Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

5 minutes on new Mac 1 complaint

N

NewWorldMac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 16, 2009
24
0
I just opened my brand new 2009 24inch Imac! I am very excited and seem to be getting the hang of things already. This is my first ever Mac as I have been a huge PC proponent. Enough of that little background info as that will probably be posted in a separate thread.

I am really falling in love with my new way of life but there is one huge obstacle in my way! The Mouse pointer speed is very very slow. I adjusted the tracking speed to the fastest possible, but this is still under par.

I typed my question in google and it directed me to download a program called "Mouse Zoom" which was downloaded onto my... "Desktop." I didnt click the icon to run it because I am afraid of a virus.

So basically my question is, What can I do to fix this problem? Is "Mouse Zoom" safe to click on? Will it fix the problem, or is there an alternative to this issue? I cant imagine something so nice being crippled by something as simple as mouse speed. Thanks in advance.
 
There are no viruses for the Mac, so that shouldn't be a concern
(Only a few Trojans, and they require you entering your Admin Password)

Never heard of anyone having a problem with mouse tracking speed once it is adjusted in the System Preferences, nor have I heard of the program you are referencing.

I'm sure someone else will come along with experience in that regard. I just wanted to address the virus issue right off the bat.

Edit: Mouse Zoom looks fine and legit to me, just never heard of it or used it myself

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
I have no experience with mouse zoom, but it usually doesn't take long for new mac users to switch to non-apple mice.

Logitech mice have alternative software that is a lot more sensitive.
 
Thank you so much for that quick response! I find the mouse somewhat "Sluggish!" Its that Mighty mouse that comes with it.
 
Mouse Zoom on versiontracker. It seems to be a decent program but I don't know how compatible it may be with everything as it is from 2006. Either way, give it a try. Install away.

I also haven't heard of anyone complaining of the tracker speed being too slow. Maybe your surface isn't flat? Perhaps you should get a Mouse Pad.
 
MouseZoom is a preference pane that goes in System Preferences so its installed a little differently than standard applications.

open MouseZoom.dmg (the white icon with the grey HDD on it), open the Intel Macs folder and double click on the .prefpane and it will install into System Preferences. then click on the white drive icon on your desktop and press Command+E and trash the .dmg you downloaded.

i just tried it and it works great! thanks for the heads up! although it does kind of have a dated icon which looks like the mouse the old iMacs used to come with.
 
In Windows, the distance that the pointer moves is solely dependent on how far you move the mouse. In OS X, it's based on how quickly you move the mouse. If you can't get used to it then feel free to try some alternatives but first try just moving the mouse a bit faster :)

Edit: Not entirely correct, see below.
 
ha ha ha! The reason I got a mac was to avoid viruses and spyware! And you guys are just like yeah you can click on that file you downloaded cause there are no viruses!!!!

Ok so I installed mouse zoom and it sped things up a lot! Now I think it inherited another problem or it just made an existing problem more apparent. For example its kinda hard to fluidly move the curser over a link. Lets so I go on the forums main page where all the links are, as I go over a link it kind stops there and I have to use extra effort to scroll of that link. I know I am not doing the best job at explaining but it's a very subtle thing. You will only realize it if you are using the mouse yourself and you feel the sluggishness.
 
Nermal said:
In Windows, the distance that the pointer moves is solely dependent on how far you move the mouse. In OS X, it's based on how quickly you move the mouse. If you can't get used to it then feel free to try some alternatives but first try just moving the mouse a bit faster :)
Click to expand...

what a great tip. Thanks
 
Nermal said:
In Windows, the distance that the pointer moves is solely dependent on how far you move the mouse. In OS X, it's based on how quickly you move the mouse. If you can't get used to it then feel free to try some alternatives but first try just moving the mouse a bit faster :)
Click to expand...

This is totally untrue. In windows, it's called mouse acceleration.
 
Ok I see what you mean by speeding the mouse movement up! I feel like I have to make extra unnatural hand movements to use this thing precisely. What alternatives are you talking about? Is it possible to set it up like a windows pc? I rather not use a 3rd party mouse as the mac one is pretty!
 
Another thing tha may be worth mentioning is the typing speed. For instance if I hold down the letter "a" on the keyboard it will take aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 5 seconds to type all those "a's" I just typed. On my previous computer I would guess double the amount of "a's" would have been typed. The same with holding down delete. I am not complaining about this as things might just be set up in this way, but it may conclude my computer is running slow. This is the 2.6 2009 imac running for about an hour now.
 
NewWorldMac said:
Another thing tha may be worth mentioning is the typing speed. For instance if I hold down the letter "a" on the keyboard it will take aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 5 seconds to type all those "a's" I just typed. On my previous computer I would guess double the amount of "a's" would have been typed. The same with holding down delete. I am not complaining about this as things might just be set up in this way, but it may conclude my computer is running slow. This is the 2.6 2009 imac running for about an hour now.
Click to expand...

You can set the repeat rate in the System Preferences for Keyboard and Mouse as well

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
Sorry for my crazy explanations. The only thing that accurately describes this issue is "sluggish." Maybe I am just jumping the gun and I need to get used to this, or maybe I will go to the store tomorrow and try one there.
 
NewWorldMac said:
Sorry for my crazy explanations. The only thing that accurately describes this issue is "sluggish." Maybe I am just jumping the gun and I need to get used to this, or maybe I will go to the store tomorrow and try one there.
Click to expand...

Are you using the wired mighty mouse? It's sluggish and inaccurate. The BT might mouse uses a laser and has higher res, which is a bit of an improvement, but almost any decent 3rd party mouse beats the pants off of a mighty mouse.
 
wetrix said:
Are you using the wired mighty mouse? It's sluggish and inaccurate. The BT might mouse uses a laser and has higher res, which is a bit of an improvement, but almost any decent 3rd party mouse beats the pants off of a mighty mouse.
Click to expand...

Yes the Wired one that came with the computer. YES YES, Sluggish and inaccurate is exactly what i'm feeling! So the mighty mouse is just bad? How big of an improvement is the wireless one? Is there a third party mouse that functions well that looks like the mighty mouse with the simulated 2 buttons? I want a sleek mouse, like this one.
 
i dont understand whats happening here.. if i turn my mouse speed up to maximum it absolutely flies around the screen!! (on my imac) are you sure your doing it properly?
 

Attachments

  • keyboard.jpg
    keyboard.jpg
    73 KB · Views: 81
  • tracking.jpg
    tracking.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 85
Nermal said:
Really? Is that turned off by default? The mouse on my work PC seems to zoom off at the same speed regardless (I will double-check tomorrow though).
Click to expand...

Windows has acceleration as mentioned, but all that happens is the mouse moves faster vs. your movements at a constant. It is not "speed sensitive" as you suggested the Mac mouse is.
 
DoFoT9 said:
i dont understand whats happening here.. if i turn my mouse speed up to maximum it absolutely flies around the screen!! (on my imac) are you sure your doing it properly?
Click to expand...

Yeah my tracking is turned all the way up. My setting screen is a little different then the one in your photo.
 
A word of advice.....

The first thing you should do when you get a new Mac is..........

GET A $15 MICROSOFT LASER MOUSE!!!!!!

or a different mouse of your choice but the fact of the matter is that the Mighty Mouse has little to be desired.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been on a journey to find the perfect mouse. I went to various retail stores and tried quite a few different mice, and after being disappointed with them, I would return them.

I've even tried the Logitech MX revolution, which gets high praise and feels great on display at retail stores but after using it at home for a couple of days I found out that it makes my hand cramp up because I usually don't "palm" the entire mouse when I work.

After search for a long time, I've settled on a Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse because of the shape and how "I" grip a mouse.

So the moral of the story is you should probably get a different mouse....if you want, if you happy with the feel of the Mighty Mouse, then I guess I'm of no help to you.
 
Just search for this app SteerMouse 3.9 it is the best option to make your mouse run exactly how you want it. You can download it trough apple.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back