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Calling tech support ninji...

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03:44 / 28.03.06

Okay, this has been going on for awhile, but I thought I'd fixed the problem and apparently I have not.

For several months now, my computer (iMac G4 weird adjustable head-on-pod model, 800 mHz, running 10.4.5) has been doing a thing where it thinks I've double-clicked when I've only clicked once. Or it will recognize a click and then as I move the mouse away from the target it will "recognize" another click that didn't happen. This usually happened in Firefox. I figured hey, it's an old mouse and a cheap one, I'll get a new one when I get around to it.

So, today, I did. Same brand, but new, nice new drivers to install, nifty extra functions. Used it for fifteen minutes. Then Firefox stopped responding at all to clicks, I thought, until I closely watched what was happening and it seemed that the browser started to open the link and then immediately stopped as if it had been canceled. If I tried to open a contextual menu, same deal; it would open the menu and close it again immediately as if I'd clicked twice. I closed Firefox and started up Safari; no such problem. I reopened Firefox and so far the problem hasn't returned, but I expect it to any moment now as I've decided the problem is in Firefox, not my mouse. (Fx version 1.5.0.1)

This is weird, and it's screwing with my head. The mouse brand is logitech, for the record. Any idea why this is happening and what's to be done about it?

05:03 / 28.03.06

I also have problems with my mouse and Firefox. I only realized the other day that if I hit the scroll wheel while the cursor is on a link, it opens the link.

Anybody know how to turn it off?

05:35 / 28.03.06

(id)entity: Apple make computers as well as iPods?

assayudin: Some of the firefox tab extensions (like Tab Mix Plus) have options to control the behaviour of the middle mouse button. So you could disable it with that. I wouldn't recommend installing any extensions if your firefox is flakey tho...

06:51 / 28.03.06

Have you tried using Safari to browse the web?

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07:39 / 28.03.06

Briefly, and it doesn't seem to do the same thing although this is an intermittent problem and I may just not be hitting it right. I could switch back to Safari, but damn it, I'd just gotten settled with Firefox when this started, and I rather like its functionality. You know, when it functions.

08:01 / 28.03.06

Could be that there's something wrong with your mouse port. If it was a PC I could suggest some places you could poke around, but I doubt you can fix it on a Mac. Have a look and see if any of the connecting pins are bent or broken, or if a child has tried to feed it cheese.

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09:13 / 28.03.06

It's a USB port, and there are no children here. And no cheese. In fact, it seems pretty fine.

09:19 / 28.03.06

Cube- there aren't likely to be any pins per se - since the dawn of the iMac in 1997 Mac mouse ports have been USB...

I suppose you could attempt plugging your mouse into a different USB port, but from the symptoms you describe it sounds like a software problem - that being the case, have you tried updating the version of firefox you are using?

Ninjas make great pets

10:46 / 28.03.06

ah firefox on mac. its a load of pants. may I second the recommendation of using safari for youe mac browsing. Not a great package but certainly does the job. Im on iMac g5 (jealous yet) but have been on g4 and g3s and almost always broswers cause problems. (Course it's the os rather than the mac but you know what I mean).

Anyway. have you also checked the click rate of your mouse? is it up too high or too low? (system prefs)

Firefox nearly killed one of the imacs here. Internet explorer is just not happy after a certain os level. Pretty much just leaves safari. A bugger but there you go.

(and I am actaully a tech Ninja so could you ask for more *cheesy grin*)

12:52 / 28.03.06

If you've eliminated the mouse and the USB port as being the culprit (did you switch the USB port you were plugged into?), it's gotta be software.

If I remember correctly there might be a mouse gesturing extension or preference in your firefox, so try to have a look at that. You could always dump firefox and try to work with a fresh installation as well. You might have to route around your preferences folder to dump any left over settings for the application if you are trying to be thorough.

Other than this, I passed on any Logitech mouse software myself and decided to use USB Overdrive instead. It's shareware so you should contribute to the author (at least to get rid of the annoying window at start-up). Take a look as it's the best mouse software I've used to date and it might help.

I'd also recommend running Disk Utility (or Cocktail / Onyx) to repair your permissions and run some assorted utilities on your mac. You should run this every couple of weeks or so to ensure proper performance behind the scenes.