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For quite a while, I've been having what I thought were lockup problems with Internet Explorer 5.5. I'm scrolling through a webpage, and suddenly, the page locks up. The mouse cursor is locked, so I have to reboot. Tonight, it happened again...only this time, I noticed something that I hadn't noticed before. When it locked up, the optics on the mouse went out. When I used the up and down keys on the keyboard, I could still scroll up and down on the page. Has anyone ever had this problem, and if so, were you able to fix it? Help! This has been driving me mad for a long time now...
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Is your optical mouse a usb, or a PS2? In other words which hole is it plugged into.
If it's plugged into a USB port, you could be having problems on the port. If the port somehow got slightly loosened from the Motherboard.
Or maybe your mouse plug is getting pulled slightly tight to one side while using the mouse, making it tweak sideways a little in the plugin. Then when relaxed, it goes back to normal, but the screen has already frozen & usually once frozen, a re-boot is necessary.
Now there is another possibility. If it is a USB mouse, it is just possible that Windows just fails to recognize it sometimes, even while in use. I have had this problem with other things plugged into a USB port of Windows suddenly refusing to operate it for no apparent reason.
If it is a USB mouse, try putting an adapter on the end & plugging it into the PS2 port.
Hi Deloris...yes, it IS a USB mouse. The USB port is hardwired to the motherboard, so I'm ASSUMING it's not a loose connection, unless there's an intermittant short somewhere. The thing is, it ONLY does it while I'm running IE 5.5.....any other time, just running applications, etc., it doesn't do it. I also have plenty of slack in the mouse cord, so I don't think that the connector is getting tweaked in the port. I'm guessing there's a software conflict somewhere, but am not sure. I downloaded a new set of drivers for the mouse...not sure if I got the newest ones or not...but I'm going to try and load those. I will also try the PS2 adapter, if the new drivers don't work. Thanks for your advice!
I had the same problem with a recently purchased optical. I was able to rule out connection problem, etc. As I have XP, I assumed a software problem/conflict even though I had downloaded an updated driver from manufacturer's site.
I returned the optical to the retailer and purchased a trackball mouse and use the USB port or PS2. No more problems and I recommend the ball type that uses the thumb. I found the other type with the ball in the middle ackward to use.
BillyBob, I'm running Win98, not SE. The thing is, it hasn't always done it. When I first got it, it worked perfectly. Of course, I was running IE 4.01 at the time, too. Perhaps it's the optical drivers and IE 5.5 conflicting. Maybe I should upgrade to IE 6 and see if that makes any difference.
I am running the mouse I described above. Programable with five buttons. Running Win 98FE, IE5.01, & I have had absolutely no problems, but I am running mine on the PS2 port, because all of my USB ports were taken with other things.
I installed the mouse software from the disk that came with it too. As I said before, you should have gotten installation software with the mouse. Can you not find any?
If all else fails, try the adapter & use the PS2 port, because with the Optics going out, it sounds to me like an intermitent short to the MB on the USB port.
Many problems can be traced to Hardware, instead of software.
For instance, I had a problem once with the computer not recognizing my old mouse on boot up. I figured it was the mouse, so I bought a new one. Same thing happened. It turned out that my MB needed replacing. I hope that is not the case with you as MB's are slightly expensive. Thank goodness, mine was still under waranty.
Thanks, Deloris. I have an update for you. The screen locked up again today while surfing the web, and the light went out on the mouse. I picked up the mouse, and the light flickered. While that one flickered, one lit up in my head. I took the cord for the mouse, and wiggled it. The light would flicker on and off...so I think it's safe to assume that there is a loose or broken wire, or loose connector, in the mouse itself. As it had a 5 year warranty, I checked the Microsoft site for warranty info. Couldn't find a thing. So...with receipt in hand, I took it back to Walmart, where I purchased it about a year and a half ago. They not only gladly replaced it, but they allowed me to go out into their "clearance tent", where they had the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0, which was a step up from the mouse I had, and take one to replace it with. Not only that...they gave me $21 back, as they are clearing out all of their merchandise as they remodel the store! All in all, a good day...
Glad all is well so far. I hope it stays that way!
Before when I recalled the part about the optics going out, it lit a bulb in my head that there was a short somewhere, and since USB ports seem to be bad about developing shorts, I figured it was the port. At least it got you to thinking in terms of a short & playing with the little scudder & watching it wink at you.
Also, it's always nice to end the day with extra money in your pocket too, that you didn't expect to have.
After a year and half use of a product, it is difficult to believe a business would replace an alleged faulty product with an updated version of the same plus a $21.00 refund! I don't keep receipts that long unless it is a big ticket item. Most companies would and should laugh at anybody who attempts to return an inexpensive product after a year and half of use with a claim the product is problematic. I don't see how the $21.00 payout can be justified with accounting/audit let alone the replacement. We all need more companies like that.
