# Intellimouse Explorer keeps 'going out'...mouse prob, or USB prob?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 1, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765 "2002-07-01T02:16:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765/1 "2002-07-01T02:16:13Z")

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Here’s the symptoms: My 3.5 year old computer (the same one that recently had a hard drive failure is up and running for the time being thanks to a HD that I cannibalized from another system…I used the Restore CD from compaq to set up my system on the new HD, and downloaded the latest drivers for everything including my Intellimouse Explorer. The big problem now is that the mouse will apparently completely lose power now and then, with the LED going out and of course no response from the mouse at all. So is this more likely a problem with the USB port and the motherboard, or the mouse itself? Any way I can check without hooking everything up to another computer to see if it runs?

Thanks…

(I can’t wait until I get paid for my latest freelance gig so I can get my [gamepc.com](http://gamepc.com) or Alienware system…)

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**Author:** ![KeithT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765/2 "2002-07-01T03:16:56Z")

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This has been a problem with some of the older Intellimice Explorer, but Microsoft will replace your mouse without requiring an exchange. You’ll need to give them the serial number that’s on the bottom.  
[http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouse/pss.asp](http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouse/pss.asp)

If you don’t want to work your way through web forms, I believe Microsoft hardware support has an 800 number you can call.  
[http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=24609792&m=5250926354](http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=24609792&m=5250926354)

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**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765/3 "2002-07-01T03:20:14Z")

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It’s most likely a problem with the mouse- if you hunt around, you’ll find lots of people with similar problems. There was a design defect where the wires going into the mouse would get stressed and eventually break. I went through two - the first one died, then the replacement died.

If you jiggle with the wire a bit, will it come back to life?

If the mouse is still under warranty, I think Microsoft was fairly good at replacing them.

I wound up replacing mine with a Logitech cordless optical mouse, which I really like.

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**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intellimouse-explorer-keeps-going-out-mouse-prob-or-usb-prob/116765/4 "2002-07-01T03:22:12Z")

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Thanks!