Can I force XP to load a serial mouse in Safe Mode?

[linn]

I need my serial mouse to work when I boot XP (Home) into Safe Mode.
I understand XP no longer loads serial device drivers. How can I force
it to load my mouse driver?

Thanks very much.

 

[Cerridwen]

I need my serial mouse to work when I boot XP (Home) into Safe Mode.
I understand XP no longer loads serial device drivers. How can I force
it to load my mouse driver?

Thanks very much.

This rather begs the question "Why?" - XP doesn't support serial devices as
it's outmoded - why can't you use a PS/2 or USB mouse?

 

[linn]

This rather begs the question "Why?" - XP doesn't support serial devices as
it's outmoded - why can't you use a PS/2 or USB mouse?

Because my system has a serial mouse that works perfectly well and I
don't want to replace it, that's why.

 

[Box134]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Please get your facts straight before posting. Not only
does XP support serial devices ( you may have heard of modems ), there are
hundreds and probably thousands of business and industrial applications that
use serial communications under every version of Windows, Linux, etc. etc.



http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwdev/tech/io/superIO/serddvr.mspx

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;323897&Product=winxp

http://www.globalmarinenet.net/serial.htm

http://www.perle.com/press_releases/press_XP_serial.html

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/serial/hh/s
erial/sseovr_32g7.asp

http://www.quatech.com/public/ibserial.htm

Help us to help you keep your foot out of your mouth.

 

[Cerridwen]

Because my system has a serial mouse that works perfectly well and I
don't want to replace it, that's why.

Well it obviously doesn't "work perfectly well" or you wouldn;t be asking
the question. Just buy a new mouse (you can get a decent one for £15) and be
done with it!

 

[Alex Nichol]

Because my system has a serial mouse that works perfectly well and I
don't want to replace it, that's why.

If the COM port it is on is enabled and its IRQ and IO address correctly
selected in BIOS then XP *ought* to detect the mouse on it, Safe mode as
well. I would also make sure it is as COM1:

The point about Safe Mode is that it omits Windows drivers and works as
far as possible through the BIOS

 

[Box134]

Obviously you are an amateur whose solution to everything is to buy
something. Why stop there? Maybe the poster should get a new OS?

By the way, you misspelled "wouldn't."

 

[Box134]

Actually, I have to retract what I said earlier.... you can buy something to
solve your problem, a serial-PS2 adapter like this:

http://www.elexp.com/cpt_5ma1.htm

Shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks unless you go to over-priced Radio
Shack. Just make sure you get the right gender, should be female on the
serial side, male on the PS2. Your mouse is transformed into a PS2 mouse
instantly. I use one of these suckers.

 

[linn]

Actually, I have to retract what I said earlier.... you can buy something to
solve your problem, a serial-PS2 adapter like this:

http://www.elexp.com/cpt_5ma1.htm

Shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks unless you go to over-priced Radio
Shack. Just make sure you get the right gender, should be female on the
serial side, male on the PS2. Your mouse is transformed into a PS2 mouse
instantly. I use one of these suckers.

Thanks, I've tried that -- my system just won't recognize a PS/2
mouse for some reason. (I suspect a bad PS/2 port on the MB, or a bad
PS/2 'card'.) Since I don't use a PS/2 mouse, it never mattered.

Mouse is on COM1, std config and works great -- except in Safe Mode.
Device Mgr (in standard mode) reports all is well and that there are
no conflicts. Ports are std config and clean. (This is a clean
install too, one day old, in its own freshly created FAT32 partition.)

I actually installed XP a few days ago, had this problem and deleted
the partition then recreated/formatted it with FDISK and reinstalled
XP hoping to clear things up.

This is a "MS Home" serial mouse purchased about 8yrs ago. It's
comfortable which is why I want to keep it -- (I spend too many hours
a day on my computer to have a mouse that hurts after a few hundred
clicks.)

But I also tried two other mice I have here on hand -- a MS PS/2 mouse
only about a year old (came with a serial adapter but I tried it both
in PS/2 and serial modes) and a third party no-name mouse. Same thing
-- system won't recognize PS/2 at all, and the serial mice won't work
in Safe Mode.

Thanks for your help... the archives show a few people have had this
problem over the past couple years, but I didn't any real solution. If
I could get the system to use a PS/2 (adapter) I would but I spent all
day troubleshooting that problem and came up empty handed. And I'm not
convinced the problem would not occur with a PS/2 mouse anyway, but
maybe that would cure it.

IAC my original query stands... is there any way I can force XP to
load a mouse serial driver in Safe Mode? Some .ini I can edit??

Linn

 

[Box134]

Well, you do have a pickle. You've done everything one could reasonably
expect. I wonder - just taking a new tack - if it could be the mouse. Could
you get your hands on another serial mouse that you could try?

I've run into a few things like this that weren't critical, but just defied
solution. Anyway, good luck!

 

[linn]

Well, you do have a pickle. You've done everything one could reasonably
expect. I wonder - just taking a new tack - if it could be the mouse. Could
you get your hands on another serial mouse that you could try?

Tried two others. Same thing. I have read several places that XP does
not load serial drivers in Safe Mode. I can't believe they didn't
include a user-activated switch to remedy that. I know I'm not the
only person using a serial mouse with XP!

I've run into a few things like this that weren't critical, but just defied
solution. Anyway, good luck!

I did find the reg key that needs editing... I'll track down the
answer. (It's times like this I miss the Windows Secrets manual... the
XP edition is not by the same authors who did 3.11 Secrets and 98
Secrets. They would have included this fix right up front! What's more
important than getting around in Safe Mode?!)

Linn

 

[Glenn Melton]

Can I ask, why, you are still using a Serial Bus mouse?

Also, you can navigate Windows without a Mouse, if you are just needing to
troubleshoot a problem.

 

[linn]

Can I ask, why, you are still using a Serial Bus mouse?

As stated already earlier in the string:

"[...] -- my system just won't recognize a PS/2
mouse for some reason. (I suspect a bad PS/2 port on the MB, or a bad
PS/2 interface.) Since I don't use a PS/2 mouse, it never mattered."

MS cannot really expect that everyone uses a PS/2 mouse, unless the
only market they're concerned with is people who have just gotten
computers in the last few years. I've been using computers since 1988,
as have plenty of others...some much longer than me. Serial mice were
the standard for many years, making the carry-over a significant
figure. Safe Mode should be backwards compatible to account for that,
or at least provide a switch to allow serial mouse users a fix.

Also, you can navigate Windows without a Mouse, if you are just needing to
troubleshoot a problem.

There's no way I'm navigating in Windows without a mouse! Especially
to troubleshoot (of all things!) I'd stick with Win98 before I'd do
that!

Linn