Q88543: Troubleshooting Microsoft and Compatible Mice in Windows
Article: Q88543
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 20-FEB-2002
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11
- Microsoft Windows for Workgroups
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SUMMARY
=======
This article discusses troubleshooting the Microsoft Mouse and Microsoft-
compatible mice in Microsoft Windows and Windows for Workgroups. This article
has the following two sections:
- Mouse Does Not Function in Windows
- Mouse Pointer Movement Is Erratic
MORE INFORMATION
================
Before troubleshooting, determine the following:
- Is it a Microsoft Mouse or a Microsoft-compatible mouse?
NOTE: A "Microsoft-compatible" mouse is not a Microsoft Mouse.
- How is the mouse connected to the machine? Is it a bus mouse, PS/2-style
mouse, or a serial mouse?
- If it is a serial mouse, to which COM port is it connected?
- Some BIOS problems result in a non-functioning serial mouse in Windows
(usually on COM2) and can be resolved by a BIOS upgrade. You may want to
check the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for version 3.1 to see if your
system BIOS could be the problem.
Mouse Does Not Function in Windows
----------------------------------
1. Load the MS-DOS Mouse driver to enable the use of a mouse in MS-DOS-based
applications.
If you are having problems using the mouse in MS-DOS-based applications under
Windows, make sure the mouse functions in your MS-DOS-based application
before starting Windows. If it does not, then the mouse probably won't
function in an MS-DOS-based application running inside of Windows. Consult
your mouse manufacturer for assistance configuring the mouse so it will run
in MS-DOS-based applications outside of Windows.
If you are using a Microsoft mouse, you can test this by running MOUSE.COM and
then running an application that uses the mouse such as the MS-DOS 5.0 Edit
program or MS-DOS Shell.
Version 8.2 of the mouse driver should be used if you are using a Microsoft
Mouse. This driver comes with Windows 3.1. If you do not have the correct
MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS file on your hard disk drive, expand MOUSE.SY_ and
MOUSE.CO_ from the Windows disks to the hard disk drive as MOUSE.SYS and
MOUSE.COM. For more information about expanding files, refer to page 61 of
the "Getting Started with Microsoft Windows" manual for version 3.1.
2. Make sure the correct Windows mouse driver was installed.
To determine if the correct mouse driver was installed during Setup, exit
Windows, change to the C:\WINDOWS directory and type "setup" (without the
quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt. If "No mouse or other pointing
device" or an incorrect mouse is selected, select the "Microsoft, or IBM
PS/2" option.
Some "Microsoft-compatible" mice are more compatible with the Mouse Systems
driver or another mouse driver listed in Setup. It may be necessary to try
other mouse driver selections. Some "compatible" mice may come with a driver
disk that contains both Windows and MS- DOS mouse drivers. These should be
tried in place of the Microsoft drivers.
NOTE: The MS-DOS- and Windows-level driver may need to be from the same vendor
(that is, use both the Microsoft drivers or both the vendor-supplied
drivers). Microsoft MS-DOS drivers are only licensed for use with the
Microsoft Mouse and only guaranteed to work with the Microsoft Mouse.
3. Look for multiple MOUSE.DRV files.
Search the drive for multiple MOUSE.DRV files. If you find multiple mouse
driver files, rename them to something else, except for the one in the
Windows SYSTEM directory. To search for multiple mouse files, choose Search
from the File Manager File menu, or type the following command at the MS-DOS
root directory command prompt:
dir mouse.drv /s
You can also check for other mouse-related files by typing:
dir mouse.* /s
NOTE: This DIR command only works if you have MS-DOS version 5.0 or later.
4. The MOUSE.DRV file located in the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory may be
corrupted or damaged. Rename the file and then expand MOUSE.DR_ from the
original Windows disks to the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory by typing the
following at the MS-DOS command prompt and pressing ENTER after each line:
ren c:\windows\system\mouse.drv mouse.old
expand a:\mouse.dr_ c:\windows\system\mouse.drv
Make sure the file is the correct size and date. The mouse driver supplied
with Windows 3.1 is:
MOUSE.DRV 10672 03-10-92 3:10a
5. Make sure the correct mouse driver entry is in the SYSTEM.INI file.
For the Microsoft Mouse, the following line should be in the [boot] section of
the SYSTEM.INI file:
mouse.drv=mouse.drv
No additional path to MOUSE.DRV should be indicated in this line.
6. Clean boot the system without loading an MS-DOS mouse driver.
For more information about this procedure, query on the following words in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
what and clean and boot and windows and tsr
7. Check the communications port (COM), I/O address, and interrupt (IRQ) being
used by the mouse. Consider the following:
- You cannot use a mouse on COM3 or COM4.
- All hardware devices need a dedicated I/O or base address.
- The mouse should not share an interrupt (IRO setting) with another
installed peripheral device.
If there is a conflict, make the appropriate changes to the hardware settings
and then retest the problem in Windows.
Standard IRQ and I/O information for the Microsoft Mouse:
Device IRQ I/O
---------------------------------------
COM1 4 03F8h
COM2 3 02F8h
PS/2 port 12 060h
Microsoft Bus Card 2,3,4,5 23Ch-23Fh or 238h-23Bh
To test this hardware information, use the Microsoft Diagnostics utility (MSD)
after loading an MS-DOS level mouse driver, or use the MS-DOS DEBUG command.
For more information on using Debug, query on the following words in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
debug and serial and mouse and prompt and displayed
8. Choosing a different port to test the mouse.
The Windows mouse driver searches in the following order:
InPort, Bus, PS/2, COM2, COM1
If a mouse is on COM1 and one of these other ports exists and is incorrectly
identified as having a mouse connected, the port may trick the Windows mouse
driver into thinking the mouse is located on the wrong port. If the mouse is
on a PS/2-style port, you may want to try it on COM1 or COM2. If on COM2,
then try COM1.
9. Some third-party applications replace the Windows mouse, keyboard, or
communications drivers. The normal values in the SYSTEM.INI file for these
drivers are:
[boot]
mouse.drv=mouse.drv
comm.drv=comm.drv
keyboard.drv=keyboard.drv
[386enh]
mouse=*vmd
Check the size and dates of the MOUSE.DRV, COMM.DRV, and KEYBOARD.DRV drivers
to make sure they are the correct drivers. The following versions of these
driver are supplied with Windows 3.1:
COMM.DRV 9280 03-10-92 3:10a
KEYBOARD.DRV 7568 03-10-92 3:10a
MOUSE.DRV 10672 03-10-92 3:10a
If necessary, expand these files from the original disks.
10. Check the MOUSE.INI settings:
- Make sure there is only one MOUSE.INI file and that it is located in the
Windows directory or where the MOUSE= environment variable is pointing. To
search for multiple MOUSE.INI files, choose Search from the File menu in
File Manager, or issue the following command from the MS-DOS root
directory command prompt:
dir mouse.ini /s
NOTE: This DIR command only works if you have MS-DOS 5.0.
- Make sure the MouseType= line in the [mouse] section of the MOUSE.INI file
is pointing to the correct port for your mouse:
Line Description
-------------------------------------------------------
Serial1 For the mouse on COM1
Serial2 For the mouse on COM2
PS2 For the mouse on a PS/2-style mouse port
Bus If you are using an earlier bus card
InPort1 If you are using an InPort card:
- Jumper 3 set to primary
InPort2 If you are using an InPort card:
- Jumper 3 set to secondary
The Bus setting is for the earlier Microsoft Bus mouse; the InPort setting is for
the later Microsoft InPort mouse.
11. Try running in standard mode. If the problem only occurs in 386 enhanced
mode, try starting Windows with the /D:X parameter (WIN /D:X). If the mouse
works, add the following line to the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI
file:
EmmExclude=A000-EFFF
If this solves the problem, you should continue to troubleshoot in this area,
either forcing the mouse driver to load low, or determining where there is
an address conflict.
12. Try using the standard video drivers that ship with Windows (either EGA or
VGA).
13. If you are having trouble using a mouse from a third-party vendor that
supplied its own mouse driver for Windows, if possible, try another brand of
mouse that uses a driver supplied by Windows. If this mouse works in Windows
on your machine, contact the manufacturer of the non-functional mouse for
technical support.
Mouse Pointer Movement Is Erratic
---------------------------------
1. If the mouse is jumpy, lower the Sensitivity value in the Mouse section of
Control Panel.
2. If the mouse is jumpy in Program Manager group windows, lower the granularity
settings in the Desktop icon of Control Panel.
3. If you are using the MS-DOS-based mouse driver MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS version
7.04 or later, add the /Y switch to the end of the mouse command line as
follows:
c:\windows\mouse.com /y
4. Follow the troubleshooting steps in the above section, "Mouse Does Not
Function in Windows."
5. It is possible that the erratic mouse movement you are experiencing is highly
specific to the application, video card, machine BIOS, keyboard BIOS, or
machine type you are using. For more information about these specific issues,
query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
mouse and erratic or jumpy or wild or jerky
REFERENCES
==========
"Microsoft Windows Resource Kit" guide for version 3.1, pages 13, 14, 18, 26,
and 398
README.WRI, Microsoft Windows, version 3.1, Disk 3
Additional query words: 3.11 3.10 trouble-shoot tshoot 3rdparty mspc pcms ms/pc pc/ms
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Keywords :
Technology : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbWFWSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin310 kbWin311
Version : WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
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