Tips from
the Techie
Timely
how-to advice for keeping your systems running
Brad Gore
Technology Consultant, John AndersEn &
Co LLC
How to Avoid Mouse Traps
Mice; we never
really notice them, until they start misbehaving and stop
working like they did when they were new. After many months of
usage, your mouse may start "jumping" or "skipping" across
your computer screen. If this is the case, you can actually
fix this problem in less than five minutes. Here are four
simple steps to take to improve the functionality of your
mouse.
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| *Always shut down your computer before
cleaning* |
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1. Once you have shut down
your computer, take the mouse in one hand with the bottom
facing you. You will see that the piece that holds the
mouse ball inside the mouse is nothing more than a small
doughnut shaped disk. You can remove this disk by
placing your thumb and index finger next to the arrows, and
turning counter-clockwise.
2. Cover the bottom of your
mouse and turn it upside down; the disk and the mouse ball
should fall into your hand. Take the mouse ball and wipe
off any residue or lint that might be on it. In all
honesty, we techies like to use our jeans for convenience and
they also have the perfect texture for doing this.
3. Next, take a look inside
the mouse, where the mouse ball resides. You will see
two black bars, one horizontal, and one vertical. You
will notice that one, if not both bars, have a residue/lint
buildup. By taking your finger nail, you can easily
scrape off any residue that you see. Blow into the mouse
a couple of times to get rid of any loose lint in the mouse
(be careful not to get any lint in your eyes).
4. Place the ball back
inside your mouse, replace the disk, and with your thumb and
index finger turn the disk clockwise until it locks into
place. You should notice much greater performance out of
your mouse. :-) | 