As wonderful as their mice are, there’s no avoiding the fact that the Elecom profiler program leaves a lot to be desired. This troubleshooting guide aims to help you install your new Elecom mouse and create working profiles.

The model I am working with here is MDT1/2UR BK as per my review. However, the profiler seems to be the same for all trackball models. This, therefore, causes the same issues to replicate for all models of this style of mouse, that I cover in this article.

First Time Installation

To install your new mouse for the first time.

Plug into your USB port and wait for the driver to auto install. Next, visit the global site and click download for Windows or Mac depending on your OS. Don’t install this from your downloads folder, instead make a folder for this mouse somewhere you can find it – like your desktop and place the .exe in there. This is so you can easily re-install the profiler again, should you need to, which will probably happen at some point. Those on Windows 10, should right click the .exe and select “Run as Admin” option to install the mouse profiler. Reboot your device when prompted and you will now see a little mouse icon on your taskbar, which is the mouse profiler. To open the profiler, simply double-click this icon, which will bring up a pop-up window.

Creating Profiles

This is where things get tricky, so pay close attention. This is where you can easily break the profiler and therefore need to reinstall. If you need to only set up a basic profile with the Elecom, you should have few problems.

The real issues lie with the set up of arbitrary keys in the profiler. As you can see from the screenshots I have included here, there is a pull-down menu for selecting the arbitrary keys. If you manually type in a key which is not included on this list, you will break the profiler. There are many keys which are not included on the list including all F keys, all letter keys, arrow keys and any number keys listed across the top section of the keyboard. You can, however, search and select number keys from the drop-down menu.

Do not type in any key commands to the arbitrary key settings with your keyboard, always use the pull-down menu. I’ve come to think of the profiler as a burly bouncer who has a very tight VIP list. If that key’s name not down, it’s not getting in. You will then find yourself face down on the pavement of reinstall land.

I would also personally advise sticking with a standard profile called “default” as this seems to be what the program looks for on boot up. As far as naming other profiles go, you can name those whatever you want.

Workarounds

This limited list will restrict what shortcuts you can program into the Elecom, but you can often change shortcuts from within the program itself. For example, I wanted to set up two design profiles which both used the keys “[” and “]” to change paintbrush size. Instead, I went into the programs and changed this shortcut there to “,” and “.” which are keys allowed on Elecom profiler shortlist. It’s perhaps not the most elegant solution but it is a solution nevertheless.

Since the profiler is picky as heck, I suggest making a word document in the same location as the .exe you downloaded to install the profiler. If you write down each button you plan to program into the profiler, you are less likely to make mistakes. You also have the added bonus of having a record of your profiles, should something go awry. Again.

There are no issues with setting up multiple profiles if you pay attention to your arbitrary key set up. By clicking the Edit Profile button on the top right you can then click add, thereby creating a new blank profile. I’m not sure on limitations on profile numbers, but I currently have 3 profiles running without issue.

Changing Profiles

To change profile, open the profiler, click the pull-down menu next to the word profile and click on the one you want to enable.

The eagle-eyed amongst you might have noticed that it is possible to allocate a specific program to a profile. This means when your chosen program runs, your mouse will automatically change profile to reflect this. You can of course manually override that by choosing your profile as per previously mentioned.

Other Problems

So, as we’ve already discussed the main issue with the profiler is the set up of arbitrary keys that are not on the list. However, I’ve managed to successfully kill this program a few other ways too.

Half setting up an arbitrary button, saving the profile and closing the program is a big no. If you just select arbitrary without setting up specifically what the macro is, the program will become unresponsive.

If you have explored the program fully you will probably have noticed the right click taskbar icon pop up. This shows a few extra settings as per my screenshot. As far as I can tell, one of the settings here, should, in theory, allow me to change profiles by reading and selecting a document.

The location you are directed to only contains one file marked as “default”, which looks like a profile. If you select this default file, you will get a pop-up window telling you the mouse settings differ. Choosing the yes button to change the profile results in a corrupted profile. It overwrites all your setting and renames your profile as utter gibberish. I saw this as a sign to reinstall for the umpteenth time and therefore advise leaving this section alone.

Reinstalling The Profiler

So there’s a very good chance you’ve come to this article just to find out how to do a clean install of the profiler. Worry not, I figured out what’s going wrong here too.

If you have broken the Elecom profiler, when you click on the icon the program cannot run. All you will get is a whirling icon of please wait, which turns quickly to an icon of despair. This is a sign you need to do a clean install.

The following instructions are for Windows 10, as this was the system I have.

Click the settings cog on the right-hand side of your PC then click Apps (or Apps & Features). Locate the Elecom Mouse Assistant program from the list and click uninstall. Do not let your PC reboot yet. Go to c/users/USERNAME/appdata/roaming (replacing USERNAME with your login name). Here you will find a folder called ELECOM that you need to delete. Reboot your PC. Finally, you can now reinstall the Elecom Mouse Assistant.

Finally

You may have heard rumours that the Japanese version of the profiler is more stable. In my experience, this is not true. I’ve already tried many versions and found they made no difference. The Japanese versions of the program still has the same huge issues.

Hopefully, you now have a working Elecom mouse profiler and haven’t already torn your hair out over these problems.

If anyone speaks fluent Japanese (mine does not extend beyond saying hello), perhaps they could consider dropping an email to Elecom support. Ask them to look into the issues I have mentioned here and save others from this woe.

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