Keyboard And Mouse

Using a Mac Mighty Mouse on a PC

How to use a Mac Mighty Mouse with a PC, and what to expect.

Have you seen the Might Mouse? No, I do not mean the super hero. I mean the latest innovation by Apple computers– the Mighty Mouse. The mighty mouse is unlike any mouse you’ve ever seen before.

The Mighty Mouse works directly with the latest version of the Macintosh operating system to provide many advanced features. However, using the Mighty Mouse with a Macintosh is not the subject of this article. This article focuses on exactly what you can expect when using the Mighty Mouse with a Windows based PC.

Introducing the Mighty Mouse

The mighty mouse is a smoothly designed white oval. To me it looks like 1/2 of a tic-tac(tm) candy. It fits nicely in your hand and is very easy to maneuver. It is an optical mouse, and thus has no roller-ball. This allows the mouse to be operated on a variety of surfaces. There are no visible buttons. However, if you click near the front left or right of the mouse, you will produce a left or right click.

There are also two buttons on the sides of the mouse. These buttons operate together. If you press both buttons– effectively squeezing the mouse, it allows you to select text, of perform some other custom operation. These two buttons are not functional when using Windows. I rarely use the “squeeze buttons” on the Macintosh, so I don’t miss them too much on Windows.

Perhaps the best feature on the Mighty Mouse is the scroll ball. This looks like a single Cyclops eye at the top of the mouse. The scroll ball is small, about the size of a pea. Because it is so small you can roll it with very little pressure on your figure. The scroll bar allows you to scroll the current window in all four directions. Unfortunately, when used with a PC, the scroll ball allows no movement of the horizontal scroll bar.

The Mighty Mouse uses a USB interface. There is currently not a wireless version of the Mighty Mouse available. Additionally, no PS/2 converter is provided. To connect the Mighty Mouse to a PS/2 port will require you to purchase a PS/2 converter.

Windows Drivers

Installing the drivers is a snap. There are no drivers for Windows. The Mighty Mouse works like any other USB mouse. Simply plug it into your Windows computer and it is ready to go. A reboot is not even required.

Unsupported Features in Windows

The Mighty Mouse was designed with the Macintosh in mind. As a result, some of its features do not work on Windows. For me, the most missed feature is horizontal scrolling. On a Macintosh you can scroll in all four directions using the scroll-ball. On Windows you can only scroll vertically.

There are other features that are not available on Windows. However, I do not miss these as much as the four-way scrolling. The two side buttons do not function on Windows. On the Macintosh these can select text or be assigned to other functions. Additionally, the left mouse button can be reassigned to other functions on the Macintosh.

Conclusions

At home I work primarily with a Macintosh, and would not be without my Mighty Mouse. Being able to scroll in all four directions without moving the mouse is very handy. I was so fond of this device that I bought a second Mighty Mouse to use at work. At work I use a Windows XP based PC.

The same feel of the ergonomically designed mouse is obviously still present, and much appreciated. But not being able to scroll horizontally is unfortunate. On the Macintosh the four-way scrolling is one of the key features of the Mighty mouse. For this feature to be missing on the Windows side is disappointing.

However, despite this limitation I believe that the Mighty Mouse is still one of the best mouse choicesArticle Search, even in the PC world.

Using a Mac Mighty Mouse on a PC / Jeff Heaton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Heaton is author, consultant and college instructor. Jeff maintains the “Heaton Research” website that contains many Java tutorials and other computer programming information.

How to Clean Your Laptop’s Touchpad

Well, I suppose that everybody knows that laptops don’t come with that regular desktop computer mouse. Instead, laptops have pointing devices such as touchpads, pointing sticks or trackballs.
We will be speaking today about this laptops that have a touchpad as their pointing device and most of all, we will be speaking about how to clean the laptops’ touchpad.

Cleaning your laptop touchpads improves the quality of the motion and response of the touchpad. Because touchpads are sealed, you will not need to worry about dirt or dust entering your laptop. Instead yourself as a constant user will probably make your touchpad dirty. Yes, even if you may not be aware and as clean as you may be, your fingers are actually greasy. This grease, while working with your laptops’ touchpad gets on it making it more difficult to use after a period of time. So, once in a while you have to clean the laptop touchpad.

This can be easily done with a damp cloth with a bit of 50% solution of isopropyl alcohol.Or use a small amount of ammonia-based window cleaner. Actually almost any glass cleaning solution will do the trick. However,because of the “almost” word, if you don’t know for sure that you can safely clean your laptop touchpad with the solution you have, try it first on the bottom of your laptop bag to see if the solution doesn’t do some harm to the inside of the bag. Always remember not to push too hard when cleaning the surface of the touchpad since the laptop’s touchpad is a fragile device that may suffer injuries while cleaning it.

So carefully wipe the dirt off the touchpad of your laptop without pushing. After cleaning it, if the touchpad was seriously wet, and the touchpad does not responde in the normal, expected way, a week or so of non-use may cure keys that don’t work. If by bad luck your touchpad gets damaged, you can speak with a laptop repairing service provider to change it as part of a new keyboard. It is an easy task to do in most of the cases.

This is straightforward if the part can be obtained, usually direct from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, it is an expensive part (typically between $20 and $50) HoweverComputer Technology Articles, be careful not to get to that point when you break your laptop’s touchpad while cleaning it because it will be more difficult to change or repair it than to pay a bit of attention when cleaning it…

How to Clean Your Laptop’s Touchpad / John Wally Smith

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Read the complete guide on How To Buy A Rugged Laptop on http://www.MagicLaptop.com

Tips For Choosing The Right Computer Desk Furniture

Computers play a huge role in modern living. People worldwide spend hours seated before their computers for either work or entertainment purposes. However, spending so much time on your computer can cause health problems especially if you are forced to do so in an uncomfortable position. Its important to find computer desk furniture that wont harm you.

Do not keep on using a desk that puts you in an unnatural position every time you use your mouse. A desk that sets your keyboard too high can cause an injury to your wrist that can develop into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Computer desk furniture is available in retail furniture stores, home stores, department stores, and at office supply stores. Computer workstations are sets that often come with computer desk furniture like desks, chairs, and bookshelves. This station offers you spaces were you can conveniently place your monitor, keyboard, CPU, and a storage space. You can buy the pieces separately if you find that a workstation becomes inadequate for your needs.

You can find pieces that you need or mix and the match the pieces until you put together a set that is suitable for you. You can also find computer desk furniture online through the Internet. Although purchasing online may include shipping costs, you can find sites that offer free shipping. They will then deliver the furniture to your home where you can assemble it yourself.

You can choose from a variety of colors and wood type when you purchase computer desk furniture. Some of the wood used are natural but most are made out of a type of pressed wood. The natural wood costs more but they are also more attractive. Since the humidity of your area might warp the wood so it is important to find a type of wood that will match the climate of your home.

Its also important to maintain your computer desk furniture by polishing the wood regularly. Durability and safety are issues you should keep in mind, especially if you have children at home. Possible dangers like sharp corners should be inspected before making any purchase.

If youre not satisfied with the computer desk furniture that is available on the market, you can have it built specially for you. It may cost more than buying ready-made piecesBusiness Management Articles, but if you can afford it you can have one that built exactly the way you want it.

Tips For Choosing The Right Computer Desk Furniture / Morgan Hamilton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning computers. Get more information by visiting Computer Desk Furniture