Mighty Mouse Jumping Around Screen

jeffmonty · January 20, 2008 12:13PM

Hey, I just got a new 20 inch iMac about a month ago and noticed that my wired mighty mouse that came with the computer jumps around the screen somewhat often. For example, I'll move the mouse from left to right in the middle of the screen (or in any direction) and the mouse will jump to different parts of the screen (the bottom left, the middle left-side, the bottom right corner, etc.) for no reason. This happens at any time in almost any condition (with no programs open, with a few programs open, in safe mode, in any usb port,. etc.) I've called Apple Support and they've replaced my wired mighty mouse twice, they've had me try it in a 'Test User' account, and have had me archive and install Leopard. The problem still occurs. I've temporarily switched to a wireless logitech mouse and it doesn't seem to be happening as often, but I'd like to be able to use the mighty mouse. Any ideas as to why this is happening or what I could do about it? Thanks in advance.

lenny · January 20, 2008 12:58PM

I have the same problem with that mouse. I think it's the quality of this product... The wireless mighty mouse doesn't have this problem but it has another one. The right click just stops working! So now I'm trying to decide which bug is less annoying :-)

ifonline · January 20, 2008 2:16PM

Likely the issue is not hardware quality. The issue is more likely that because the wired mouse is an optical mouse, it is not properly tracking on whatever surface you are using the mouse on. The reason the wireless mouse works better is because it is a laser mouse, thereby working on more surfaces than the optical mouse can.

If you aren't using a mousepad, try one. If you are using a mousepad, try a different one.

I am not using the Apple mouse at all, though. I am using the Logitech Nano and love it. However, even with the Apple mouse (either one), I suggest using SteerMouse instead of any other mouse driver. Excellent product that works better than anything else I have ever tried, including Logitech's own, terribly buggy driver.

jeffmonty · January 21, 2008 9:54AM

I tried using a mousepad, along with other surfaces such as a paper towel and regular towel, but they haven't helped. I'm using the mouse on a regular wood desk and it still isn't working. I'm looking in to getting the Apple wireless mouse but I'd like the mouse that came with the computer to at least work for now. I'll try this SteerMouse though, thanks for the help.

ifonline · January 21, 2008 12:47PM

Sorry it didn't work for you. I would have figured a mousepad would have helped, but a wood desk certainly isn't a good idea for an optical mouse. Nevertheless, I wish I could think of something else to try... what you described is exactly what I was experiencing with the optical Apple mouse on my wood desk, and it was cured by using a mousepad.

Of course, while not likely a hardware issue, that is still a possibility. Have you taken the mouse to a Genius bar to be checked and possibly replaced?

damix · January 24, 2008 5:51PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffMonty

I tried using a mousepad, along with other surfaces such as a paper towel and regular towel, but they haven't helped. I'm using the mouse on a regular wood desk and it still isn't working. I'm looking in to getting the Apple wireless mouse but I'd like the mouse that came with the computer to at least work for now. I'll try this SteerMouse though, thanks for the help.

I have both wireless and wired mighty mouse. (mice?) the optics are sensitive. My best results have come using a solid black, smooth glossy surface. Any, even the slightest, surface color or texture variations(including the simulated wood grain on my desk) make the cursor jump around. My old logitech mouse would just stop in place when hitting these variations. Mighty mouse jumps. I've got the hang of it now and love it. It's the most accurate mouse I've owned(20+). The wheel leaves a little to be desired tho....

madirect · January 25, 2008 12:37AM

i got the same problem with my wired mighty mouse. i thought i was a faulty one, so went out and got the bt version. working fine after.

with the wired one, i've tried serval mouse pad, and different surface. same, it would jump randomly. hopfully, when there's a apple store here in vancouver, bc. i would bring it in for a check..

sorry, couldn't really help.

aquamac · January 25, 2008 6:28PM

My scroll wheel stops moving up sometimes. So is there any way to clean inside that thing?

Actually the ball moves fine, it's whatever mechanism the ball turns that stops allowing me to scroll up. I would hate to pour some cleaning fluid in there to try and dissolve whatever is in there. It just keeps happening more frequently and it's starting to drive me crazy. HELP!

damix · January 28, 2008 11:02AM

The apple recommended cleaning works best.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302417

I tried taking it apart, but that is ridiculously silly and besides, you have to glue it back together.

Only thing, you have to do it for a long time to lift the gunk out of the housing.

unplug mouse, tiny bit of moisture on a cloth, mouse upside down, rub wheel, all directions, rinse cloth, rub some more. careful not to have too much moisture so as to get water inside. I even added a bit of dish soap to the minute amount of water. let the mouse dry a while before power up. I used compressed air to dry it.

It took about 30 minutes of to get mine working again, probably cause I like to read emails and news while eating fried chicken. It wasn't a simple wipe and dry.

I recently turned off the mouse setting - ball as a button- (in system preferences> keyboard/mouse> mouse>change center drop down to "off"). I can push down harder to scroll without making a click. no more frustration. The ball has been less apt to gunk up now that I press harder all the time.

david_r · January 31, 2008 4:56PM

My scroll ball stops working all the time. I zap it with a good squirt of Radio Shack Contact Cleaner and Lub. Works fine, every time. Hope it works for you

aim9999 · July 9, 2008 8:01AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ifonline

Likely the issue is not hardware quality. The issue is more likely that because the wired mouse is an optical mouse, it is not properly tracking on whatever surface you are using the mouse on. The reason the wireless mouse works better is because it is a laser mouse, thereby working on more surfaces than the optical mouse can.

If you aren't using a mousepad, try one. If you are using a mousepad, try a different one.

I am not using the Apple mouse at all, though. I am using the Logitech Nano and love it. However, even with the Apple mouse (either one), I suggest using SteerMouse instead of any other mouse driver. Excellent product that works better than anything else I have ever tried, including Logitech's own, terribly buggy driver.

Took your advice and downloaded steermouse. Wow! what a difference--I am no longer chasing my wired mightymouse cursor all over the screen. Thanks!

galley · July 9, 2008 10:59AM

I never had this problem on my MacBook, but now it happens several times a day on my iMac. The cursor will jump to the corner of the screen. My Mighty Mouse is wired.

kaluk · October 31, 2008 6:43AM

My computer: Dual 2 GHz PowerPC 2.5 GB SDRAM, OS 10.4.11. Czech Republic.

I have the same problem over year. It happens everytime, when the computer was off. Mouse is doing what it wants, it is difficult to click a target field. I tried everything, but just one thing helps me:

I rebuilt the disk with DISK WARRIOR, than start the computer without mouse connected. After loading the system I connect the mouse and everything works perfectly.

(But just till I shut off the computer again. I can be sure that after new start will the old problem again come).

Time to time helps only restart without mouse connected - but i tis not 100% reliable. WARRIOR helps 100 %.

svenr · February 12, 2009 7:12PM

I think it is outrageous, if you see how many of us have similar problems with various types of mice / mouses (my laser mouse is dancing a mix of Samba and a Fast Walz - no way I hit anything I'm aiming at) without Apple really getting to grips with it.

It seems they grew very lazy and arrogant - given their big rival has long since stopped listening to customers and give their financial success they probably think they can afford.

And look what we are doing:

trying different types of surfaces, using fancy software tools, going through forum after forum - all to solve a problem that shouldn't occur with a straightforward, but hugely expensive, piece of kit after it has passed the test at the manufacturer.

It's the same with many other issues - like safari always forgetting usernames or password when you tick the remember-me-box at any website.

Apple's engineers must split their sides laughing, when they see that there customers try to solve their problems, while they are probably having a nice cocktail at a sunny beach in California (some of them probably had a few when they designed this faulty stuff).

I love my mac compared to what's out there, but I'm afraid, if customers allow this to happen, Apple will soon go down the drain again as they let more and more crap going out to customers.

We should all take our faulty devices back to the store, ask for our money back on the spot and buy a rival's product. Hopefully someone at Apple will wake up between two cocktails and get back to the design table and get it right.

cheers

Sven

celemourn · March 19, 2010 9:54PM

I remember seeing a while back a prank program that would cause the mouse to periodically move to the corners of the screen. I can't for the life of me find it any more though, and I'm not sure if it was a Mac program or just a windows program. At any rate, one other suggestion I found (about to try it myself, for my own squirrely Mighty Mouse) is to delete (or move to desktop) the com.apple.systempreferences.plist file in the user library (as opposed to the system wide library folder at the top level of your hd).

C

ivan.rnn01 · March 23, 2010 5:44AM

Underlaying surface is not strictly flat and well-leveled.

gayav8r · August 3, 2010 4:52AM

OK so first, let me say that generally speaking i love my mac. There was a time in the 90's when i was a big Apple fan, but after a few dumb@ss business decisions by Apple, i decided to convert to Windoze (and my entire company at that) So here we are a decade later; and I'm back on a mac again.

Recently my MagicMouse started spazzing out. Randomly jumping to new points on the screen. At first it was mildly annoying. Now it's infuriating. I used Camtasia to record this behaviour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8ApUH6QOw

I called Apple to discuss this. First, they said "they weren't aware of any issues" A quick google of "MagicMouse Jumps" returned hundreds upon hundreds of links (including this forum) describing the issue.

Second, after assuring Apple this really was a problem, i got the ultimate insult. "If you would like to lodge a technical support ticket, we will need your credit card. This call will cost you $150.00."

You see, I bought this thing four months ago. Apparently you only get a 90 day free call period. After that you're warranty is actually a cost per call scenario.....

So -- While i love my mac, i'm of the distinct impression i've made the wrong choice. The only good news is I've now decided not to convert the rest of our 20 workstations in my business back to Mac....

Apart from my b*tching, has anyone actually solved this problem that according Apple, doesn't exist?

Oh by the way --- plugged in a USB laser mouse, problem does not occur with that device -- tried on all sorts of surfaces; mouse pads, no mouse pads, black paper, white paper, patterned, non patterned, special optical mouse pad for laser mice.... SAME results no matter what the surface is, and YES, i've also cleaned the optics with a lens cloth.....

celemourn · August 3, 2010 6:29AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gayav8r

OK so first, let me say that generally speaking i love my mac. There was a time in the 90's when i was a big Apple fan, but after a few dumb@ss business decisions by Apple, i decided to convert to Windoze (and my entire company at that) So here we are a decade later; and I'm back on a mac again.

Recently my MagicMouse started spazzing out. Randomly jumping to new points on the screen. At first it was mildly annoying. Now it's infuriating. I used Camtasia to record this behaviour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8ApUH6QOw

I called Apple to discuss this. First, they said "they weren't aware of any issues" A quick google of "MagicMouse Jumps" returned hundreds upon hundreds of links (including this forum) describing the issue.

Second, after assuring Apple this really was a problem, i got the ultimate insult. "If you would like to lodge a technical support ticket, we will need your credit card. This call will cost you $150.00."

You see, I bought this thing four months ago. Apparently you only get a 90 day free call period. After that you're warranty is actually a cost per call scenario.....

So -- While i love my mac, i'm of the distinct impression i've made the wrong choice. The only good news is I've now decided not to convert the rest of our 20 workstations in my business back to Mac....

Apart from my b*tching, has anyone actually solved this problem that according Apple, doesn't exist?

Oh by the way --- plugged in a USB laser mouse, problem does not occur with that device -- tried on all sorts of surfaces; mouse pads, no mouse pads, black paper, white paper, patterned, non patterned, special optical mouse pad for laser mice.... SAME results no matter what the surface is, and YES, i've also cleaned the optics with a lens cloth.....

I hate to say it, but I think peace of mind is worth the extra $100 or so that it would cost to get a really nice Logitech mouse. Everyone has certain things that piss the hell out of them, and I've always found that the best idea is to simply remove the negative stimulus whenever possible. So, being that the mouse is your hot button, I'd say buy yourself some serenity so you can continue enjoying the rest of your Mac.

C

wplj42 · August 5, 2010 2:57PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David_R

My scroll ball stops working all the time. I zap it with a good squirt of Radio Shack Contact Cleaner and Lub. Works fine, every time. Hope it works for you

I have the wireless Apple/Mighty Mouse. Have used rubbing alcohol to clean, but it doesn't work anymore. No more up or down scroll, just left to right. I will have to try the R/S contact cleaner. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

I use my mouse on what is now a very rough wood surface. It works fine. I do have the settings running as fast as is possible.

celemourn · August 6, 2010 11:16AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander M

Those mouse are useless since if you restart the computer you must configure its setting again

False.

C

newbee · August 15, 2010 4:56PM

I had the same problem until the "light went on" for me ... I had changed desks and the new surface had a different pattern that was more difficult for the optical mouse to read. Since the stores were closed at the time, I printed an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with a grid pattern on it ....with very small squares. ... scotchtaped it to my scroll area ..... Voila! ... no more problem. Hope this helps.

Mighty Mouse Jumping Around Screen

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