How to troubleshoot a Dynex Wireless Optical Mouse

The Dynex Wireless Optical Mouse (model #DX-WLMSE) is a reliable, highly-functional mouse that has become a popular choice for many consumers.  It is compatible with most modern Windows operating systems, from Windows 2000 to Windows 7.  Like with any electronic device, it will occasionally run into problems, but usually these problems can easily be resolved.  This article is a basic guide for troubleshooting your Dynex Wireless Optical Mouse:

If your mouse is not working, the first thing to do is make sure it's turned on.  There is a tiny on/off switch on the bottom of the mouse; make sure it is flipped to On.  The red light on the bottom of the mouse should come on when you move the mouse.  If it doesn't, the two AA batteries it uses might need to be replaced.

Once you've verified that the mouse is on and has power, it's time to check the connection to the USB receiver.  The receiver is the small black thing sticking out of the computer's USB drive that exchanges wireless signals with the mouse itself.  If the receiver is not plugged into one of your computer's USB slots, it needs to be.

Press the Connect button on the receiver.  A light should start flashing.  Now press the Connect button on the mouse.  Once the connection is established, the light should stop flashing.  If the light continues to flash after you've pressed Connect on the mouse, the connection hasn't been properly made.

Make sure the mouse and the receiver aren't too far away.  Generally, if the receiver is plugged into the front of your computer (or the side, for a laptop) and the mouse is within a few feet, you should be fine.  If you have the receiver plugged into the back of your desktop computer, the computer itself may be interfering with the wireless signal.  Either plug the receiver into the front, or use the USB extension cable that came with the mouse to use a rear USB slot but allow the receiver to come around the computer and maintain a line-of-sight link with the mouse.

Another step to try when the mouse doesn't work is to plug the receiver into another USB port and see if that makes a difference.  If there is another computer available, try installing the mouse on that computer to see if the problem lies with your PC.

If the mouse is working, but is functioning erratically or some features don't work, you may need to reinstall the driver.  You can reinstall it either from the CD-ROM if you have it, or from the Dynex mouse web page.  On the website, scroll down to the "Drivers, Firmware and Software" section and click on "English."

With the Dynex software installed, you will see a mouse icon in the system notification tray that tells you how long your batteries have left.  You can double click on this icon to bring up the Mouse Suite, where you can adjust and customize the mouse's properties, such as what the different buttons do or how fast the pointer moves.

If you've tried all the steps above and the mouse still doesn't work, you probably either have a faulty mouse or a faulty receiver.  The Dynex Wireless Optical Mouse isn't very expensive -- it's much cheaper to buy a new one than to try to have it repaired.  You can often find wireless mice on eBay or Amazon for about ten bucks or less.

(Originally published on Helium.com, August 2010)