usb GPS device autodetects as mouse

[Jamie]

Hi,

I have a USB GPS device that I am using in windows XP, when I plug it
into the USB port, windows autodetects it as a mouse, and the data that
is sent by the GPS device makes the mouse cursor move around. The GPS
software I have works properly and also can read the GPS device, but it
is hard to use since the mouse cursor moves around by itself. Is there
a way to prevent windows from autodetecting this USB device as a mouse?

cheers,
Jamie

 

[Paul]

Hi,

I have a USB GPS device that I am using in windows XP, when I plug it
into the USB port, windows autodetects it as a mouse, and the data that
is sent by the GPS device makes the mouse cursor move around. The GPS
software I have works properly and also can read the GPS device, but it
is hard to use since the mouse cursor moves around by itself. Is there
a way to prevent windows from autodetecting this USB device as a mouse?

cheers,
Jamie

My guess would be as follows.

1) The USB GPS is really an RS232 GPS with a USB to RS232 adapter
chained to it. So really, it appears to Windows as a serial port.

2) They used to make serial mice. That was a mouse that plugged into
an RS232 port. There was code to check RS232 ports, and see if one
of those kind of mice was connected.

I suspect that is how a mouse is being detected on that port. First,
Windows detects a serial (RS232) port. Then, the mouse detection
function tests for a serial mouse, and thinks it has found one.

The question then is, can you disable serial mouse detection on
WinXP, in the same way as you can in these articles ?

(WinNT and /NoSerialMice)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131976

(Win2K and registry hack for serenum)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q283063

According to this, the /fastdetect option in boot.ini , does the
same thing as /NoSerialMice used to do. I don't see /fastdetect
offered in the "msconfig" utility that manages boot.ini , so
you might have to hack boot.ini the hard way (with Notepad).

http://web.archive.org/web/20061206...technet/sysinternals/information/bootini.mspx

If "msconfig" doesn't have the necessary option, a recipe for
using Notepad is included in this article. Apparently, the
attrib command, used in a command window, changes the boot.ini
so it is no longer read-only.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...rrect-or-duplicate-entry-on-the-xp-boot-menu/

I'd test this for you, if I could only remember where I left
my serial mouse I own one, but never used it.

I checked my boot.ini and it already includes /fastdetect.
So it looks like I may already be protected from something
like this happening.

Paul

 

[Jamie]

My guess would be as follows.

1) The USB GPS is really an RS232 GPS with a USB to RS232 adapter
chained to it. So really, it appears to Windows as a serial port.

2) They used to make serial mice. That was a mouse that plugged into
an RS232 port. There was code to check RS232 ports, and see if one
of those kind of mice was connected.

I suspect that is how a mouse is being detected on that port. First,
Windows detects a serial (RS232) port. Then, the mouse detection
function tests for a serial mouse, and thinks it has found one.

The question then is, can you disable serial mouse detection on
WinXP, in the same way as you can in these articles ?

(WinNT and /NoSerialMice)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131976

(Win2K and registry hack for serenum)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q283063

According to this, the /fastdetect option in boot.ini , does the
same thing as /NoSerialMice used to do. I don't see /fastdetect
offered in the "msconfig" utility that manages boot.ini , so
you might have to hack boot.ini the hard way (with Notepad).

http://web.archive.org/web/20061206...technet/sysinternals/information/bootini.mspx


If "msconfig" doesn't have the necessary option, a recipe for
using Notepad is included in this article. Apparently, the
attrib command, used in a command window, changes the boot.ini
so it is no longer read-only.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...rrect-or-duplicate-entry-on-the-xp-boot-menu/


I'd test this for you, if I could only remember where I left
my serial mouse I own one, but never used it.

I checked my boot.ini and it already includes /fastdetect.
So it looks like I may already be protected from something
like this happening.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I checked my boot.ini and it also has /fastdetect
in it, and the GPS still is seen as a mouse.

cheers,
Jamie

 

[Paul]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I checked my boot.ini and it also has /fastdetect
in it, and the GPS still is seen as a mouse.

cheers,
Jamie

OK, I found my serial mouse. Still in it's original wrapping, never used

Now, as noted previously, I have /fastdetect in my boot.ini, and when
I connected the serial mouse to one of my USB to RS232 adapters, it
was detected. So /fastdetect is not enough.

I went to Device Manager, and located "Ports (COM & LPT)" entry.
Under that, I have two entries. One entry is a USB to serial for my
UPS automatic shutdown interface. The other entry is a USB to serial
adapter that goes to a US Robotics dialup modem (for emergencies when
ADSL is down for maintenance). I used that interface (COM3) for this test.

So I tried double-clicking the entry under "Ports (COM & LPT)", for
"USB Serial Port (COM3)". That is the interface the mouse is connected
to for testing. Next, click "Port Settings". Then "Advanced". Under
"Miscellaneous Options" is a tick box labeled "Serial Enumerator".
I unticked that box (as it was ticked by default), and OK'ed my way out.

On the next reboot, the serial mouse was not detected.

Give that a try.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Jamie]

OK, I found my serial mouse. Still in it's original wrapping, never used


Now, as noted previously, I have /fastdetect in my boot.ini, and when
I connected the serial mouse to one of my USB to RS232 adapters, it
was detected. So /fastdetect is not enough.

I went to Device Manager, and located "Ports (COM & LPT)" entry.
Under that, I have two entries. One entry is a USB to serial for my
UPS automatic shutdown interface. The other entry is a USB to serial
adapter that goes to a US Robotics dialup modem (for emergencies when
ADSL is down for maintenance). I used that interface (COM3) for this test.

So I tried double-clicking the entry under "Ports (COM & LPT)", for
"USB Serial Port (COM3)". That is the interface the mouse is connected
to for testing. Next, click "Port Settings". Then "Advanced". Under
"Miscellaneous Options" is a tick box labeled "Serial Enumerator".
I unticked that box (as it was ticked by default), and OK'ed my way out.

On the next reboot, the serial mouse was not detected.

Give that a try.

HTH,
Paul

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I opened device manager and plugged in the GPS
device, and a "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port" popped up. I disabled
this quickly and checked under "Miscellaneous Options" but didn't see
the "Serial Enumerator". I reenabled the "Prolific USB-toSerial Comm
Port" and then windows autodeteced the "Microsoft Serial Mouse". I
quickly disabled this in device manager to prevent the mouse cursor from
being hijacked by the GPS serial data. This works to make sure that the
mouse isn't hijacked, and I checked in HyperTerminal and noticed that
Com5 9600baud is still receiving GPS strings so it is working well now!
Thanks for your help on this!

cheers,
Jamie

 

[pjp]

My guess would be as follows.

1) The USB GPS is really an RS232 GPS with a USB to RS232 adapter
chained to it. So really, it appears to Windows as a serial port.

2) They used to make serial mice. That was a mouse that plugged into
an RS232 port. There was code to check RS232 ports, and see if one
of those kind of mice was connected.

I suspect that is how a mouse is being detected on that port. First,
Windows detects a serial (RS232) port. Then, the mouse detection
function tests for a serial mouse, and thinks it has found one.

The question then is, can you disable serial mouse detection on
WinXP, in the same way as you can in these articles ?

(WinNT and /NoSerialMice)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131976

(Win2K and registry hack for serenum)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q283063

According to this, the /fastdetect option in boot.ini , does the
same thing as /NoSerialMice used to do. I don't see /fastdetect
offered in the "msconfig" utility that manages boot.ini , so
you might have to hack boot.ini the hard way (with Notepad).

http://web.archive.org/web/20061206...technet/sysinternals/information/bootini.mspx

If "msconfig" doesn't have the necessary option, a recipe for
using Notepad is included in this article. Apparently, the
attrib command, used in a command window, changes the boot.ini
so it is no longer read-only.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...rrect-or-duplicate-entry-on-the-xp-boot-menu/

I'd test this for you, if I could only remember where I left
my serial mouse I own one, but never used it.

I checked my boot.ini and it already includes /fastdetect.
So it looks like I may already be protected from something
like this happening.

Paul

You may be right about the "serial" bs. My Pharos GPS-500 transponder came
with MS's Street's & Trips installs that way, e.g. it fakes being a serial
device using a virtual com port. BTW - it's RMA'd straight out of the box as
couldn't get it to work reliably on three different pcs.