HP Mouse disabling computer screen/sleep settings

[T4est]

This is to report of an issue with a HP mouse.  It is intended to assist other customers who may encounter a similar problem.

The HP mouse is old, but still functional (i.e. the left/right buttons and scrolling device still work, etc.) 

Details:

Product number - FQ983AA

P/N - 498105-001

S/N - [personal information removed]

The mouse has a LED on the top, just below the scrolling device.  When it was purchased, it emitted a green light.  Several years ago, it emitted a red light, but it still functioned.  We didn't know why it went from green to red and what it indicated.

The mouse was plugged into my wife's HP Windows 10 laptop for years.  I noticed during her ownership that the laptop would never go to sleep and the display would stay on overnight even though I adjusted the settings to have the screen turn off after 1 hour of no usage when plugged in.  I never solved the issue.

We just replaced her old HP laptop with a new HP Windows 11 laptop and plugged in the old mouse which was functional.  The new laptop would not turn the screen off after an hour of no usage (I confirmed the settings.) 

The only common thing between the two laptops with the screen issue was the mouse.  I unplugged it and after an hour, the screen went dark.  Bought a new HP mouse and everything is operating as designed, particularly the new laptop screen turns off after an hour.

Bottom line:  If a user encounters an issue with a computer screen not turning off (and also perhaps not allowing it to sleep), after confirming your screen/sleep settings unplug your mouse as your first troubleshooting step to see if that's the issue.

[If anyone knows how a mouse can override the sleep settings, I'd love to hear it...I thought the sleep issue was with the old laptop.]