No Mouse, No Keyboard,
No Problem
By Cate Eales
Appeared September 18, 2008 on castanet.net
In the last two weeks I've heard from customers with
reluctant mouses, and renegade keyboards. There's a way to bail out of
Windows if you're having one of those problems. Don't panic, and read on!
What to do when the wireless mouse quits working
If you use a wireless mouse, one day it's going to quit on you. That's
just the way it goes, whether you spend $100 or $30 on the mouse. It's
going to stop working, and that's all there is to it. If you remain calm,
you can almost always recover.
The first thing to check is the batteries, if your wireless mouse has
batteries. If it does, replace them!
If your mouse doesn't run on batteries, then it's probably gotten out of
range or out of sync with the transmitter or cradle. If your mouse works
because there's a little piece of equipment about the size of your thumb
in a USB port on your computer, check to see if there is something solid
(a book, a pile of stuff, a photo, part of your desk...) in the line of
sight between that piece of equipment and your mouse. Move the mouse
closer to that transmitter. Does that help? If so, you need to rearrange
your office a little bit.
If your mouse "talks to" the computer using a cradle instead of a little
stick, try moving the cradle closer (or out from behind that stack of
DVDs).
If moving the mouse or the transmitter doesn't work, then most likely
they've lost touch with each other completely. You'll find a "connect"
button on your cradle or transmitter, and one on the bottom of the mouse.
Push the one on the transmitter or cradle first, and hold it for a couple
of seconds. Then, quickly, press the little button underneath the mouse,
and see if that solves the problem. If changing the batteries and
resynching doesn't work, you're going to need technical support or a new
mouse.
How to use the computer without a mouse
It's interesting to note that your computer most likely won't even start
without a working keyboard attached, but will happily boot up without a
mouse. And guess what? You don't even really need a mouse to do most
things in Windows, for instance shut down the computer when your mouse
quits working!
A previous column mentioned
shortcut key combinations and the Windows Key. The Windows Key is the key
that has the Windows logo on it. Sometimes it also says "Start". Pressing
that key once will open up the Start Menu. Once there you can use the down
arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate the menu, and the Enter key to
execute the commands.
What to do when the keyboard quits working
Keyboard problems come in two flavours: "When I press certain keys nothing
happens!" and "When I press a certain key it just keeps repeating and I
can't make it stop!" Both problems are inconvenient!
If pressing one or more keys results in..nothing, and you have a wireless
keyboard, try the same steps we used in the "wireless mouse" section,
above.
Whether your keyboard is wireless or attached to the computer in the
normal way, turn that keyboard upside down and shake out the crumbs and
pet hair. Use some compressed air to blow out any debris. (Do that VERY
GENTLY if the keyboard is on a laptop!)
Most keyboards are not impervious to Barq's Diet Root Beer or any other
soft drink, especially soft drinks with sugar. You probably need to shut
down the computer and buy another keyboard. I know that's what I had to do
when my computer would only type the "9" character over and over and over.
Nothing else, just 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999. Now I
try to keep the beverages a little farther away.
In the meantime, as long as your mouse is working, you can activate the
On-Screen Keyboard built into Windows and use that to get you out of a
jam.
Point your mouse to Start | All Programs | Accessories | Accessibility,
and click on On-Screen Keyboard. There's a
brief tutorial here. Hey! The On-Screen Keyboard comes equipped with
two Windows Keys!
click on image to view full size
Do you need help with your computer? Something else
interesting to ask or tell? I'm here to help you and your computer get
along! To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a
visit, email
cate@rlis.com. You can read previous columns
here. If you'd like to
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Links
Time to Buy More Mousetraps
http://rlis.com/columns/column48.htm
How To Turn On And Use On-Screen Keyboard
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/training/windowsxp/oskturnonuse.aspx
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives
http://rlis.com/column.htm
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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible
and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric,
and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions,
helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware
eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image
management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management.
Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your
comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit
the Real Life Internet Solutions website at
www.rlis.com.
©
Cate Eales 2008 – All Rights Reserved
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