[debodun]

I have a fairly "new" HP mouse (it was still in package and never used) but it's a mouse that has a ball in it and it's plugged into a USB port. It worked well for a few weeks then I started to notice that intermittently it has a problem moving to the right of the screen. Most of the time it works fine, then it seems to get "sticky". It moves up and down and to the left okay, but sometimes it's sluggish when trying to move right. My first thought was to clean it, but it was remarkable clean inside and on the rollers. I dusted to out anyway and replaced the ball, but it's still about the same (moves okay then suddenly seems to stick moving to the right). Any suggestions. Thanks.

P.S. If I buy a optical mouse with a USB connector, will my computer recognize it without having to install or adjust anything? I have Windows 7 64-bit OS.

[Advertisements]

Wow, I didn't even know ball mice were still being made.

To answer your question, your computer will (should) recognize the new mouse right away, but you may still need to install a new driver to take full advantage of the mouse features - especially if you get a wireless mouse. But this is easy, and instructions will come with the mouse.

Note optical mice are still affected by dust, hair and other dirt. But a quick blast with a can of dusting gas takes care of that.

[Digerati]

Wow, I didn't even know ball mice were still being made.

To answer your question, your computer will (should) recognize the new mouse right away, but you may still need to install a new driver to take full advantage of the mouse features - especially if you get a wireless mouse. But this is easy, and instructions will come with the mouse.

Note optical mice are still affected by dust, hair and other dirt. But a quick blast with a can of dusting gas takes care of that.

[debodun]

Well, my "new" mouse may not be new in the chronological sense, just that it was never used before. At least it was new enough to have a USB connector. All my old, broken mice have PS2 connectors. My cousin gave it to me when my last mouse went belly-up. Thanks for the extra info, though.

[Digerati]

Ah, I have a bunch of "brand new" stuff that is several years old too. I need to throw it all out, but hate to throw something out that is still in [literally] new condition.

All my old, broken mice have PS2 connectors.

Ummmm, you can probably throw the broken ones away!

I personally like my Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 on my PC. And I use a Logitech Nano V450 on my notebook - it has a tiny dongle (wireless USB adapter) you can just leave in and not worry about it being knocked about.

Both use blue laser (LED) technology which is great for reliable tracking.