Mouse wheel click

[MozillaMonkey]

Not sure what happened overnight, but my middle button (mouse wheel click) is acting up.
Clicking most links, it doesn't open up a new tab like it used to.

Sometimes it does, but now often now!

Sometimes double-clicking works, but not often.

Any ideas how to troubleshoot this?

Likely mechanical or software-related?

[DanRaisch]

Likely mechanical from your description of the issue as intermittent. You could try another mouse (borrowing one, maybe) to see if that eliminates the problems.

[dickvl]

You can try the Firefox 52.4.1 ESR version as the last Firefox version that supports your platform.
https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases ... and-vista/
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/en ... -and-vista

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/o ... tions/all/
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/5 ... uirements/

[James]

You can try the Firefox 52.4.1 ESR version as the last Firefox version that supports your platform.
https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases ... and-vista/
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/en ... and-vista/

Firefox 52.8.0esr will be the last (unless Mozilla by chance extends 52 ESR) that supports WinXP/Vista and not 52.4.1esr.

from https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases ... and-vista/

Today we are announcing June 2018 as the final end of life date for Firefox support on Windows XP and Vista.

Firefox 52.8.0esr and Firefox 60.0 is scheduled for May 1st 2018.

The current revision of that sumo article is very outdated and even has a Unreviewed edit that is updated. The editor who put the September 2017 date at time was going by a vague comment in one bug when the same person that made the vague comment actually had a bit newer bug at time with saying mid 2018. The article I guess never was updated due to that migration to Lithium and then going back to Kitsune.

[the-edmeister]

Any ideas how to troubleshoot this?

Likely mechanical or software-related?

From my own experience the most likely culprit is the mouse. I tend to get cheap, no-name mouses. (mice? - meese?) But I have had problems like that with brands like Logitech, too.

With 8 to 10 hours or use per day, I get a year or two out of them before the mouse-wheel contact or spring stops working correctly, or the right-click contact or spring gets flakey. And if the left-click goes sour the result is that is does a double-click - two windows or tabs get opened.

[LIMPET235]

Hi MozillaMonkey,
Just a FWIW...
If by chance you have access to another "old" mouse, (maybe a friend has one floating around?), that still has some functioning buttons,
then it's about a 10 minute job to de-solder the micro switch from that old one & solder it into your original mouse.
The micro switches are all the same size, so just use whichever one you like.
There's usually one screw holding the mouse together. Might be hidden under a label.
I just did this with my old faithful moooose.


or, just buy a new, cheap one.

[lovemyfoxy]

I'm fussy about mice because I have arthritis in 2 fingers, and don't change my mouse often. So I opened my flaky mouse to see what was happening, 2 screws hidden under little pads. It was a familiar story, dating back to mouse balls --cat hair and dust wrapped around the tiny parts, which I removed with tweezers.

[MozillaMonkey]

You can try the Firefox 52.4.1 ESR version as the last Firefox version that supports your platform.
https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases ... and-vista/
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/en ... -and-vista

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/o ... tions/all/
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/5 ... uirements/

Thanks dick.
I just let Firefox do an update and it came up with v. 47.02.
Go figure.

[James]

I just let Firefox do an update and it came up with v. 47.02.
Go figure.

Firefox 47.0.2 was a transitional update for those still using older versions at time on Windows.

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/47.0.2/releasenotes/