# Left mouse button problem on Desktop PC



## ThomasNL (Jan 20, 2013)

Dear all,

I Googled a lot, but no solution to my problem found, so I turn to you and hope someone can help me out.

The problem:

My left mouse button does not always register when clicked and holding left mouse does not work or barely, which makes dragging or multiple selection of files impossible. My PC runs on Windows 7. The problem is only related to the left button, all other buttons perform fine without any problem.

What I have tried so far:

I have a logitech MX performance mouse. I smetimes have to click the left key multiple times(5 to 10) before it responds.

To find out if it's just the mouse, I also tested a Razor Copperhead which I have. Also on this mouse it happens, but far less. Clicking left mostly works the first time when clicked. This mouse does not respond in about 20% of the times when clicked. Also with this mouse dragging when holding left click is impossible. Sometimes for an instance a small box will start to appear when held, but almost immediately stops the action.

I have never liked the logitech software, this was therefore not installed.

I deleted the mice from the hardware list. After plugged in the Copperhead, to make sure no interference would be caused by having multiple mice installed in the hardware list.

A clean installation of Windows 7, to make sure no piece of software could cause intereference, had absolutely no effect.

I find it strange that the left click works a lot better with the Copperhead, but still find it awkward it occasionally doesnt register the left click and dragging is still impossible.

If anyone can think of a solution, I would be happy to try and give feedback, also when resolved.

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

Thomas


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

IMO both your mice are bad (normal wear) and your logitec one is worse off than the copperhead. A clean install of Windows is pretty much proof that it's not software related. As we speak, I have an HP mouse that has this problem. I opened it up and sure enough the wear is clearly visible on the left button. It is plastic pressing on plastic and after prolonged use, the top plastic that presses the small button inside develops a groove where it contacts the internal button. When that happens, you are forced to use extreme force on the button, which only makes things worse because it only deepens the groove.

I managed to restore normal operation by placing a small piece of folded paper underneath the circuit board just below the left button so that the left side button is raised slightly to compensate for the mis-click caused by the groove. It's not a neat fix, but it's works just fine for me.

I was not surprised that the wear happens on the left button and not the right because I play FPS games a lot and as expected, left mouse button is fire/trigger so it is in use way more often than the right and middle mouse button.

My scenario could be different from yours though, so get a screw driver and open both mice and inspect the press mechanism for a groove/notch on the top plastic. You can also try clicking by pressing directly on the small button and see if there's a difference. If it's the same wear that I have experienced, your left mouse button will work as expected when pressed directly. Watch out for hidden screws beneath rubber "feet" on the bottom of the mice.


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## ThomasNL (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

With the logitech I would understand it is wear. however the Copperhead I have not used much, probably less than a year and replaced it because the mouse is too small for my hands to be comfortable.

I tried to open the Logitech mouse, but the screws are impossible to unscrew as they are so small eventhough I have a screwdriver that is about 3 or 4mm.
Is there a way to slip something in there as you did to raise the button and make it responsive again without opening it?

Right now I have plugged in a PS2 mouse which does work fine.

last question:

Could it be possible I have a problem with my USB ports? Please take in mind that all the other mouse keys do work fine and I tried multiple USB ports with the same result.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It just sounds like you need a new mouse. If the usb ports were a problem you would see other issues perhaps with keyboard or flash drives.


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

i agree with other post replace the mouse.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

You won't be able to access the bottom of the circuit board without opening it, plus you need to know the exact position of the button on the board so that you raise it exactly where it matters. All the mice that I've opened have (plastic) protrusions that suspend the circuit board a little bit so that it does not rest on the floor of the casing. There's a possibility of the one closest to the left button is broken in the mice. That's also one type of defect that I've come across that can cause the unresponsive button problem. Unfortunately, you wouldn't know what exactly is the problem without inspecting the mice's internals.
I don't think it's a problem with your USB ports because you would be experiencing problems with other USB devices (or do you?) and the other keys as well because as far as USB comminication goes, there are only four connections involved (two for power and two for data) and none of the connections is explicitly linked to a specific button on the mouse. All the buttons and wheels on the mice trigger signals that are transmitted through the two data contacts and wires, so if it was a faulty port(s), you would be experiencing problems with all of the mice buttons (and wheels) and not only one.


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