# Mouse click doesn't work



## retrotron (May 6, 2004)

The mouse click on my 17" PB is getting really unreliable, often refusing to work for hours. I can move the pointer around, but sometimes Aqua doesn't respond at all to mouse clicks. 

When I close the lid on my 17" PB and put it sleep, and then open the lid again, it takes 30-60 seconds before the mouse click starts to work. 

The other night it stopped working for hours.

Today it stopped working for about 30 seconds, then it would work for 5 seconds, then it would stop for 30 seconds again, then it would work for 5 seconds again, and so on and so forth, all through the day fairly continuously. 

Other times it works just fine.

I have no idea what's wrong. The mouse button seems normal, it isn't loose or worn out or anything. Anybody know what to do here?


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## dlloyd (May 6, 2004)

Has it always been like this? If so, you might have some faulty hardware in there, and it might be worth calling Apple about it.


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## retrotron (May 6, 2004)

Well, it's always taken a bit to get the click working when it wakes from sleep, but the other stuff just started happening yesterday. I just assumed it took a minute to 'boot up' or whatever after it wakes from sleep (yeah, that's me, stupid computer user), but after it started doing it at other times yesterday, I've taken notice.


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## Zammy-Sam (May 7, 2004)

still have warranty on that huge baby?


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## retrotron (May 7, 2004)

I've had it about 8 months, so I should still have coverage (though not phone support).


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## Zammy-Sam (May 7, 2004)

Before you consult apple, try 2 more things: Repair permissions and try to add another fresh account and see, how things behave there. Just to be sure it has nothing to do with the software..
Any special reason you are still on 10.2.6 and not 10.2.8?


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## Arden (May 7, 2004)

The button mechanism is probably starting to wear out.  I'm seeing this too, though with a third-party mouse... sometimes it doesn't respond to a click or it lets go when I'm clicking and dragging, etc.

One workaround is to set your trackpad to be tappable, and you can just tap the pad instead of clicking the button.  I've found this to be a lot easier to do (and it's easier on my wrist) on laptops.


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## dlloyd (May 8, 2004)

And a lot easier to accidentally click . Since when have you used a laptop? 

If what Sam suggests (he ALWAYS suggests this; it's his fix-all ) doesn't work, I'd say send it into Apple.


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## q-styler (Dec 18, 2010)

Same here. Doesn't work with the first click. Hits only on second or third.
And it's definately not a mouse problem because same situation appears with touchpad and both of my mice.
Did anbody found a solution?


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## DeltaMac (Dec 18, 2010)

hmm... 6-year old thread?
Yours is probably a software issue, and not hardware as this thread started with a hardware problem, with clicks that wouldn't respond at all.
Can you provide more info about your system, such as model, OS X version, and if that problem only appears with certain software?
For example, quit all running apps, and open a finder window. Put that window in icon view.
Click once on a variety of different icons. Does the mouse or trackpad click respond on the first click each time, so that icons are selected with only one click?


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