stuck laptop mouse button!
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Posted on Dec 01, 2007 06:15 pm
fortymile
Member Since: Jan 18, 2003
my left mouse button somehow got into a stuck half-depressed state. it's not totally down, but it's stuck in such a way that the lightest brush of my thumb against it now constitutes a 'click'
what can i do? are those things removable? can i pry it off and clean beneath it? i'm not sure if dust or grime or something is responsible or what, but this kinda sucks.
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 07:24 pm Give it 25 milligrams of Doxepin and make an appointment with the shrink.
IF they are the little rubber type you can try and hit it with some canned air while it is unplugged of course. Then if you have a very thin flexible tool kind of slide it around the edge a little bit. Then hit it with the air again. Hopefully nothing sticky like soda or anything is in there. If that is the case use the same tool only moistened slightly and do the same type of thing followed by air again.
IF they are the solid plastic type the same kind of procedure can be used. But moisture is not a real good option there.
I have not seen any that can be pried out though as the edge is usually what holds them beneath the case surface.
Dec 01, 2007 07:57 pm yeah its the hard plastic kind. i wonder what happened. only thing that happened was some cig ashes fell on the keyboard the other night, but that was over near the 's' key. seems like maybe there's nothing under it. seems like whatever makes the button springy has simply failed.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 08:32 pm Ya, it is usually hard to get something underneath those things. But ya, the only spring in most laptops are simply the contact strip type bubble. And they are pretty flimsy really. But it is odd that it would break down so soon. IF it is still under warranty you can probably get it fixed. But are you willing to part with it for several weeks. that is the question. Unless you have a tech place near there that does warranty repair. Otherwise they are not all the difficult to dismember, I mean dis assemble. But be warned, there are a lot of tiny little screws that can get lost easily.
Dec 01, 2007 08:48 pm no, i can't part with it for several weeks. most i could do is take it into a shop somewhere for an afternoon. can a place fix it in an afternoon?
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 08:49 pm <sucks air in though teeth>
I don't think this is a matter of dirt...
You might have worn out the momentary switch under the button... you'll have to call the manufacturer because I don't think the part will be listed as a retail ready item...
Looking at a dell I have in bits & pieces... the 'clickyness' is inherent to the switch... which is attached to a adhesive tape/ribbon circuit board... which is attached to an aluminum plate which makes up the bulk of the palm rest. That _entire_ piece is relatively easy to remove... but I have no idea what it's called so I can't look up a part number.
Dec 01, 2007 09:13 pm yeah i agree that it's a button issue, the momentary switch like you said. i've been hitting the thing too hard as a result of annoying delays due to spyware. i succeeded in removing all the spyware on my system (that could be found by about six different free programs) this week, but my impatient, mad clicking seems to have killed the switch.
so i guess the next move is to call dell
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 09:39 pm Ya, most local places like dare I see it, Geek Squad can do it pretty quickly. but ya, those little circuit type key switches are the pits when they get wupped on. One of my old synths had that issue twice so the third time it took a crap I simply cut into the card and hard wired my own buttons to the case. Does that count as Circuit bending? Maybe I invented that long before anyone else.
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 09:43 pm a temp fix might be to unplug the touch pad internally and use a regular mouse...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 01, 2007 09:53 pm Ya, you can actually just plug a USB mouse or standard if it has the ps2 port for it right n and it'll take hold without unplugging the internal connection.
On one of our big test benches we have a fancy industrial keyboard that has the integrated mouse knob and buttons and it fails all the time from abuse and oil. I just plug a regular mouse in until the new part arrives.
Dec 06, 2007 09:20 pm dell is replacing my battery and sending a repair dude out to the place to fix the mouse button. it's all under warranty. w00t.
too bad the phone call took over an hour. for no reason i can understand.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 06, 2007 10:09 pm Well that is good. And ya, their tech support is OK one you finally get through. But is is getting through that seems to take forever.
Dec 07, 2007 02:55 am jeez...it only took me a week for the dioxepin joke to click. now i get it.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 07, 2007 05:02 pm I wondered if you even saw it or not. I know zek must not have either. I figured if you didn't know what Doxepin was you would just google it.
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Dec 07, 2007 05:25 pm yeah I got it... I just didn't comment :)
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 07, 2007 08:33 pm OK, I feel better now then.
Jul 15, 2011 11:16 pm So I know this reply is coming over 3 years late but I just found this thread and forum. This is what seems to be a common problem yet very few comments out there on the net about it.
I'm not sure why the left click button goes bad first but I'm guessing it is because of the amount of use it receives. I've now gone threw 2 of them on my Inspiron 1520. The integrated Mouse is part of the Palm Rest for the entire laptop. really easy to replace the palm rest if you know how to do it but if you got warranty service like I did then they send a Tech straight to your house to fix it. usually takes about half hour tops. The part is also called a palm-rest and from what I've found tends to only be available from the Manufacturer or a distributor. Mine I is $50 for the piece plus labor.
BTW I don't know if HP offers this or not but Dell does online service chat 24/7 and it speeds up the process greatly! Give it a shot.
Jul 18, 2011 05:04 pm I have a Dell XPS 1530 Laptop. It is 2 1/2 years old and I have a 3 year fix at home warranty. The left mouse has become 'depressed' twice in the past year. The first time it happened (September 2010) Dell sent an engineer who replaced the palm rest - apparently under warranty as I was not charged.
When I rang Dell to get it fixed again this week, they refused to do so under warranty. First they said that the mouse pad warranty only lasts 3 months. They said the last time they fixed it it was a goodwill gesture! Then they said they wouldn't fix it because it is due to wear and tear (I'm not sure how they know that without looking at it). It seems that their goodwill has worn out anyway.
They would not entertain the possibility that there might be a fundamental design flaw if the mouse cannot last less than a year in a laptop that cost over £1000. I have found 9 separate forum posts describing the same problem on the same model. My 5 year old Acer which cost half the price is still solid.
I asked them to send me written confirmation of the 3 month limit on mouse warranty but all I got was their standard T&C of sale.
I am extremely annoyed. I am also very interested to hear that some people are still getting this fixed under warranty. FryKnight - when was your laptop repaired?
