Windows me msmouse when bootup

[Spearball]

Everytime i boot up my laptop after it loads windows me i get a message saying msmouse yes or no. Either or if i click yes or no it wont boot to windows. It just restarts. Anyone know whats going on?

[flanzig1]

Sounds like the on-board mouse could be bad or corrupted driver. Try plugging in a regular mouse to see if it boots. If it does, check the drivers in the device manager for errors.

[GaryRouth]

Hi all

Spearball - did you add any new hardware or software just before this happened?

Here's a quick-fix to try:
1) Boot into Safe Mode (start tapping your F8 key as your laptop is powering up)
2) Go into Control Panel/System/Device Manager . . . and remove all mice listed in that category.
3) Reboot.

Windows Me should re-detect the touchpad and try drivers that have likely worked in the past. If you have a mouse plugged in, it should detect that as well - for any regular mouse, no extra drivers should be necessary to add.

See if that does it.

If it doesn't, it could be an issue with the very next device that loads after the mouse driver. Strangely enough, the "ENUM" trick can work for this (which makes Windows re-detect the hardware), or using System Restore to a restore point prior to the problem. The ENUM trick involves editing your Registry - and it's always recommended that you make a backup copy beforehand. I'd try Device Manager, then System Restore, first. Here's the ENUM trick's thread http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=9254

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[Spearball]

Thanks for the advice guys but i cannot open my bios or anything if i press f8 or f2 or anything it just ignors me and loads winodws then gives me error and cant continue. I will try your second way later im going out at the moment. Also i havent tried plugging another mouse into it yet..

[GaryRouth]

Quick note - it can be tricky to tap the F8 key at just the right time, so try tapping it continuously from the moment you turn the power on -- see if that gets you into Safe Mode.
. . . Gary

[Spearball]

Ok i finally got in safe mode i guess i wasnt doing it right. The mouse works in safe mode. Its not a connected mouse its the old laptop mouses with the little ball thing in the middle of the keyboard. I cleared all the mouses and it still doesnt work. My last hope is system restore and ENUM trick. BTW is there just like a bootup cd that i can insert and make it check all system files and see if everything is working correctly and fix it?

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

I was hoping that the mouse was an external device.

For a built-in mouse, it might be best to look at the website for your make/model laptop, and download that exact driver. Notebook devices can be fairly particular, and not work with generic drivers. Most major-brand notebooks keep the drivers posted for a long, long while, so you have a good chance to find the exact match.

No reason to run the ENUM trick if Safe Mode/Device Manager removal didn't work (it performs the same task, basically - but in this case, directly targeting the mouse drivers).

When you looked at devices in Device Manager, did you notice any "flagged" devices [red Xs or yellow exclamation points (!)]? (flanzig mentioned this as well)

You might have pretty good success using XP's System Restore - it shouldn't hurt anything to try.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[Spearball]

Yes i just noticed under other devices there was an unknown device but it didnt say what it was or anything. Im not sure it that was there before. And i dont now how im gonna run system restore if it has windows me.

[glc]

There is a link on the safe mode desktop to run system restore.

[Spearball]

I dont see anything. There nothing at all on the desktop exept my computer, my documents and the trash can.

Edit: Actually i found system restore in system tools. I restored to 10 days before and still nothing happened. Cant log into normal mode. Can i just try to replace that msmouse file?
Edit: I just tried to replace the file and nothing changed anyway.

This is starting to get really annoying. I even tried the ENUM trick even though it would have did nothing.

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Next time you're in Device Manager, remove the flagged "Unknown Device" - this is going to cause trouble until you have a working driver for the device. Hopefully it's the same as your trackball.

Definitely go to the website for the brand of your laptop (Dell, Sony, Toshiba, IBM, etc.), and try to grab WinMe drivers from there. Laptop devices are particular about their drivers, and you'll need a good match. The vendors usually provide the drivers for a good long while.

See how that goes
. . . Gary

[P.S. .... do you have either Restore Disks or a WinMe CD?]

[Spearball]

Hi and thanks. Yes i did remove the unknown device and nothing happened.

Yes i do got the windows me cd. I can just get the drivers from there right? Or is this to restore the system?

[GaryRouth]

Hi again - sorry for the delay, I've been busy.

I think your best bet is to try driver's from the manufacturer's site. Most brands have websites that make it fairly easy to find things by the model number & operating system.

. . . Gary