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Dissect Your Mouse!
by Bill Hoyt, Hoyt Station Personal Computing

Ever move the mouse around on the pad and found that the little arrow on your screen refused to budge? It's possible that your mouse has also fallen prey to environmental dust. You see, under your mouse there is a rubber ball, perfect for gripping the pad and turning as you move the mouse. But it's also perfect for picking up dust and dirt from the pad surface and depositing it in little lumps on the internal wheels...this is what causes the mouse to 'lock up', jerk, or rumble when you roll it..

To clean out the mouse, all you need is a pair of tweezers. Turn the mouse over and twist the plastic circle that surrounds the mouse ball counterclockwise, it'll pop right off. Now turn the mouse right-side up and the ball will fall out (if you do this with the computer off, it'll be a lot less distracting). In the hole left by the ball are (usually) three wheels, and you may notice a white line down the middle of black wheels or a grey one on white wheels, that's dust deposited by your mouse ball, packed on where your mouse touches the wheels.

Take your tweezers, grab the line, and try to peel it off. It should come off in one piece (nice, huh?) Do it on all three wheels, put the ball back in, and screw the plastic cap back on. That was easy. If you do this every few weeks it should keep your mouse rolling smoothly.

Good Computing to you!
About the Author: Bill Hoyt is the Webmaster of Hoyt Station Personal Computing. For the best in free software plus tips to make your computing experience more enjoyable, subscribe to the Free Software Newsletter by visiting www.hoytstation.com

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