[Coco] Amusing computer story only slightly off topic

[Michael Graham]

Haha, the last mouse I bought was actually mechanical.  It was 
GE-branded, being sold at Big Lots for $3.  Basically, I wanted it 
because my computer powers the USB and PS/2 ports while it is off (so 
you can start it by pressing a key or double-clicking the mouse), and I 
hated having my mouse glow all night long.  It gets hard to use from 
time to time, but just popping off the bottom cover and cleaning the 
rollers for the mouse ball fixes it.

On 9/11/2012 10:40 AM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Tuesday 11 September 2012 11:27:58 Robert Gault did opine:
>
>> In the last two days I've been having mouse pointer freezes on my PC.
>> Sometimes the mouse would recover but at least one time required a PC
>> reboot because the PC became unusable. The cause of the problem was
>> obscure but seemed related to either the browser or MESS software.
>>
>> This morning I finally disassembled the Logitech laser wheel mouse and
>> immediately the source problem became apparent. The mouse is essentially
>> a completely sealed unit except for the wheel (on the top side of the
>> mouse) which can also serve as a button. A quarter inch pad of dust had
>> built up under the wheel and was causing inadvertent random closure of
>> the middle "button" switch even when the wheel was not being used.
>>
>> Anyone remember what happens on a Coco when you inadvertently place a
>> heavy object on the joystick so that a button gets pushed. The Coco
>> will freeze up. :)
>>
>> Now, how many of you have purchased a new mouse when all you had to do
>> was clean it?
> I can nearly match that Robert.  My logitech optical wireless mouse kept
> getting slower and slower until I was needing a 2 foot by 2 foot pad to run
> it.  Then I also noticed that one of the little glued on polycarbonate feet
> sliders was laying on the desk, having come off the mouse.  For grins, I
> put about 3 teeny little tabs of scotch magic tape in its place.  Faster
> mouse!  So now I have a mouse with 3 of its missing feet pads replaced
> about 4 layers of scotch tape, which raises its 'flying height' back toward
> the original, and the pointer speed is once again usable.
>
> So if your optical mouse is getting slow, check & see how many feet it has
> left.  I don't use a "mouse" pad here, the optical types seem to work just
> as well on the gray formica table surface.  I also took the side buttons
> out of it years ago.
>
>> --
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>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>
> Cheers, Gene