Is my mouse buggy, or is it just old?

Twiggy

IBM PC-DOS 3.3 and Windows 286/2.11 work like a charm on the Packard Bell Pack-Mate III now.

However, when I am using the mouse it seems a little hard to move at times, more often left-right than top-bottom.

This is obviously quite an old mouse, and it's a packard bell mouse, so is the keyboard, the only non-packard bell component in my setup is the IBM vga monitor from 1990.

The rest I assume because of the copyright date on the boot screen of 1989 is from 1989.

Could there be something I could do like clean out the insides of the mouse thoroughly, put it to more use? Or is this just how old mice were, or is there probably something wrong with the mouse?

SomeGuy

I assume this is a ball mouse? You have to clean mouse balls. :P

The ball mouse design really would not have been so bad - except some nuclear physicist somewhere though it would be funny if they used miniature lint rollers to control the movement wheels.

So periodically, you have to pop open the ball compartment, and use a q-tip and some alcohol to clean the rollers that contact with the ball.

Twiggy

SomeGuy wrote:

I assume this is a ball mouse? You have to clean mouse balls. :P

The ball mouse design really would not have been so bad - except some nuclear physicist somewhere though it would be funny if they used miniature lint rollers to control the movement wheels.

So periodically, you have to pop open the ball compartment, and use a q-tip and some alcohol to clean the rollers that contact with the ball.

I will try that, thanks.

EDIT: Did. Works better, but not perfect. I will blow it out with my air compressor tomorrow, then clean again. Hopefully that'll solve things.

66659hi

SomeGuy wrote:

I assume this is a ball mouse? You have to clean mouse balls. :P

The ball mouse design really would not have been so bad - except some nuclear physicist somewhere though it would be funny if they used miniature lint rollers to control the movement wheels.

So periodically, you have to pop open the ball compartment, and use a q-tip and some alcohol to clean the rollers that contact with the ball.

I prefer ball mice honestly for usage, they seem to be a little more accurate - but I use lasers because cleaning the balls is a pain

Twiggy

Cleaned it a bunch of times, but I am still not having much luck.

If me blowing out the insides with compressed air tomorrow, does not work. I will have to use a different ps/2 mouse.

But my only ps/2 mouse which works nice, is with my deskpro.

That mean's it'll be time to go "thrifting" as LGR would put it.

BigCJ

As they age, ball mice can be a real pain. Even if you clean them regularly, they'll wear out (what doesn't?) eventually. You may want to pick up a few spares. When I don't use my laptop, a PS/2-style ball mouse is my first goto. Me no need "scroll-wheel"

Also, BIOS dates can't be relied on solely to date a system. My PB firmware is dated 11/17/94, but is from early '95. Check dates on components and I believe there's a PB Wiki.

EDIT: PB Wiki only lists Packmate II, but it matches OP's system description. Manufacturer date is listed between 1989-1990.

66659hi

Scroll wheels are quite useful, I have to disagree there. I hate click and drag scrolling.

Twiggy

Okay,

so not much improvement after the air compressor either.

Time to get another ps/2 mouse for it.

HorseBatteryStaple

If you have an extra serial port, i have a Mouse Systems trackball (original) that i sadly, cannot use.

Twiggy

HorseBatteryStaple wrote:

If you have an extra serial port, i have a Mouse Systems trackball (original) that i sadly, cannot use.

I do.

HorseBatteryStaple

I think if i say much else, Someone* will ban me completely, and my mum won't let me mail it, so i'm sorry, but i can't send it.