Not finding your wireless mouse working, can be a frustrating experience. Here is a troubleshooting guide for Windows XP users.

Following are some of the causes that may lead to a wireless (Bluetooth) mouse not functioning.

Possible Reasons

• Your computer’s BIOS is not recognizing the device
• The device is not paired with the computer
• The Bluetooth receiver in the mouse is incompatible with Microsoft Bluetooth stack
• The signal transceiver does not detect the device signal

• Bluetooth receiver is switched off on the PC
• The mouse battery power is exhausted
• You may not have updated with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
• There might be a conflicting radio frequency
• Defective hardware

Procedure to Add a Bluetooth Device on Windows XP SP2

If the mouse is not connecting, it’s probably not paired. You need to add the device to the computer. To do this, click ‘Start’, click on ‘Run’, and type ‘bthprops.cpl’, before clicking on ‘OK’. This will open Bluetooth Settings. Here, you need to click Add, and switch on the wireless mouse. This helps Windows detect the Bluetooth device.

Now, select ‘My device is set up and ready to be found’ option in the ‘Add Bluetooth Device Wizard’ window, and click ‘Next’. You will find the detected mouse name on the screen. Select it and click ‘Next‘. The Windows wizard will ask for a passkey and you need to click on the box that says ‘Don’t use a passkey‘.

Then click ‘Next‘. You may have to wait till the wizard completes the process of adding the mouse. Then you will need to click ‘Finish‘ and ‘OK‘.

However, if mouse problems are still encountered, you will need to carry out the described steps, all over again. Check for latest updates for the operating system. Visit the Windows Update page and install the latest service packs.

Other Troubleshooting Tips

There are some basic troubleshooting steps that should be followed, when a mouse is not working. First and foremost, check whether the Bluetooth device batteries are charged. If you have other Bluetooth devices connected to the computer, disconnect them temporarily.

Make sure that the Bluetooth device is discoverable by the wizard. Right-click on the Bluetooth icon in the notification area. Then click on ‘Open Bluetooth Settings‘. In the options tab, select the box which says ‘Turn discovery on‘ and click ‘Apply‘.

Then select the next two boxes that say, ‘Allow Bluetooth devices to connect to this computer‘ and ‘Alert me when a new Bluetooth device wants to connect‘. Then, click ‘Apply‘ and then ‘OK‘.

You should see to it that there are no other devices in the area that may have the same frequency, which may cause problems in mouse detection. Finally, check the wireless mouse on other computers and see if it works fine. If the mouse is still not working, it indicates a hardware problem.

You may have to call the company for a replacement. If the mouse works fine on another computer, it means that the operating system has problems.