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chrisism

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
5
0
My "mighty" mouse's (mice... whatever?!) keep breaking and I'm getting really sick of it. It's the third mouse I've bought for mac and the scroll wheel just decides for no reason to stop working.

The reason I keep buying the mighty mouse is for it's 360 degree wheel which, when it works is very useful for scrolling in all directions. I use a lot of creative editing software in both video and audio which makes this mouse a worthwhile purchase but now I'm looking for an alternative... that will last.

I realize, from searching through these forums that this topic gets posted fairly regularly but I'm looking for a specific mouse which scrolls and functions similarly to the Mighty Mouse
Any suggestions?

(if not I might just fork out for a graphics tablet but I'd prefer a mouse I think)
 
Here:

1. Turn the mouse off (if its Bluetooth)
2. Get a pad off paper
3. Turn the mouse over, and rub the ball all around the paper in circular motions.
4. A lot of grime may appear on the top of the ball now, so wipe that off
5. Give your scrolly ball a try and see if it works!

Edit: Works for me every time!
 
With many multi-button mice you can click and hold the scroll wheel button while moving the mouse. Which will allow you to perform side scrolling and up/down scrolling the active window the mouse is over.

Be aware that you will need a mouse which has drivers for Mac OS X to utilize this function key as well as the other buttons. By default Mac OS X only recognizes the left click, right click and scroll wheel (which I think also holds true for Windows). Logitech and Microsoft provide Mac drivers for most of their mice but make sure the one you get is included.

Personally I use the Logitech MX310 and have been moving the mouse from computer to computer for several years now, but it is wired. Cheaper brands like Macally and Belkin also make mice for Macs but have fewer buttons. There is also third party software that allows you to access and program the tertiary buttons of mice but I do not know the name of it.
 
Here:

1. Turn the mouse off (if its Bluetooth)
2. Get a pad off paper
3. Turn the mouse over, and rub the ball all around the paper in circular motions.
4. A lot of grime may appear on the top of the ball now, so wipe that off
5. Give your scrolly ball a try and see if it works!

Edit: Works for me every time!

Genius! This actually worked. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical that this would do anything but it did. In the mean time I'm going to road test a few alternatives including the ones you guys have suggested here.

Thanks a lot for your help and keep the suggestions coming...
:)
 
I killed 4 Mighty Mice in 2 years. I now rely on this funny set up:

k9w1fb.jpg



It's a Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000, which I have the USB dongle plugged into my Apple keyboard.
 
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