Wireless mouse undiscoverable

[MacBoook160]

My not so young and not so computer savvy parents bought their first Mac about 18 months ago (whoo-hoo!) and it's been mostly problem-free, thank goodness (one situation necessitated a visit to their local Apple Store, where they were really lovely to my dad, and fixed the machine.)

In the last two days, they are having a problem with the iMac not being able to detect the wireless mouse. The shut it off and turn it on again worked temporarily, but it's no longer working. No need for a new battery, either. I can't get over there until mid-week, and I admit I'm no expert with the iMac, only having worked on laptops. Is there any troubleshooting advice you may offer me in the meantime so that I can hit the ground running when I see them? I figure it's a Bluetooth issue, but...

Many thanks.

 

[hfg]

I would try another known-good set of batteries first. Then remove the mouse from bluetooth, and repair it.

Good luck ...

 

[MacBoook160]

I would try another known-good set of batteries first. Then remove the mouse from bluetooth, and repair it.

Good luck ...

It came back again - intermittently, however, so though they say the batteries are fine, I'm tending to think you may be right, hfg. I hope so - that's an easy fix! May I ask a silly question? What do you mean by remove the mouse from bluetooth. From utilities or system preferences? I am a wireless mouse noob!

Many thanks again for your response!

 

[hfg]

It came back again - intermittently, however, so though they say the batteries are fine, I'm tending to think you may be right, hfg. I hope so - that's an easy fix! May I ask a silly question? What do you mean by remove the mouse from bluetooth. From utilities or system preferences? I am a wireless mouse noob!

Many thanks again for your response!

Even "new" batteries can be dead out of the box. So I would try another pair just to be sure. Some brands of batteries can be loose in the holder and some posters have put a small wad of paper under the cover to better hold them in place.


You probably need another mouse to use temporarily, old USB one is fine.
Open Bluetooth Preferences and locate the mouse entry, then click the "X" to delete it. Then turn off, and then on the mouse and let the iMac rediscover it. When it does, re-pair the mouse and iMac.


Check to see if they have any USB 3.0 peripherals hooked up such as a external disk drive. If so, unplug it and see if the mouse response improves. There are issues with USB 3.0 and bluetooth mice due to RF leakage, and often simply using a better quality shielded cable will solve this if that proves to be a problem.

 

[MacBoook160]

Even "new" batteries can be dead out of the box. So I would try another pair just to be sure. Some brands of batteries can be loose in the holder and some posters have put a small wad of paper under the cover to better hold them in place.


You probably need another mouse to use temporarily, old USB one is fine.
Open Bluetooth Preferences and locate the mouse entry, then click the "X" to delete it. Then turn off, and then on the mouse and let the iMac rediscover it. When it does, re-pair the mouse and iMac.


Check to see if they have any USB 3.0 peripherals hooked up such as a external disk drive. If so, unplug it and see if the mouse response improves. There are issues with USB 3.0 and bluetooth mice due to RF leakage, and often simply using a better quality shielded cable will solve this if that proves to be a problem.

Many thanks. I was just coming here to update. I had an early morning "tech call" (heh) and you basically repeated the battery portion of my conversation verbatim. The new battery worked...but, it seems the problem is the back of the mouse. When they slip it on, the connection with bluetooth goes out again (there's a note that the mouse is undiscoverable). Take the back off? Everything's fine.

So at some point this week, I suggested Dad goes to the Apple Store. I hadn't heard of this before, but anything can happen, I guess.

Thank you again - the rest of your comment is also most helpful. The don't have other peripherals; all there is is a modem. I'll have to look around here. I must have some old mouse around to take over in case of emergency.

 

[hfg]

Many thanks. I was just coming here to update. I had an early morning "tech call" (heh) and you basically repeated the battery portion of my conversation verbatim. The new battery worked...but, it seems the problem is the back of the mouse. When they slip it on, the connection with bluetooth goes out again (there's a note that the mouse is undiscoverable). Take the back off? Everything's fine.

So at some point this week, I suggested Dad goes to the Apple Store. I hadn't heard of this before, but anything can happen, I guess.

Thank you again - the rest of your comment is also most helpful. The don't have other peripherals; all there is is a modem. I'll have to look around here. I must have some old mouse around to take over in case of emergency.

I guess I would check that the back cover alignment isn't causing the little switch handle to move slightly. Also, that could be a sign of loose batteries others have reported, and a small wad of paper, paper towel, etc. can be placed between the batteries and the cover to hold them more firmly in place.

A different brand of battery also may help, I have found that some have a different + tip which may not insert into the slot and make proper contact.