PC Doctor September 5, 2012

Dear PC Doctor,

Once upon a time, I bought a new computer. I have been slowly but surely learning how to use it and it's been working (mostly) great. The only thing I would like to change is the speed of the mouse pointer— it just goes too fast! Right now, I am using the laptop's touchpad but I was wondering if I plugged in a normal mouse would it be a bit more manageable?

Thank you!
               Trinity

Dear Trinity,

We have had a few speedy mice problems at the library. Just like real mice, they are hard to keep your eye on!

If you were more comfortable using a physical mouse (one that you plug into your computer) instead of a laptop touchpad, I would recommend using one instead. However, it will not solve your too fast mouse pointer problem. I do know of a way to change the settings so you can choose whatever speed you would like.

First, click on the Start orb. In the menu that pops up click on Control Panel (on older PC's it might be under “Settings”). A new window for the Control Panel will pop up. Look through the list and click on the link to “Mouse”. Another window for the mouse settings will pop up. You will see a few different tabs at the top of the window. Click on “Pointer Options” tab. One of the first settings you will see is for “Motion” has a little bar with a ticker in the middle between slow and fast. Click and drag the ticker either left or right depending on whether you want to slow down or speed up the pointer motion. After making an adjustment, move the mouse to see if the speed is what you would like. If it is, just click “Apply” and then OK to close the window. Finally, close the Control Panel window.

Good luck!
             PC Doctor

Until next time… happy computing!