Jerky Mouse Movements - MS Wheelmouse Optical

[lino]

After years of using Logitech mice, I've just changed to a MS Wheelmouse Optical, and am very disappointed with the result.
Whereas the L mice screen pointers moved very smoothly, the MS pointer moves in 'jerks' of several pixels at a time. I find fine control difficult.
I've adjusted all the settings to no avail. Is this a basic difference between optical and ball mice? Please tell me
a) that I'm not alone, and
b) that there's an easy fix (yes, I know the one about throwing it away and going back to L mice!)
Cheers, folks.

[Paleo Pete]

Well, I would go with option B...


First boot into Safe Mode, and remove the old mouse from Device Manager, it might be that "ghost" drivers are causing trouble.

Check Control Panel, look in Device Manager and see if you have any IRQ or DMA conflicts, check the MS website and see if they have anything about the same problem in their FAQ or troubleshooting, and see if you can download newer drivers for it.

I had a similar problem with one Windows install, I set up defrag to run at night, with Task Manager, and didn't realize I had to turn off the virus scanner, which made defrag restart forever. Defrag continued to try and run in the background, and made the mouse jerk and flicker. If the only change you made was installing the mouse, that shouldn't be the problem, but I thought it might be a possibility.



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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links

[bassman]

What kind of surface are you using it on?

[mjc]

I know that the Logitech Mouseware contains a setting to adjust the sample rate of the mouse, I'm not sure about the MS software. There is a program called PS/2 rate that lets you adjust the sample rate. I don't have a link handy but it is at TweakFiles.

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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....

[lino]

Thanks all. Will post back when I get a chance to investigate further - a hectic week!

[lino]

I removed the Logitech drivers prior to installation of the MS mouse (with the latest MS drivers). I have since downloaded and installed the MS drivers again, with same result.
I have the uninstalled the MS mouse and drivers and started again using the drivers on the Win98 CD-ROM - same result.
Device Manager shows no conflicts.
I have tried using the mouse on a variety of surfaces; apart from the reflective ones, the results are all similar.
The mouse is a USB mouse (not cordless), and I have looked at the program (PS2Rate) which allows adjustment of the sampling rate, but, as its name suggests, it is applicable only to PS2 mice.
I have turned down pointer speed and acceleration - no difference other than exaggerated hand movements to get across the screen.

Psychological? I noticed the difference immediately, as did other members of my family who complained of the 'jerky mouse'.
There is nothing erratic about the pointer motion - it just moves in steps of several pixels at a time, rather than the smooth motion of the L mouse. This makes it difficult to carry out some tasks with any precision e.g. placing the insertion point in text, placing check marks in small boxes, fixing on the border of a window to drag it out, etc.. I had just not expected an optical mouse to be less precise than its mechanical cousin.

Could this be a characteristic of USB optical mice?

Thanks for all replies & suggestions.

[mjc]

Any other USB devices?

Try it in another USB port. The couple I've tried in stores were pretty smooth. I just thought that the mouse itself didn't feel qite right, but then again I'm use to the feel of Logitech mice. You can try it with the generic drviers.

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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....

[bassman]

Just a couple of wild guesses here. Have you tried another of the same species (exchanged this one), does the optic face have a protective film, does the lens have ANYTHING on it (fuzz, cathair...). Might seem like some stupid questions but it does happen. Seems to my the optic is not reading correctly thus a faulty unit. Let us know.

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If your not living on the edge, your taking up to much space!

[supa_dre]

I too have an Optical Wheel mouse, but i am very pleased by its performance.

I am using it in the ps/2 connector via an adapter which came with the mouse. Because the mouse tracks its position on the desktop with an optical sensor, it would be a good idea not to use it on an area with no textures. Using it on a highly reflective serface or a plain white, black, green (or any other color) surface, renders it useless. That makes it perform like a mechanical mouse which needs cleaning badly. I am using mine on a surface with a wood grain pattern. My optical mouse, (also MS), is very very smooth. Be sure that you correctly installed the drivers that came with it.........Mine works like a charm

[lino]

I've got 2 direct mobo-supported USB ports, a four-port USB hub linked to one of the direct ports, and a 2-port PCI USB card - i.e. 7 available ports. My USB devices are scanner, webcam, and mouse. I've tried any & all combinations of ports and any & all connected devices, with the same result.
The only time that the mouse moves smoothly is during the Win98 boot sequence when it's at the desktop-background-only stage waiting while startup progs load, but it moves very slowly.
The store tells me (via phone as its thirty miles away) that, as the mouse doesn't move erratically, only in jerky steps across the screen, it isn't a defective mouse.

Mouse is clean with no impediments to the optical sensor.

Have tried using the PS2 interface - and PS2Rate - with no difference.

Cheers.

[lino]

Whoops! And a USB graphics tablet.

[bassman]

Can you try it on another machine? Maybe take it back to the store and tell them to test it. I dont put much faith in a phone call with a retail store. It's real easy to say its not their problem when they dont have to face you.

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If your not living on the edge, your taking up to much space!

[Paleo Pete]

I agree with bassman, take it to the store and have them try it on one of their machines. Or try it on a friend's machine, if you know someone that will let you install your drivers on their machine. Just make sure you boot into Safe Mode and completely remove your drivers when you finish. If you do it at a store, let them worry about it, especially if it does the same thing on their computer, they tried to put you off by phone...

Trying it on a different computer is the best next step I can think of.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links

[mjc]

If all your other USB devices work I think that it could be a bad cable or internal connection on the mouse. So if you can get repeatable behvior on several machines then you know that the mouse is the problem.

I recently bought a wheel mouse from an online store and the cursor would run off to the right and just stay there, tried on two machines, called the dealer told them that and they sent me a new one and told me not to worry about shipping the dead one back......cost more to process than it was worth I guess....I'll be doing more business with them!

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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....

[macellarius]

A had the same exact problem recently with a BALL mouse. I coulnd't get it to move in a smooth diagonal motion, it would do a stair-step thing.
Well, it was a very cheap mouse that came with the system.
I went out and bought a Kensington (infared) ($18.00 at Office Depot)and it works great.
Did you install the software that came with the mouse? Try another model, you can always return it.

[bkb61063]

I had the exact same problem with my optical mouse when I first attempted to use it. After dragging it upon a piece of printer paper I discovered that it operated smoothly and decided that the optics were picking up minute differences on the surface of the mouse pad. I now use a sheet of printer paper and my mouse works perfectly.