a hair (we have two dogs)...I blew out the hair, made sure the laser lens was clean, and haven't had cursor problems since.

Jerky doesn't make a good mouse. You can't mold it well. Ground sausage works better before it's cooked. :-)
Seriously, the comments about cleaning the ball are on target but I prefer the newer laser optical mice. I have a Logitech wireless laser mouse and love it. It's not as accurate as a tablet and pen but it is very good. It's not a bad idea to replace your mouse pad periodically too. They get worn and dirty after a while. You might check the batteries too. Sometimes the mouse gets wonky if the batteries are low.

To put an end to obvious confusion here:

Mac users are not talking about the old style track-ball mice with a grape-sized ball that rolls around on the bottom side of the mouse to read movement. We are referring to what Apple named the Mighty Mouse - an optical mouse with a one-piece top shell that still provides left and right button functionality and has a tiny pea sized ball on the top surface that acts as a multidimensional scroll wheel.

This mouse is not designed to be disassembled, and the topside ball is difficult to clean.

If you do a lot of 'brush' work and/or selecting in Photo Shop, I would like to recommend a completely different route: a graphics tablet and pen. Yes, they are certainly more expensive than a mouse, but your won't be chasing its tail any more.

After reading many reviews, I settled on an Intuos-4 tablet. I ordered the 'small' size, primarily because of workspace constraints, and I couldn't be happier. The table does come with a mouse that is used directly on the tablet surface. The Intuos tablets are highly customizable, and spare nibs and other accessoriies are readily available, making it a fine tool for Photo Shop work. Installation is easy.

Check them out Here.

If you're having problems with your mouse, try downloading and installing an updated driver.

--P

I know this is starting to drift from the original topic but I have to add my two cents about cleaning the Mighty Mouse scroll ball.

Just turn the mouse over and roll it around on a sheet of paper while pressing down firmly. It works wonders.

Thanks everyone. I didn't think of the reflectivity of the surface. I will look for a gray mouse pad, non shiney. A tablet is on the future purchase list

Paul

You will be really happy with both, I suspect. I don't use a tablet much but my wife lives and dies by hers for all the touch-up work from our studio shoots. It looks like it would be really handy for general use too, but I never get a turn!

Hank, so the only pen you use is the one your wife gives you to sign the checks that pay the bills?

--P

Wow! A mouse with balls! How quaint!

Thanks to all who replied to my question. I have implemented the gray card mouse pad idea, it looks a little rough but I must say it is working flawlessly.

Paul

Oh heck. I see the problem now. Your mouse is on the wrong side of the keyboard!

Hey Preston- Just checked back and saw your post. She's the pro accountant, so my job is to justify spending. I'd LOVE to sign a few more checks, but....sheesh. She seems to think this is a business or something!

"I'd LOVE to sign a few more checks, but....sheesh. She seems to think this is a business or something! "

Sounds like to me you need to set her straight on few things, Hank!

Paul, I'm glad you got your jerky mouse under control. It's really a drag when they run all over the place.

--P