I just purchased a new MS Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 for my desktop computer. I used it for a couple weeks on the initial charge, and everything was fine and working wonderfully, but then it was due for a recharging and it just would not charge, and instead presented me with a blinking red LED while on the charging base after just a minute of green-LED status preceding that.
I was all ready to take the new Microsoft Mouse back to where I purchased it. But, I went hunting on the Internet to see if other people were complaining about the mouse recharge issues... YES! COMMON.
And the Microsoft Laser Mouse 7000 will not recharge for a RIDICULOUS REASON - which, I have to wonder how many batteries are pitched and/or mouses are returned because of, where MS needs to provide a SIMPLE FIX (due to a simple design flaw) by way of a new battery and/or workaround.
MS Wireless Mouse 7000 DESIGN FLAW; SIMPLE FIX!
I came across a solution someone figured out, which *appears* to be working now, as my Microsoft mouse, with its small rechargeable Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) battery, is recharged again finally.
Symptoms / Debugging:
If you try to charge your mouse without a battery inside, you will see a red blinking LED on the top of the mouse [like the symptom you are experiencing during recharging attempts for previously unknown reasons]. If there is a battery in the mouse, and everything is functioning properly, that LED should be slowly blinking GREEN until it is fully charged, and then it should be solid green light.
Why do you get a red blinking LED / Light indicator instead of a green one, even with your NEW Microsoft Laser Mouse 7000, which presumably has a NEW rechargeable and fully functional battery?
Well, it turns out that the mouse has an internal switch/button/sensor positioned under the battery (when battery is installed) that senses the presence of the battery in the battery compartment. Unfortunately, the standard NiMH battery shipped with the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 is too narrow of diameter and does not fully depress the battery-sensor switch, and the mouse acts as though no battery is present, even when it is.
Solution / Fixing Mouse Recharge Issues, Problem
The solution is to: 1) get a thicker battery (which, I have no idea where to find one) or more preferably, 2) wrap some paper and/or tape around the battery that came with the mouse - just enough to make the battery-diameter great enough to depress the switch under the battery.
I have taken the approach of rolling paper around the battery (2 or three turns around battery with normal letter paper I had cut into a strip the width of the battery) and taping the paper together on outside so as to prevent if from uncoiling itself. Then, I placed the battery back in the battery compartment an put the mouse on the base / recharger unit. Voila! It now charges.
Note: do not put so much paper around the battery as to make closing the battery holder compartment door impossible. My battery-cover door was a snug fit when I was done, but it worked.
Summary
I still can not help thinking how many of these otherwise-working mice are being thrown away and/or returned when Microsoft (or their designer, manufacturer, battery supplier, etc) made a rather simple design flaw error that has found its way into the market. Talk about LAME QUALITY CONTROL procedures! Simple test: assemble multiple Microsoft Mouse components, use, test, recharge, check for issues... BEFORE manufacturing and distributing a pile of mouse pointer devices that have an error that should be caught!
Well, so long as my Wireless Mouse 7000 Microsoft device is back to working and recharging consistently, I am OK with it. I generally like it otherwise. My ONLY other annoyance with it is the left-side navigation-buttons that are oddly small and positioned in a weird location for simple use (as compared to my older, and nearly perfect Microsoft wired Intellimouse Explorer 4.0 USB 5-button mouse). The ONLY reason I moved to the Laser Mouse 7000 was for the WIRELESS aspect, and if it recharges OK now, I will stick with it.
20 comments:
Thanks! I just got a 7000 today and had the blinking red light. A 3" trimmed down PostIt Note wrapped around it with the sticky side going down last worked great. Just enough layers and eliminated the need for taping.
I just did a search and found this post! The tape fix worked for my Microsoft wireless mouse 7000
Thank you SO much for taking the time to put your workaround for this issue - you saved me a lot of frustration. It is people like you who make the Internet such a great communication device! Thank you
Thanks greatly this has bugged me for a while now and i never really like looking on forums but this has made me re-think that position. Thanks again to original poster for a great fix.
Your welcome everyone! Glad I have saved you all some time (and/or prevented returning, or disposing, a perfectly good mouse). Too bad MS didn't figure out the problem pre-production, as I consider this all unacceptable. But, at least it is something that can be sorta "fixed" by the user (unlike Windows. lol)
Thank you so much! It really worked!
Thanx for fixing Microsoft's Problem! I guess Uncle Bill and his minions just cannot afford to notify the owners/buyers of this product's faults.
All the pollution and waste going back to the stores/returning/throwing away of a design defect.
Just goes to should you... Microsoft ONLY cares about ONE thing, PROFIT.
Hey Gates... still lobbying the Money Whores in Washington DC to increase the H1B VISAs for your cheap labor and putting Americans out of work?
You Betcha!
Once again, thanks to the OP for this great troubleshooting and fix!
had the red light problem after receiving this mice brand new from Amazon today. Wrapping the battery with paper did the trick! Thanks!
Almost worked good. In my case, the piece of metal behind the battery was bent, so no amount of tape/paper would make it work. The solution was to use a tweezer and bend that piece of metal back straight. After that, it works without the need for tape.
Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Thanks for posting the fix, it worked for me too!
unreal. fixed my problem too. i had put a real battery in there to try it too and that didn't solve the problem, but 'presto', the original poster's suggestion of paper wrap does work. Perhaps the sensor is faulty and deflects off the shiny cover of all batteries?!
This blinking issue has affected my mouse since it's purchase. I have fought with this thing over and over. I have tried cleaning the contacts and eventually resorted to aaa batteries. This useful post immediately solved the issue, I just wish I would have done a search for this issue sooner.
Thank you for posting your solution.
INCREDIBLE!! Worked for me too. Can't believe that MS would actually ship a product with such a critical flaw and has yet to do anything about it. Thanks for your tip.
Thanks A lot!! It works!!
should the mouse be on while charging? and a newly bought one should show a green light? tried the paper trick and its still blinking red
beepbeep,
I do not recall if it mattered whether the mouse was on or off during recharging. I know the procedure worked for me and a lot of people, but honestly I switched mice this year to a standard-batter (i.e., non-rechargeable) type that I really like... a Logitech M510. I was sick of the recharging on the old MS mouse, and the fact is this new mouse batteries last what seems like FOREVER, and it saves a lot of accidentally running out of charge... in addition, the "wireless" connection is made via this tiny little USB receiver that is so much easier to deal with than the old one. Best wishes, and hopefully you find a good solution. m
THANK YOU. Because you took the time to write this post, I was able to revive my 7000 after a few years of forgetting about it.
I'd have thrown it away otherwise. Planet Earth and my wallet thanks you.
Thanks, its seems the solution is simple but hats off for the person who found this...thinking out of the box...
I learned it was the little tab behind the battery. It has nothing to do with weigh, it has to do with that tab behind the battery.
Post a Comment