trackball in iMac mouse

R

rgraham666

Registered
The trackball in my Imac mouse seems to have lost a direction on it. I can track up, left and right, but not down.

From what I can remember from the last time I used a trackball it probably needs cleaning.

Any advice on how to do that? Or on what's actually causing the problem?

Thanks in advance.
 
Here's Apple's advice (it's pretty lame) there's even a movie.

How to clean your Mighty Mouse

Although your Mighty Mouse never needs to be fed or watered, you may occasionally find that you need to clean it.

If your Mighty Mouse is covered in fingerprints or its surface has become soiled, it can be gently wiped with a clean lint-free cloth. If necessary, moisten the cloth using only water, making sure not to oversaturate it. Be aware that the mouse contains electronic components that may be damaged if water drips from the cloth into the mouse via the seam around the scroll ball or around its underside.

The same procedure can be used to clean the scroll ball on your Mighty Mouse if it has become discolored or dirty. Use a clean lint-free cloth lightly moistened with water. Wipe the ball and the surrounding area, making sure to rotate the ball itself to ensure complete coverage. If the scrolling feels rough or if the scroll ball isn't scrolling up, down, or side-to-side, hold the mouse upside-down and roll the ball vigorously while cleaning it to help dislodge any particles that may have collected on the internal hardware.

For a movie tutorial, click here. (Movie is approximately 600KB.)
Click to expand...
 
cheers for the link simbalala -- I needed a good laugh this morning ;)

I love the mighty mouse but this is too frequent an issue for me too. I find the best way to free the ball is to hold it upside down and push really hard down on it while spinning it around. You can push really quite hard down without damaging it, don't be afraid.

Doing this for 30 seconds or so seems to work most of the time, but sometimes it can be quite stubborn.

My kingdom for a non-mechanical scroll wheel!
 
Merci beaucoup, simbala, Cheese.

Now, if someone can tell how to get Diablo II to work on an Intel iMac.

Never mind, I waste too much time as it is. ;)
 
Great Apple tutorial, so informative and high tech, my question is, which I can't find anywhere, is what surface is the mighty mouse best used on?
I use it straight on my desktop and it sounds all scrapey/scratchy ....any ideas guys?
 
Desktop? You mean you use the mouse on your Mac screen (the desktop)? No wonder - LOL! That would do a lot a scraping, I suppose.... ;)

- (sorry, couldn't resist.... :) )

I use a normal mouse pad, as I find the optics in the mighty mouse don't always like hard surfaces, but that's just my observation, and maybe that I don't keep the rest of my computer desk very clean, eh?
 
DeltaMac said:
Desktop? You mean you use the mouse on your Mac screen (the desktop)? No wonder - LOL! That would do a lot a scraping, I suppose.... ;)

- (sorry, couldn't resist.... :) )

I use a normal mouse pad, as I find the optics in the mighty mouse don't always like hard surfaces, but that's just my observation, and maybe that I don't keep the rest of my computer desk very clean, eh?
Click to expand...
ha ha ha made my day (Birthday as well) thanks DeltaMac, time to rummage around for a mouse pad and try it out.
thanks again for your quick response, I better get onto getting those scratches out of the new glass monitor
 
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