Oh BTW herb, I tried to give the old mouse to the neighborhood alley cat-He didnt want nuffin to do with it  

My mouse goes crazy sometimes also but not too often, but the laser always works. I think it is using a mouse that actually I need the manufacturer's software for, but am using Microsoft's mouse driver though which still makes it work, all in XP though. It works good enough for me, so until it quits I guess I will use it.

Did you check to make sure the lens around the LED light is clean? They can get dirty and cause this problem. I had the exact same problem one time and was ready to chuck my mouse and get a new one. Even though it looked clean, just for the hell of it I took a tissue with rubbing alcohol and cleaned it and it worked fine after that. Make sure you clean over where the light is coming from, and the other areas as well. There's a photo receiver in there that has to be able to see the light clearly.

There was a thread upstairs awhile back on this Razer gaming mouse which you can key bind 17 programmable buttons. Although it's built for gaming, Sonar users found it easy to program and edit (I suppose less keyboard usage). It's expensive though ($129.......ouch). 

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga-epic/  

Beepster


I use a Kensington "Scroll Mouse" trackball thingy (or whatever it's called). They are REALLY expensive (like $100 last I checked) but are AWESOME!

Great for finite stuff and video games and personally I think they are far better for avoiding computer related hand stress... which is obviously particularly important for us music folk.

Also they save on deskspace. Even though they are FAR bigger then a mouse they are stationary so you don't need to clear a space for spastic hand movements.

Personally I think mice are a TERRIBLE concept and I'm surprised they ended up the standard HID.

This is what I use - love it and it's $44.99 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=740478&Q=&is=REG&A=details

I've used trackballs before and personally I can't stand them.  to each his own!

Beagle


I've used trackballs before and personally I can't stand them.  to each his own!

well, I didn't ask for your opinion - I'll fight you on this one

Those are nice too but this is the one I use actually... http://www.amazon.ca/Kens...rackball/dp/B00009KH63

For some reason they call it the Expert Mouse even though it isn't anything like a mouse so I always forget the name. The ring around the ball is actually a scrollwheel and super handy. It's a little jerky scrolling in Sonar though which is weird but it works. The trackball action is free moving like an arcade golf machine style trackball (it actually just sits in the socket and if you turn it over the ball will fall out) which is the main reason I like it. If I swipe it it keeps spinning after I take my hand away. It's so sensitive and free moving that if I'm typing on my laptop on the other end of my desk the cursor on my big machine will drift from the vibrations.

Now the cool part for recording (I think) is the ginormous buttons. When I'm tracking I just leave the cursor over top of the record button in Sonar and poke the massive left button and I'm in. Hit the spacebar to stop and ctrl+z if I screw up. I've caught myself completely spaced out and doing this by reflex. It's like a little rhythm. Tap tap-tap CLICK... over and over again. The only time I have to actually fully put my hand on the trackball is if I like a take and I want to mute the lane but I know there's a keyboard shortcut for that too which I probably should learn. For mixing and tweaking parameters it is ridiculously precise (artists and engineers use these things and for good reason). And finally the best part is you can make HUGE gestures onscreen barely moving your hand at all... and THAT is why I hate mice. Hate 'em. Always bumping into crap on the desk, no precision and my big lanky hand turns into a tensed up claw after long usage.

Did I mention I hate mice?

And yeah, Beags... a lot of people can't stand trackballs because they are so used to mice. It used to crack me up when people at work or my friends came to my house would try to do something on my computers. The quizzical frustrated looks were priceless... but I'm kind of jerk like that. ;-)

Beagle doesn't like trackballs because he's a lefty.....