You might consider replacing your mouse with a new touchpad. I've been using Cirque Glidepoint touchpads for the last 4 years.  Everything is done with a fingertip, no hand or wrist motion, and no moving parts in the device.  I have 3 touchpads for my 3 computers.  Fellowes now makes Cirque Cruisecat touchpads.  The Cirques list for $69.95, and I found the Fellowes, which is identical, at www.buycomp.com for $27.90.  It comes with a 3-year warranty, but since there are no moving  parts, it would be hard to break one.  My first one still works  perfectly.  Find out about them at www.fellowes.com or www.cirque.com.  I wouldn't switch back to a mouse for anything.

>> > Anyone know why mice go bad?
>> > I don't mean dirt in the mechanism, I mean the jerky, patchy
>> > behaviours that some mice begin to exhibit after varying periods of
>> > time.
>
>The ball and roller type mouse, typically exhibit this behavior when the
>rollers (as described so well by David G) get embedded dirt in them.
>Superficial cleaning will not  restore functionality. Over the years I have
>seen many perfectly good mice get tossed in he trash because the owners
>didn't know how to clean them.
>
>  To clean a ball roller mouse, or any electronics, use 99 percent alcohol
>which can be purchased at a pharmacy. Unlike rubbing alcohol, there is no
>water or perfume = oil in 99%. It is also a much stronger cleaner then the
>percentages would indicate. If it is not displayed ask the pharmacist to
>order it for you.
>
>Take a cotton swab immersed in alcohol, and clean the housing, the roller
>ball, and the inside of the ball cavity, wetting down the rollers. Let the
>rollers soak  in alcohol for a bit. Then take an Xacto knife and scrape off
>the rollers..You can also soak and scrap off the Teflon foot pads of the
>mouse. Don't exert too much force with the razor blade, only what is
>necessary. You don't want to gouge the rollers or the pads.
>
>It is helpful to use a lighted magnified lamp when doing this. You will see
>dirt that you can not see with the naked eye. Reassemble the mouse and it
>should work fine. When the footpads are dry you can also spray a swab with
>silicon lubricant, and use it to wet down the clean footpad.  Using this
>procedure, I have kept expensive cordless mice working like new for a
>decade,... until the switches wore out.
>
>With optical mice is  necessary to occasionally use compressed air to blow
>out the LED cavity. If any dust or lint gets in there, it will block the
>reflective process and effect performance. You can also use a swab soaked
>in alcohol to remove difficult dirt from the light cavity.
>
>Another thing that can go wrong, particularly with mice that have been
>abused by dangling from the cord,.... is when one of the wires starts to
>break at the point where it enters the mouse. I have seen this happen a
>number of times with Microsoft Intelleye mice. You can fix this by
>disassembling the mouse, and then soldering the wire. I then use stainless
>steel tape to reinforce the repair so it can't happen again. If you attempt
>this repair, you had better be good at this sort of thing, as the wire you
>will be working with is the size of a hair!
>
>A third problem can occur with the buttons  =  internal switches. They
>either stop working, or they work erratically. This is usually the result
>of dirty sticky switches. Disassemble the mouse, clean the housing from the
>inside and then use an electronic aerosol cleaner, perhaps with silicon to
>spray the switches. The cleaner and the pressure will clean the contacts.
>The silicon in the cleaner will lubricate the switch. Note: don't use pure
>silicon or you will coat the contacts with an insulator and the switch will
>cease to function.
>
>Any of these procedures can be performed quickly, and are relatively easy
>to accomplish. They can preserve a favorite and expensive mouse until it's
>components wear out.
>
>Rode
>The NOSPIN Group
>
>                  Visit our website regularly for FAQs,
>               articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more
>                          http://freepctech.com
>


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