A worn ball: If you move the mouse and the cursor does not respond very promptly, the ball could be worn down or your mouse mat is too shiny. I suggest you buy a USB optical mouse.
Wireless Mice. I am not a great fan of wireless mice as they seem rather temperamental. However, when they work they are fine.
If your mouse has a round connector (PS2 connector), never disconnect or connect the mouse while the computer is switched on; this could blow the circuit on an older motherboard (that is the computer's very expensive main circuit board).
If your mouse needs frequent cleaning, buy an
optical mouse, these have no
ball and therefore never need cleaning.
While you are at it, buy a USB optical mouse, this can be plugged in
or disconnected without fear of wrecking your mother board.
USB optical mouse: These mice are excellent, but if the cursor does not respond to mouse movements you may have the wrong colour mouse mat. Test this by putting a different colour sheet of paper under the mouse. Optical mice are not too fond of shiny surfaces.
