A sad day in my household...

[Elysarian]

After 11 years of service my Dallmeier-branded Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical seems to be dying

It just started randomly going off for a second or two & windows makes the hardware removed/added sound...

Makes me wonder though, what's the oldest piece of computer hardware that anyone still uses (with their main computer!) on a daily basis?

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: A sad day in my household...

It just started randomly going off for a second or two & windows makes the hardware removed/added sound...

Sounds like you need to unplug it and plug it back in. Likely bad contact with the USB port.

[Elysarian]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Could be just that... Seems to have started behaving now I've threatened to replace it though lol

[mockingbird]

Re: A sad day in my household...

After 11 years of service my Dallmeier-branded Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical seems to be dying

It just started randomly going off for a second or two & windows makes the hardware removed/added sound...

Makes me wonder though, what's the oldest piece of computer hardware that anyone still uses (with their main computer!) on a daily basis?

Speaking of Microsoft Mice, I'm still using one of these:





Been using this model for 15 years now (First one was white, second was Tiny Computer branded). I swap parts with a bunch of them sitting around when I need to. Middle scroll wheel is clicking several times per each click, have to replace it some time.

I need the extra weight of the ball in the center of my hand for gaming. I also like the the way it fits in my hand. The only thing that came close to getting me to consider changing over to Optical was a Razer model... But those cost $40+, I have access to many of these for free.

[lti]

Re: A sad day in my household...

My Wheel Mouse Optical goes nuts when I try to use it with my laptop. It works perfectly on every other computer.

The oldest piece of hardware I have is my monitor. It was made in 1996.

[smason]

Re: A sad day in my household...

I can't stand ball mice since switching to strictly optical years ago.

I don't have any really old hardware any more since I retired my HP LaserJet 4+ a couple years ago. I guess my Microsoft fingerprint reader is the oldest.
There's a hack to make it work in Win7, so it's still going strong.

[bluto]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Most likely the wire is going bad right where is leaves the mouse. I had this same problem on an original MS Intellimouse Explorer. Here is what I did to fix it:

Take the mouse apart and cut about 3-4 inches off of the cable from just inside the cable gland and towards the USB plug. Then feed the cut end back into the cable gland and then strip the wires on both the cord end and the short piece attached to the mouse circuit board. Splice all the wires and then re-assemble the mouse.

[Uranium-235]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Speaking of Microsoft Mice, I'm still using one of these:





Been using this model for 15 years now (First one was white, second was Tiny Computer branded). I swap parts with a bunch of them sitting around when I need to. Middle scroll wheel is clicking several times per each click, have to replace it some time.

I need the extra weight of the ball in the center of my hand for gaming. I also like the the way it fits in my hand. The only thing that came close to getting me to consider changing over to Optical was a Razer model... But those cost $40+, I have access to many of these for free.

I'm...not even going to go there. I know you're an old man stuck in his ways but damn. Also going such long ways to keep a ball mouse going just to save a few bucks. I'm just not going to go there.

[mockingbird]

Re: A sad day in my household...

LOL... I've got some optical mice, I'm just saying considering the only optical mice I might replace this model with cost over $40, I'd rather just stick with this one. I've got tons of em, why not cannibalize parts from them to get one good working one.

Then I jack up the polling rate in Device Manager:

[Uranium-235]

Re: A sad day in my household...

the microsoft laser mouse 5000 is about the best damn gaming mouse i've used

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: A sad day in my household...

sad day for me a few days ago. one of my beloved radeon 9800 pros started displaying artifacts in the bios screen when i switched the system on in the morning from a cold boot. boohooo. thats bout the oldest thing i use these days (radeon 9800 pro circa 2003?)

oh well, time to bust out the reflow oven...

[bibilit]

Re: A sad day in my household...

The oldest hardware item i use in a daily basis is a ps2 wireless keyboard (should be logitech i think) working like a champ so far (don't remember when i changed batteries for the last time)

[mariushm]

Re: A sad day in my household...

I couldn't stand mice with balls nowadays, they get dirty too fast in my house.
It pisses me to no end when I try to move mouse slightly to one side and the mouse ball catches a speck of crap on it that stops that tiny roller inside from rotating and detecting movement.

I have a laser Logitech MX-518 that works perfectly and is very ergonomic and I love the side buttons (currently set to back and forward in browsers without having to move to firefox toolbar buttons)
With polling rate set to 250 updates a second it's very sensitive... it can be upped to 1000 a second but the increase in cpu usage is not worth it.



It's over 100$ now at Amazon.com : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104178 ... i bought it years ago from amazon at about 40% off for about 35 uk pounds (around 50$).

[tmiha71]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Or it could be problem with +5V rail (mobo or PSU :-)), if mouse is USB - +5V standby could be blamed ...

[dpiroli3]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Its the cable, seen it tons of times.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: A sad day in my household...

the microsoft laser mouse 5000 is about the best damn gaming mouse i've used

Do you mean the wireless 5000? I just got one of those recently.

[smason]

Re: A sad day in my household...

the microsoft laser mouse 5000 is about the best damn gaming mouse i've used

Say what you want about Windows/Office, most of the Microsoft-branded hardware (minus the X-Box) was darned good.
Mice, keyboards, fingerprint reader were all good performers.

[Logistics]

Re: A sad day in my household...

Been using this model for 15 years now (First one was white, second was Tiny Computer branded). I swap parts with a bunch of them sitting around when I need to. Middle scroll wheel is clicking several times per each click, have to replace it some time.

I need the extra weight of the ball in the center of my hand for gaming. I also like the the way it fits in my hand. The only thing that came close to getting me to consider changing over to Optical was a Razer model... But those cost $40+, I have access to many of these for free.

I'm with you on the gaming purposes. Up until just recently I was using a Logitech Wingman Gamer mouse, and I've replaced all the microswitches with quieter ones. Loved having an actual button and not scroll wheel, but I need resolution for PhotoShop, these days so.

[lti]

Re: A sad day in my household...

I still have a ball mouse (a Logitech M-S34) that I use on my old desktop computer. For some reason, I haven't had to clean it since I stopped using a mouse pad. I just use it on top of the computer case (it's a slim desktop case with a metal top cover).

I used to use the Wheel Mouse Optical for gaming, but I can't on this laptop. The cursor jumps around randomly, it sometimes doesn't register clicks or double-clicks, and it scrolls up and down randomly. I'm starting to think that Microsoft broke the driver in Windows 7 so you would have to buy a new mouse.

Of course, the Logitech wireless mouse I have isn't very good. The cursor moves in a sine wave (really), and it even moves diagonally when I try to move the mouse horizontally on some surfaces. I also have a Microsoft wireless mouse that works great on every surface I've tried it on, but the build quality isn't as good as the Logitech and the metal around the USB connector is loose.

[goontron]

Re: A sad day in my household...

i think all that mouse needs is this