Frustrating Mouse Problem
 

Wondering if anyone can help with an annoying mouse problem!

One of the machines at work is an old Gateway P700 with 512 Mb RAM running Win XP Pro (SP2).

I have a MS Intellimouse Explorer (Optical) USB.

Every now and again, it seems to "disconnect" as if it's been unplugged from the machine. Sometimes it re-connects after about 3 secs and sometimes you have to unplug it fron the USB port and then plug it back in to get it to work.

Sometimes it will do this four or five times in quick sucsession and then not do it for a day or two.

I have a powered Belkin USB hub on one of the USB ports and the mouse connected directly to the other USB port on the machine. If I plug the mouse into the Hub the same thing happens. With both the hub and the ports it is intermittent.

System summary and mouse info below:-

System Information report written at: 10/04/04 12:44:58
System Name: GANDALF
[System Summary]

Item Value
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name GANDALF
System Manufacturer Gateway
System Model "
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~697 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Intel Corp. EA81510A.15A.0012.P09.0104231513, 23/04/2001
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
User Name GANDALF\flyingwysiwyg
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 242.54 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.95 GB
Page File Space 1.22 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

[Pointing Device]

Item Value
Hardware Type Microsoft PS/2 Port Mouse (IntelliPoint)
Number of Buttons 5
Status Error
PNP Device ID ACPI\PNP0F03\4&F29DB88&0
Power Management Supported No
Double Click Threshold 6
Handedness Right Handed Operation
IRQ Channel IRQ 12
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\i8042prt.sys (5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158), 51.50 KB (52,736 bytes), 31/08/2004 15:57)

Hardware Type Microsoft USB IntelliMouse Explorer
Number of Buttons 5
Status OK
PNP Device ID USB\VID_045E&PID_001E\6&48FB55D&0&1
Power Management Supported No
Double Click Threshold 6
Handedness Right Handed Operation
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\hidusb.sys (5.1.2600.0 (XPClient.010817-1148), 9.38 KB (9,600 bytes), 28/10/2003 10:22)

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

F - Wyg

flyingwysiwyg,

Just to test, try connecting the Mouse to the PS2 Port. (Let me know if you still have the disconnect problems while connected to the PS2 Port.)

Take Care,

Richard

Hi Richard,

Mouse is now on the PS/2 port, so I'll give it a whirl and post back tomorrow.

Thanks for the help,

F - Wyg

flyingwysiwyg,

Fingers crossed. ;)

Take Care,

Richard

Ok,

So after a day of intensive mouse soak testing: problem solved with mouse running on PS/2 port but........

Why doesn't it like the USB? Or is it that the USB can't cope with the amount plugged into it. Surely the hub should get around any power issues?

It makes no odds to have the mouse running PS/2, and I'm happy to leave it like that, but I'd love to know what's going on.

Thanks for the Help,

F - Wyg

flyingwysiwyg,

If you have a hub, make sure it is a powered hub. USB has much greater bandwidth than PS2. If you only have a mouse in your USB Port, your mouse will refresh at 120 times a second (as long as you are not sharing the bandwidth with other devices) vs 40 times a second in a PS2 Port.

To test, plug the mouse directly into one of the USB Ports hardwired into the Motherboard and remove any other devices and hubs from all your other USB Ports and lets see if you still have the problem.

Take Care,

Richard

Thanks Richard,

I'll try it. Failing that it will just have to stay put in the PS/2 port.

F - Wyg

flyingwysiwyg,

The last test you could try would be to use a different mouse.

Take Care,

Richard