Jumpy da mouse

jonesy · 11-15-2002, 04:45 PM

I've been experiencing mouse problems for quite awhile now. The mouse is a standard Pro Mouse (optical) that came with the mac.

Here's some examples:

When moving the mouse it'll jump and skip. Sometimes stopping then starting across th screen.

When dragging items the motion will freeze then deselect the item(s). Again more jumping and skipping.

I've noted the light on the mouse will dim at these times, like when the mouse isn't being used.

Then, at really bad moments the cursor will freeze up completely. Restarting Finder has no affect. But waiting for a few moments (sometimes upward of a minute) and the mouse "is back".

This is getting annoying. I thought at first it was Mozilla (I noted scrolling problems there) but it happens when I don't have Mozilla running as well.

Thoughts, ideas, fixes welcome.

bassi · 11-15-2002, 05:03 PM

Might be associated with the mouse being starved of power in the USB port. Unlikely but possible. What type of system do you have (OS and hardware)? Do you have keyboard input problems as well? Also, how is the mouse connected to your Mac?

postscript, check cpu usage. Might be a problem there.

Mac4prepress · 11-15-2002, 06:14 PM

The Apple pro mouse is really a ****! The symptoms you talk about is the sames that I had at work with two Apple mouses. The problem was with the usb cable just at the entry of the mouse. Somes positions of the cable stop the signal with the Mac. Impossible to repair. So, two Apple Pro direct to the trash!!!

Maybe it's the same with your mouse. Buy another mice but no more an Apple!

bassi · 11-16-2002, 08:19 AM

If you've recently updated to 10.2.2 then you'll find the recent blurb from Macfixit useful.

jonesy · 11-16-2002, 01:53 PM

Sys info:

G4 400
512 MB ram - recently upgraded from 256. I had kinda hoped the upgrade would rid me of the problem. Though I have seen a speed improvment on the system overall, the mouse behavior continues.
IIRCC - 60GB hd

OS 10.2.2 - Again, I'd hoped the move from 10.1.* woud fix the problem, but it appears about the same as before. I'd suspected Mozilla as the culprit because of goofy behavior there early on. I found the Mozilla scrolling problem is a known issue but I couldn't find a link between the two.

The mouse is attatched throught the USB port on the keyboard which is direct to US the USB port on the CPU. I've run the idea around in my head that there's some resource 'stealing' from the mouse but I don't know enough about USB to make a call there.

I can eliminate a bad mouse cable, the next time I'm in the office, by connecting the mouse to another machine and seeing if I get similar results (faiure/erratic behavior on the other machine). If that shows normal I guess I' stuck with a resource problem.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Sage · 11-17-2002, 12:30 PM

I was also experiencing jumping problems with my mouse (Logitech MX 500), and found that it was starved of power... I had it plugged into one of those four-port hubs, and when I moved it so that it hooked directly into my iBook, it started to behave again.

robarmo · 11-17-2002, 04:39 PM

Hi.
I also had some problems with my Apple Pro mouse jumping around, although sounds like it was nowhere near as bad as what you are experiencing. So I purchased an Intellimouse Optical, as I needed more than one button anyway. Things improved, but still weren't perfect. I had been using both mice directly on the desktop surface, so I tried using a mouse mat (even though these things are meant to work on almost any non-reflective surface) and that solved my problems, even the Apple Pro mouse works smoothly now!

Might be worth trying before you start throwing things away.

Rob.

jonesy · 11-21-2002, 05:36 PM

Well, it appears the mouse is shot.

I did a little experimenting and found that when the cable is moved into a certain position the mouse will die. So this was a case of hardware failure.

Now I'll wait until I can make the request for a new mouse. *sigh* I love working for the state.

Much thanks to evryone for their sggestions.

11-15-2002, 04:45 PM	#1
jonesy Prospect Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Looking-glass, Wonderland Posts: 31	Jumpy da mouse I've been experiencing mouse problems for quite awhile now. The mouse is a standard Pro Mouse (optical) that came with the mac. Here's some examples: When moving the mouse it'll jump and skip. Sometimes stopping then starting across th screen. When dragging items the motion will freeze then deselect the item(s). Again more jumping and skipping. I've noted the light on the mouse will dim at these times, like when the mouse isn't being used. Then, at really bad moments the cursor will freeze up completely. Restarting Finder has no affect. But waiting for a few moments (sometimes upward of a minute) and the mouse "is back". This is getting annoying. I thought at first it was Mozilla (I noted scrolling problems there) but it happens when I don't have Mozilla running as well. Thoughts, ideas, fixes welcome. __________________ Grrr!!!!! the lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne. - Chaucer

11-15-2002, 05:03 PM	#2
bassi Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Paris, France Posts: 498	Might be associated with the mouse being starved of power in the USB port. Unlikely but possible. What type of system do you have (OS and hardware)? Do you have keyboard input problems as well? Also, how is the mouse connected to your Mac? postscript, check cpu usage. Might be a problem there. Last edited by bassi; 11-15-2002 at 05:40 PM.

11-15-2002, 06:14 PM	#3
Mac4prepress Prospect Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Brussels - Belgium Posts: 3	Cable mouse problem? The Apple pro mouse is really a ****! The symptoms you talk about is the sames that I had at work with two Apple mouses. The problem was with the usb cable just at the entry of the mouse. Somes positions of the cable stop the signal with the Mac. Impossible to repair. So, two Apple Pro direct to the trash!!! Maybe it's the same with your mouse. Buy another mice but no more an Apple!

11-16-2002, 01:53 PM	#5
jonesy Prospect Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Looking-glass, Wonderland Posts: 31	Sys info: G4 400 512 MB ram - recently upgraded from 256. I had kinda hoped the upgrade would rid me of the problem. Though I have seen a speed improvment on the system overall, the mouse behavior continues. IIRCC - 60GB hd OS 10.2.2 - Again, I'd hoped the move from 10.1.* woud fix the problem, but it appears about the same as before. I'd suspected Mozilla as the culprit because of goofy behavior there early on. I found the Mozilla scrolling problem is a known issue but I couldn't find a link between the two. The mouse is attatched throught the USB port on the keyboard which is direct to US the USB port on the CPU. I've run the idea around in my head that there's some resource 'stealing' from the mouse but I don't know enough about USB to make a call there. I can eliminate a bad mouse cable, the next time I'm in the office, by connecting the mouse to another machine and seeing if I get similar results (faiure/erratic behavior on the other machine). If that shows normal I guess I' stuck with a resource problem. Thanks for the help everyone. __________________ Grrr!!!!! the lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne. - Chaucer

11-17-2002, 12:30 PM	#6
Sage Prospect Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1	I was also experiencing jumping problems with my mouse (Logitech MX 500), and found that it was starved of power... I had it plugged into one of those four-port hubs, and when I moved it so that it hooked directly into my iBook, it started to behave again. __________________ Hidden DOS secret: add BUGS=OFF to your CONFIG.SYS

11-16-2002, 08:19 AM	#4
bassi Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Paris, France Posts: 498	If you've recently updated to 10.2.2 then you'll find the recent blurb from Macfixit useful.

11-17-2002, 04:39 PM	#7
robarmo Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 306	Mouse jump Hi. I also had some problems with my Apple Pro mouse jumping around, although sounds like it was nowhere near as bad as what you are experiencing. So I purchased an Intellimouse Optical, as I needed more than one button anyway. Things improved, but still weren't perfect. I had been using both mice directly on the desktop surface, so I tried using a mouse mat (even though these things are meant to work on almost any non-reflective surface) and that solved my problems, even the Apple Pro mouse works smoothly now! Might be worth trying before you start throwing things away. Rob.

11-21-2002, 05:36 PM	#8
jonesy Prospect Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Looking-glass, Wonderland Posts: 31	Update Well, it appears the mouse is shot. I did a little experimenting and found that when the cable is moved into a certain position the mouse will die. So this was a case of hardware failure. Now I'll wait until I can make the request for a new mouse. sigh I love working for the state. Much thanks to evryone for their sggestions. __________________ Grrr!!!!! the lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne. - Chaucer

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