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Q143329: Serial Mouse Does Not Work on a DEC Alpha Computer

Article: Q143329
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): winnt:3.5,3.51
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 08-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51 
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SYMPTOMS
========

A Serial Mouse installed on a DEC Alpha machine will not work properly. A mouse
cursor does not show up.

CAUSE
=====

The serial driver was not initializing the serial data structures when booting
up. It tried to use what ever data was in memory and most of the time this was
incorrect. The sermouse driver would fail at this point and not load.

Also note that you must follow the changes mentioned in section 22.1 of the
readme.wri. Here is an excerpt of that section.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide
problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft
cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can
be solved. Use this tool at your own risk. Open regedt32 and locate the
following key in the system registry:

To enable a serial mouse on a RISC-based computer, add one of the following to
the Registry:

  OverrideHardwareBitstring:REG_DWORD:0x1

  or

  OverrideHardwareBitstring:REG_DWORD:0x2

Use the value 0x1 when the mouse is connected to COM1 and the value 0x2 when the
mouse is connected to COM2. The value is located in the following Registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Sermouse\Parameters

There has also been reports where a later version of the DEC Alpha BIOS was
needed in conjunction with this fix.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. This
problem was corrected in the latest Windows NT 3.51 U.S. Service Pack. For
information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K


Additional query words: 3.50 3.51 prodnt digital

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search
Version           : winnt:3.5,3.51

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