A mouse in the PC attracts not only numerous typists but also many comedians, while the user probably has a real problem.
How does the mouse get into the PC? We do not know. Reddit user sow_zom posted the following photo in the subreddit /pcmasterrace without providing further details. But probably the warm environment attracted the little creature, and an open drive bay or an open slot provided access – or the PC was open on one side anyway.
Is a mouse in the PC a problem? Yes, it is. A mouse can cause mischief in a (running) PC in two main ways.
- Its urine should never come into contact with powered parts.
- Its teeth find cables an easy victim for plenty of chewing fun.
Both would likely cause lasting damage to hardware or data. If it is in the computer while it is turned off, it is likely that any long-term damage can still be averted. The recommended order of actions would be:
- Turn off the power, either at the power supply or just unplug it.
- Remove the mouse.
- Check all cables for bite marks.
- Clean feces and urine from the device with a soft brush and alcohol.
This and another step have also been suggested by several users under the post. Beyond the PC, the Reddit user should probably also worry about the whole house and everything in it. Because mice rarely appear alone, but rather in dozens.
If a rodent is found in an electronic device, how many of its parents, siblings, or children may have made themselves comfortable in the pantry far away from food supplies?
A mouse, a thousand jokes
Far more numerous than helpful tips, comments of all other kinds – mainly intended to be funny – have accumulated under the search for advice. We have some of the best specimens here for you, enjoy.
- “My God, a TUF Gaming Mouse” [looks where the mouse is sitting]. – mlnhead
- “The mouse has to be on your desk, not on the motherboard.” – Dahliaxvx
- “Throw a cat in.” – SNENS1999
- “Turn off mouse acceleration, then you can catch it.” – Riot55
- “I prefer mice from Logitech” – SiNiiSTERx
- “Install Python [a programming language], that will take care of it for you.” – alogbetweentworocks
- “You lost a PC and gained a friend.” – JmanDev2
- “Uninstall cheese.exe and update cat.dll.” – NeKakOpEenMuts
- “Looks good. Seems no Intel chip of the 13th or 14th generations [reference to current crash and voltage issues with newer Intel CPUs].” – Spoksparkare
- “Your mouse is missing RGB. 0 out of 10 points.” – Spompoflex
- “Leave it, buy a new PC. It is now its house.” – Comprehensive_Ship42
Regularly, many curious stories from the world of computer hardware can be found on Reddit, like the one above or linked here. On MeinMMO, we also reported on a user who grabbed a screwdriver due to problems with his RTX 4090. In the end, the answer was found exactly in what he did not discover there, as something essential was forgotten in the factory.
