Compaq usb mouse problem

[KenK]

I am posting here because the only Compaq group I can find hasn't had a
post for 18 months.

My Compaq rubber-ball mouse curser control is getting flaky and cleaning
doesn't help. I tried a USB mouse I had on hand but the curser doesn't
move. Is this possibly a dead mouse or don't USB mouses work with XP Home
SP2 on the Compaq Presario? The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2
connector.

I looked in Control Panel>System and My Computer but can't find BIOS
number.

Anything I can try?

TIA

 

[Paul]

I am posting here because the only Compaq group I can find hasn't had a
post for 18 months.

My Compaq rubber-ball mouse curser control is getting flaky and cleaning
doesn't help. I tried a USB mouse I had on hand but the curser doesn't
move. Is this possibly a dead mouse or don't USB mouses work with XP Home
SP2 on the Compaq Presario? The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2
connector.

I looked in Control Panel>System and My Computer but can't find BIOS
number.

Anything I can try?

TIA

The ball-mouse may have a broken wire in the cord. That's
a reason for the mouse cursor to stop and start at inconvenient
times. You've already cleaned it, so I don't have to tell
you that step first. To repair it, you cut off the suspected
section with the break in it, and use the remaining wire to
restore things to the way they were.

Usually the break, is right where the wire passes through
the mouse housing. That's where all the stress is concentrated.

Here, someone pretends to burn the shit out of a component
on the mouse PCB. To give you some idea of the fun ahead.
This style mouse might be a bit harder to repair, because you're
dealing with a connector. First step, is to record wire
color, and which pin each color goes to. If you ruin the
connector while repairing it, you can always solder the
bare wires into the appropriate holes, after removing the
connector on the PCB.

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/repair-computer-mouse-10703093.jpg

Note that, inside the mouse, there are a ton of springs and wheels
that can fall out. Using a digital camera, take a picture of the
mouse from several angles, while it is still "in one piece". So
you'll be prepared if the guts fall out. I've spilled one
of those damn things on my table, and it took a lot longer
than I want to admit, to put it all back.

*******

With respect to USB mice and the "turquoise adapter".
That adapter is purely passive. It just routes the USB
pins to a PS/2 connector pattern.

Your mouse could be a dual-protocol mouse or a single
protocol mouse. The turquoise adapter usually ships
with the dual-protocol mouse. You cannot put the
dual-protocol adapter on the single protocol mouse
and expect it to work. Nothing will happen. The rodent
will be unhappy. So don't do that.

At my house, the two turquoise adapters, belong to two
identical Logitech Click! Optical Mice. I do not
attempt to connect the adapter to my other mice,
because no good will come of it.

The mouse has the magic, not that adapter. The chip
inside the mouse, senses whether USB bias or PS/2
bias is connected, and applies the correct protocol
for the electrical conditions it finds. The adapter
contributes nothing to the exercise. The mouse is
the "brains" of the operation. If the mouse does
not have the right chip type inside it, that
passive turquoise adapter cannot change things.

You can test the USB ports on your Compaq, with
a USB flash key. If the key shows up, you know the
USB port has power, and the data pins work.

You could test the USB mouse, on some other known-good
computer.

The OS has HID drivers, for things like mouse and
keyboard, and I doubt that is missing. There could
be a problem with Plug and Play. There could be
an inappropriate UpperFilter driver in place.
But there's no reason to suspect anything of
the sort.

HTH,
Paul

 

[philo]

I am posting here because the only Compaq group I can find hasn't had a
post for 18 months.

My Compaq rubber-ball mouse curser control is getting flaky and cleaning
doesn't help. I tried a USB mouse I had on hand but the curser doesn't
move. Is this possibly a dead mouse or don't USB mouses work with XP Home
SP2 on the Compaq Presario? The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2
connector.

I looked in Control Panel>System and My Computer but can't find BIOS
number.

Anything I can try?

TIA

XP should have no problem with a USB mouse but it generally will not
work instantly the first time you plug it in. Give it a few minutes to
install the drivers.

If you have waited a sufficient time and the mouse is not detected
then either your USB port is bad or the mouse is defective.

 

[Paul]

XP should have no problem with a USB mouse but it generally will not
work instantly the first time you plug it in. Give it a few minutes to
install the drivers.

If you have waited a sufficient time and the mouse is not detected
then either your USB port is bad or the mouse is defective.

Maybe someone could switch off USB in the BIOS ?

The other possibility, is the USB port isn't powered.
Some boards use a 1x3 or 2x3 pin header, and a jumper
must be present on each 1x3, so that the USB port can
have a power source.

Paul

 

[KenK]

The ball-mouse may have a broken wire in the cord. That's
a reason for the mouse cursor to stop and start at inconvenient
times. You've already cleaned it, so I don't have to tell
you that step first. To repair it, you cut off the suspected
section with the break in it, and use the remaining wire to
restore things to the way they were.

Usually the break, is right where the wire passes through
the mouse housing. That's where all the stress is concentrated.

Here, someone pretends to burn the shit out of a component
on the mouse PCB. To give you some idea of the fun ahead.
This style mouse might be a bit harder to repair, because you're
dealing with a connector. First step, is to record wire
color, and which pin each color goes to. If you ruin the
connector while repairing it, you can always solder the
bare wires into the appropriate holes, after removing the
connector on the PCB.

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/repair-computer-mouse-10703093.jpg

Note that, inside the mouse, there are a ton of springs and wheels
that can fall out. Using a digital camera, take a picture of the
mouse from several angles, while it is still "in one piece". So
you'll be prepared if the guts fall out. I've spilled one
of those damn things on my table, and it took a lot longer
than I want to admit, to put it all back.

*******

With respect to USB mice and the "turquoise adapter".
That adapter is purely passive. It just routes the USB
pins to a PS/2 connector pattern.

Your mouse could be a dual-protocol mouse or a single
protocol mouse. The turquoise adapter usually ships
with the dual-protocol mouse. You cannot put the
dual-protocol adapter on the single protocol mouse
and expect it to work. Nothing will happen. The rodent
will be unhappy. So don't do that.

At my house, the two turquoise adapters, belong to two
identical Logitech Click! Optical Mice. I do not
attempt to connect the adapter to my other mice,
because no good will come of it.

The mouse has the magic, not that adapter. The chip
inside the mouse, senses whether USB bias or PS/2
bias is connected, and applies the correct protocol
for the electrical conditions it finds. The adapter
contributes nothing to the exercise. The mouse is
the "brains" of the operation. If the mouse does
not have the right chip type inside it, that
passive turquoise adapter cannot change things.

You can test the USB ports on your Compaq, with
a USB flash key. If the key shows up, you know the
USB port has power, and the data pins work.

You could test the USB mouse, on some other known-good
computer.

The OS has HID drivers, for things like mouse and
keyboard, and I doubt that is missing. There could
be a problem with Plug and Play. There could be
an inappropriate UpperFilter driver in place.
But there's no reason to suspect anything of
the sort.

HTH,
Paul

Before I try your other suggestions, evidently I wasn't clear. The USB
mouse I tried used the USB port on the Compaq, no adapter on either
mouse, just the plug on the end of the cord. The Compaq USB ports are
evidently OK, I have a keyboard and thumb drive plugged in.

If worse comes to worst, I can check the USB mouse on another machine,
but I hate to mess with things that are working, like the mouse on the
other computer.

TIA

 

[KenK]

Maybe someone could switch off USB in the BIOS ?

The other possibility, is the USB port isn't powered.
Some boards use a 1x3 or 2x3 pin header, and a jumper
must be present on each 1x3, so that the USB port can
have a power source.

Paul

Nope, USB keyboard and thumb drive both work fine.

 

[KenK]

XP should have no problem with a USB mouse but it generally will not
work instantly the first time you plug it in. Give it a few minutes to
install the drivers.

If you have waited a sufficient time and the mouse is not detected
then either your USB port is bad or the mouse is defective.

Good idea! I'll try that when I turn the system on tomorrow morning.
Would rather not shut down and reboot now as I'll be off line for the day
in a short time.

 

[philo]

Nope, USB keyboard and thumb drive both work fine.

Then the mouse must be bad as there is nothing special you need to do
for a USB mouse.

Since it looks like you will need a new mouse, might as well get another
PS/2 type so as to not tie up a USB port (unless the machine has a lot
of extras)

 

[VanguardLH]

My Compaq rubber-ball mouse curser control is getting flaky and cleaning
doesn't help.

Remove the screws to take the shell apart for the mouse. Clean out the
junk that accumulated around the perforated wheel.

Remove the ball by rotating the retainer plate. Use isopropyl alcohol
to clean the ball. It gets dirty and the filth gets burnished onto the
ball. When dirty, you'll see the color change from dark gray to light
grey (the original color). That burnished on filth results in skipping;
i.e., the plastic wheels inside don't have a good surface for friction
on the ball. While the ball is out, rotate the wheels and use an ear
swab with isopropyl alcohol to clean them off, too.

Depending on how you use the male mouse (balled), the wires in the cord
at the entrance point in the mouse shell may have broke. Do you have
the cord go straight out from the mouse, like across the desk and fall
behind it, or does the cord make a bend that keeps getting flexed when
you move the mouse?

I tried a USB mouse I had on hand but the curser doesn't
move. Is this possibly a dead mouse or don't USB mouses work with XP Home
SP2 on the Compaq Presario? The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2
connector.

You mention trying a USB mouse but also mention using the PS/2 port via
adapter (which won't work with a USB-only mouse; see next paragraph).
Do you have a USB port in which to plug the USB-only mouse?

Mice either have internal logic to toggle between different hardware
protocols or they don't. A USB-only mouse only understands the USB
hardware protocol. It cannot be made to understand the PS/2 hardware
protocol using passive means, like a simple inline wiring conversion
adapter. You would have to buy an active adapter to make a USB-only
mouse usable with a PS/2 port; however, by the time you spent the money
on one, it would be cheaper to get a USB+PS/2 (one that understands both
hardware protocols).

I looked in Control Panel>System and My Computer but can't find BIOS
number.

That's shown on the POST screen and before anything of the OS loads.
Not relevant, anyway. If you want to use a mouse on the PS/2 port then
you either have to find a PS/2-only mouse (doesn't need an adapter) or a
USB+PS/2 mouse (includes an adapter to connect to a PS/2 port).
USB-only mice don't work with or without adapter on a PS/2 port.

The problematic male mouse provides a USB-to-PS/2 adapter. Since you
are using the adapter, you are plugging the male mouse into the PS/2
port using that adapter. With the extended length of the USB-to-PS/2
adapter along with the mouse cord's connector, and any repeated stress
on that connection, the female pins inside the PS/2 port may have broke.
Since the mouse works on either PS/2 (via adapter) or USB, what happens
when you connect it to a USB port?

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

My Compaq rubber-ball mouse curser control is getting flaky and cleaning
doesn't help.

Remove the screws to take the shell apart for the mouse. Clean out the
junk that accumulated around the perforated wheel.

Remove the ball by rotating the retainer plate. Use isopropyl alcohol
to clean the ball. It gets dirty and the filth gets burnished onto the
ball. When dirty, you'll see the color change from dark gray to light
grey (the original color). That burnished on filth results in skipping;
i.e., the plastic wheels inside don't have a good surface for friction
on the ball. While the ball is out, rotate the wheels and use an ear
swab with isopropyl alcohol to clean them off, too.[/QUOTE]

When KenK wrote "cleaning doesn't help", I assumed he'd tried all that.
[]

You mention trying a USB mouse but also mention using the PS/2 port via
adapter (which won't work with a USB-only mouse; see next paragraph).

He didn't mention an adapter; people just assumed he was using one
(wrongly so, as he explained in a later post).
[]

USB-only mice don't work with or without adapter on a PS/2 port.

They certainly won't do so without one (-:
[]

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, KenK

Before I try your other suggestions, evidently I wasn't clear. The USB
mouse I tried used the USB port on the Compaq, no adapter on either
mouse, just the plug on the end of the cord. The Compaq USB ports are
evidently OK, I have a keyboard and thumb drive plugged in.

People do jump to assumptions don't they (-:!

If worse comes to worst, I can check the USB mouse on another machine,
but I hate to mess with things that are working, like the mouse on the
other computer.

[]
I'm with you there! However, I'm pretty sure you can have both a PS2 and
a USB mouse connected at once (and they'll both work), so assuming "the
mouse on the other computer" is PS2, you don't have to disturb it to
test your USB one. If the existing one _is_ USB, I _suspect_ you can
even have two USB ones connected at once and they'll both work, though I
don't think I've tried that; I can't see how it can do any _harm_,
anyway. (I'm assuming you have a spare USB port on the "other computer",
which I realise may be an invalid assumption.)

 

[philo]

[]
I'm with you there! However, I'm pretty sure you can have both a PS2 and
a USB mouse connected at once (and they'll both work),

That's correct.


so assuming "the

 

[Paul]

In message <[email protected]>, KenK

Before I try your other suggestions, evidently I wasn't clear. The USB
mouse I tried used the USB port on the Compaq, no adapter on either
mouse, just the plug on the end of the cord. The Compaq USB ports are
evidently OK, I have a keyboard and thumb drive plugged in.

People do jump to assumptions don't they (-:!

If worse comes to worst, I can check the USB mouse on another machine,
but I hate to mess with things that are working, like the mouse on the
other computer.

[]
I'm with you there! However, I'm pretty sure you can have both a PS2 and
a USB mouse connected at once (and they'll both work), so assuming "the
mouse on the other computer" is PS2, you don't have to disturb it to
test your USB one. If the existing one _is_ USB, I _suspect_ you can
even have two USB ones connected at once and they'll both work, though I
don't think I've tried that; I can't see how it can do any _harm_,
anyway. (I'm assuming you have a spare USB port on the "other computer",
which I realise may be an invalid assumption.)

Multiple mice and keyboards can be run on the computer.

I've even run a Mac keyboard (via USB to Apple Desktop Bus adapter)
and a PC keyboard on the PC at the same time.

You can even use a serial mouse on a PC, as long as you have
a serial port to run it. Serial RS232 ports are less common
on PCs by default now. I bought a serial port mouse specifically
for test purposes (it was in the "mouse barrel" at the now
defunct computer store). It cost me all of $5.

The machine is not a slouch when it comes to handling input devices.

Paul

 

[VanguardLH]

When KenK wrote "cleaning doesn't help", I assumed he'd tried all that.

I've seen MANY a user claim to have cleaned the mouse but they didn't
use ispropyl on the ball to clean off the burnished filth. They wiped
the mouse with, say, glass or general cleaner spray, and the dirt
remained. Also, many never opened the mouse to clean out the lint and
junk between the perforated disc and the sensor. Cleaning could've been
exterior only without ANY dismantling of the mouse.

Assume what you want. I'm not you. And you're not Ken.

He didn't mention an adapter; people just assumed he was using one
(wrongly so, as he explained in a later post).

"The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2 connector."

Why mention that if he wasn't trying to connect his "Compaq mouse" (with
a USB end) a PS/2 port (via the adapter)? Also, even in his reply to
Paul, it is unclear if the USB mouse he mentions plugging into a USB
port is the original Compaq and problematic USB mouse or a different USB
mouse he "had on hand" as a test unit.

I see you understand how to implement hindsight to justify your
conclusion made much later.

They certainly won't do so without one (-:

Okay, said even shorter: USB-only mice won't work on a PS/2 port (except
for my mention of using an active/powered hardware protocol converter).

 

[KenK]

Remove the screws to take the shell apart for the mouse. Clean out
the junk that accumulated around the perforated wheel.

Remove the ball by rotating the retainer plate. Use isopropyl alcohol
to clean the ball. It gets dirty and the filth gets burnished onto
the ball. When dirty, you'll see the color change from dark gray to
light grey (the original color). That burnished on filth results in
skipping; i.e., the plastic wheels inside don't have a good surface
for friction on the ball. While the ball is out, rotate the wheels
and use an ear swab with isopropyl alcohol to clean them off, too.

Depending on how you use the male mouse (balled), the wires in the
cord at the entrance point in the mouse shell may have broke. Do you
have the cord go straight out from the mouse, like across the desk and
fall behind it, or does the cord make a bend that keeps getting flexed
when you move the mouse?

The latter.

You mention trying a USB mouse but also mention using the PS/2 port
via adapter

If it did it was a mistake. I tried to say the current Compaq mouse used
the PS/2 connector, the Logitech optical mouse used a USB connector. No
adapter.

(which won't work with a USB-only mouse; see next

paragraph). Do you have a USB port in which to plug the USB-only
mouse?

Mice either have internal logic to toggle between different hardware
protocols or they don't. A USB-only mouse only understands the USB
hardware protocol. It cannot be made to understand the PS/2 hardware
protocol using passive means, like a simple inline wiring conversion
adapter. You would have to buy an active adapter to make a USB-only
mouse usable with a PS/2 port; however, by the time you spent the
money on one, it would be cheaper to get a USB+PS/2 (one that
understands both hardware protocols).


That's shown on the POST screen and before anything of the OS loads.
Not relevant, anyway. If you want to use a mouse on the PS/2 port
then you either have to find a PS/2-only mouse (doesn't need an
adapter) or a USB+PS/2 mouse (includes an adapter to connect to a PS/2
port). USB-only mice don't work with or without adapter on a PS/2
port.

The problematic male mouse provides a USB-to-PS/2 adapter. Since you
are using the adapter, you are plugging the male mouse into the PS/2
port using that adapter. With the extended length of the USB-to-PS/2
adapter along with the mouse cord's connector, and any repeated stress
on that connection, the female pins inside the PS/2 port may have
broke. Since the mouse works on either PS/2 (via adapter) or USB, what
happens when you connect it to a USB port?

Someone esle suggested waiting for the computer to recognize the USB
mouse. I did so this morning when I booted for the day. It took a few
minutes but now I'm happily using the optical mouse.

 

[KenK]

Good idea! I'll try that when I turn the system on tomorrow morning.
Would rather not shut down and reboot now as I'll be off line for the
day in a short time.

Yep! That was it. USB mouse now working fine.

Simple when you get good advice.

 

[philo]

Yep! That was it. USB mouse now working fine.

Simple when you get good advice.

Figured that was all it was.

Glad to see that by Dec 5th I finally got one right this year!

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

When KenK wrote "cleaning doesn't help", I assumed he'd tried all that.

I've seen MANY a user claim to have cleaned the mouse but they didn't
use ispropyl on the ball to clean off the burnished filth. They wiped
the mouse with, say, glass or general cleaner spray, and the dirt
remained. Also, many never opened the mouse to clean out the lint and
junk between the perforated disc and the sensor. Cleaning could've been
exterior only without ANY dismantling of the mouse.[/QUOTE]

OK, I yield to your greater experience. I've been slightly surprised
no-one's quoted the alleged (and I suspect fake) IBM directive about
cleaning mouse balls.

Assume what you want. I'm not you. And you're not Ken.


"The Compaq mouse I am using has a special PS/2 connector."

Well, connector isn't the same as adaptor; I assumed (yes, assuming
again) that he just meant the Compaq mouse had a PS/2 plug on it, i. e.
was a PS/2 mouse, nothing to do with USB at all.

Why mention that if he wasn't trying to connect his "Compaq mouse" (with
a USB end) a PS/2 port (via the adapter)? Also, even in his reply to

I don't _think_ he said it had a USB end. It's academic anyway - he's
got it working now.

Paul, it is unclear if the USB mouse he mentions plugging into a USB
port is the original Compaq and problematic USB mouse or a different USB
mouse he "had on hand" as a test unit.

I see you understand how to implement hindsight to justify your
conclusion made much later.


Okay, said even shorter: USB-only mice won't work on a PS/2 port (except
for my mention of using an active/powered hardware protocol converter).

I was being facetious there, picking up on your "with or without
adapter" - because without an adapter, a USB mouse won't work on a PS/2
port, because the plug won't fit (-: