How can I disable the mouse scroll wheel while keeping the middle-click functionality?

Honestly, from what I can tell, it could be a hardware issue. You might want to test with a different mouse to see if the problem persists. If it doesn't, then it might be time to look for a new mouse.

Best case scenario, it's just dirt inside causing the scroll wheel to misbehave. Try blowing some compressed air into the gaps around the wheel, or if you're handy, disassemble it, clean it, and put it back together.

Hey, is it a Kensington trackball by chance? I faced a similar issue and ended up with a dead wheel too!

If you're experiencing this issue, it might be worth checking if there's any physical damage to the mouse or if dust has gotten inside the sensor area. Sometimes, simply cleaning it out with some compressed air can resolve the problem.

You can actually disable the scroll wheel using a command called `xinput`. Typically, the scroll wheel's up and down actions are represented as buttons 4 and 5. To disable them while keeping middle-click, you can run a command like this:

```bash
xinput set-button-map 'Kensington USB Wheel Mouse' 1 2 3 0 0 6 7
```

This will disable the scrolling. You can find your mouse's name by running `xinput` without any arguments, and use `get-button-map` to check your current settings. Just a heads up, this setting won’t stick after a reboot, so you’ll want to add this command to your startup applications so it runs automatically each time you log in.