erratic mouse

i removed and reattached and cleaned out my mouse but it still moves slowly with my cursor. sometimes the cursor jumps around, moves at a snails pace or wont move at all and the mouse wont drag it. the cursor wants to go one way and the mouse moves the other way.

whats wrong and how do i fix it so that the cursor moves smoothly across my screen? is there a program i can use instead of having to buy a new mouse or new hardware? i have a basic MS mouse (dont now which type). or where can i download the latest driver for an ibm aptiva model 2153-e3u?

Does it have a "roller ball" or is it an optical mouse. (no roller ball)

If it has a ball, need to be sure and CLEAN the 2 or 3 rollers inside/underneath the ball.

If it's an Optical mouse, try putting a white sheet of paper underneath it.

my mouse has a roller ball.

i cleaned the inside and the ball but it doesnt seem to fix anything.

i didnt have this problem before. the cursor just doesnt want to move with the mouse. its like trying to pull a donkey with a rope. real frustrating. its even effecting my typing. what should be taking me only 5 minutes to type this post is taking 30.

what else could be the cause?

dont know what to do. its driving me crazy!

Can you get hold of a spare mouse to try out? If not they are pretty cheap nowadays, you can pick a basic one up for pennies :)

sure sounds like trash on rollers