Tiplet expert tips & tech support

July 22, 2009

How to Disable a Touchpad, Pointing Stick, Mouse or Other Pointing Device

Filed under: computer hardware,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 1:27 pm

by David Hakala

I bought a Thinkpad T61 notebook recently, retiring a vintage 2001Toshiba Tecra 8100 laptop. (Go ahead and snigger, but we made lots of money together.) The new machine, like most others made in recent years, has a small touch-sensitive cursor-moving pad in the center of its front edge – right where I like to rest the balls of my thumbs when I am typing. As a result, the cursor sometimes jumped around unexpectedly and the characters I was typing ended up in the middle of previously written words.

I learned this nuisance is called a touchpad. It is useless, too small to give me good control of the cursor. I use a USB mouse with a self-retracting cord. The touchpad had to go.
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April 7, 2009

Choosing a Gaming Mouse

Filed under: computer hardware — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

A mouse can make the difference between “life and death” in a computer game, between winning and losing, enjoying the game or screaming in frustration. Fortunately, there are plenty of good gaming mice from which to choose, and they are not very expensive. Here are some key features to look for in a gaming mouse:
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March 14, 2009

Fix the Scroll Ball on the Apple Mighty Mouse

Filed under: computer hardware,Macintosh — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Nathaniel Poor

If you have an Apple “Mighty Mouse,” the white one with the scroll ball, you probably use the scroll ball a lot. If not, I suggest you try it. If you do use the scroll ball a lot, it has probably stopped working at some point. Fixing it, luckily, is just as easy as using it. You don’t even need to get up from your computer to get any rubbing alcohol, you already have everything you need right in front of you.
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February 11, 2009

New Tricks With Your Windows Mouse, and When to Buy a New One

Filed under: applications,computer hardware,computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

For many people, the Windows mouse hasn’t evolved much since the dawn of the PC. This is especially true of bottom-bargain gadgets often provided as standard PC purchase accessories: two buttons boringly labeled Left and Right, wired to the computer, and sensing motion through a small rotating sphere in contact with a desk or mousepad. If you’re using one of these, a very economical upgrade can greatly improve your mousing game.

Perhaps the most basic mouse-tech enhancement was the scroll wheel, first available a decade or more ago, allowing easy up-and-down motion within most applications’ files. If your hand is already on the mouse for file editing, spinning the wheel can be much more convenient than moving the cursor to the scroll bar and then back to the file area.
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