Ran into a situation with a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 that also seems to plague the Wireless Laser Mouse 8000. When placing the Laser Mouse on its charging cradle, the LED on the top of the mouse slowly flashes green for a few seconds, as if it was successfully charging the NiMH battery inside, but then switches to rapidly flashing the LED red.
Taking the rechargeable battery out also results in the flashing red LED. So, the battery is clearly not being recharged. This is further corroborated by the short battery life.
I saw online that some people have found some sort of button underneath the battery and that it’s not being depressed. However, the mouse I was having problems with did not have such a button. There is a small hole under the battery, but no switch or button in the hole.
Upon further investigation, I noticed that the positive metal plate in the battery compartment of the mouse has two plastic rails holding it in place.
When putting the battery inside, the rails tend to press back against the top of the battery such that the battery’s tip doesn’t make good contact with the metal. Since the metal plate is tapered inward, it only makes reliable contact with the battery when the battery is pushed all the way down into the compartment.
As a result of this plastic getting in the way and preventing the battery from making contact with the positive conducting plate, of course it can’t recharge. It also explains why it only charges for a few seconds–just until the battery slips out of position and loses contact. However, the fix for this recharging problem is rather simple.
- Cut a small piece of paper a little shorter than the length of the battery and about twice as wide
- Fold the paper in half to achieve a thickness of two sheets of paper
- Place the battery into the battery compartment
- Put the paper on top of the battery
- Close the battery cover
The cover should go on snugly so that it firmly presses the battery into the compartment. That will enable the positive tip of the Laser Mouse’s battery to stay in contact with the positive conductor plate. If it doesn’t press firmly enough, add one more sheet that’s half the width of the first one (for a thickness of three sheets).
After applying this little fix, the problem mouse’s LED properly throbs green and charges up completely.
(Update: Added photos)
It worked! Thanks a lot mate, you’ve save me from buying a new mouse, and this one was very expensive (more than it should). Cheers!
I was ready to pitch my model 7000 out of frustration and did a last minute search and by luck found this site. Folded paper fix worked like a charm. Saved my mouse from the trash collector!
Thank you so much for this tip that works !
This mouse has been so disappointing since I’ve bought it, because of this problem (and I have changed the battery).
BTW, I’ve had logitech MX700 mouses at work and home, and I still have a logitech MX 1000 and they have had problems to charge as well, because of design misconceptions.
So, this is not specific to microsoft to build wrong products.
I’ve been fighting with my 7000 mouse for a year or so now. Not charging. Couldn’t get any answers from Microsoft or any of the geniuses in my family. Tech-sperts told me I needed to replace the high-power batteries. High power = high cost. Still no joy. Just lighter in the wallet. So I’ve been using a non-specific battery recharger and swapping over batteries as needed. I’m SO glad to find this site and answers. I love my mousie, I just hate flashing red lights 🙂
PS Can anyone tell me what that little white button is just to the left of the battery compartment?
@DebMinty: If your mouse no longer communicates with the computer, hitting the little white button on the underside of the mouse forces it to resync with the base receiver.
wow thanks a lot.. It really works for me too.. Thank you so much for this tip 🙂
I agree with Paulie: The problem is the battery, it gets lazy during the years. I changed it to another one and it starts blinking right away. All the other tricks didn’t work for me. Now draining the new battery and looking if it will charge.
Hey there from Germany!
Thanks a lot for the information. I bought my Wireless Home Entertainment Desktop one year ago and through it right away in a box, because of the mouse-not-charging-problem. Now I can finally enjoy it 🙂
Thank you so much!
Hi, Now I have a problem with the scroll wheel. it works when it wants,
grrrr, it’s really stressfull when you are used to it
what is the best amperage to use for the battery ?
@lejeune: If you’re referring to the mAh, that indicates the capacity of the battery. The higher the value, the more charge the battery can hold. If you want to recharge the mouse less frequently, get the highest mAh rating that you can find.
@Karl: I had mouse where the rubber around the perimeter of the wheel came loose and, as a result, wouldn’t scroll reliably. Is yours doing the same?
I’m just writing to thank you (directly from Brazil), it worked perfectly.
It…it worked. It WORKED! Wow. I cannot believe it’s that simple. After all the stuff Microsoft told me to try, cleaning contact points, buying new batteries, when all I needed was a PostIt note and some scissors. Thanks stranger!
Love the simple common sense. Way to go!
@Peter
yes, that’s what’s happening. First I thought it was some electronic failure as the scroll only worked sometimes (what a stress!!!) , now the rubber is loose and some kind of “mashed” rubber starts to come out, and I found that if you clean that it starts to work again. I’m trying to figure out how to open it (the mouse) right now. I’ll tell you something in case I found a viable solution to do inside.
no, I cannot find a way to open it, but for me it seems that the rubber is touching something inside. I fear that once the rubber breaks, no more wheel scroll…
Worked for me, thanks!
sone, the rubber is gone… still working though
@Karl: At that point, it may be easier to get a new mouse. Otherwise, if you find a way to get it open, you could find a rubber O-ring to fit onto the wheel.
This is pure genius. Thanks a ton…couldn’t figure out what was up with the flashing red light.
Woohoo! I had been searching for moths for a replacment charger for this mouse with no luck, who would have thought a simple piece of paper would fix it!
Microsoft…you suck! Peter…you rule!
Great solution, mate! I used crepe tape and it works like a Charm! Thanks a bunch!
@Becky: Thanks! Glad to hear it did the trick for you. Happy mousing!