Mouse problems on WinXP...

[DilLy]

Okay, I seem to have tried almost everything except a different USB port. I wanted to see what you guys thought first:

I have XPHome, with a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (the original wired version, I got it like two days after they came out at OfficeMax). It worked like a charm on ME and 98se.

So finally a couple years later I upgrade to WinXP, and this seems to be my only problem left with the OS. I upgraded the Intellipoint software to the latest XP version. but the mouse will stop responding sometimes leaving me to push the power button (it is set to gracefully shutdown on a single push, hold for 8 seconds and it shuts off the power). Of course, this was only needed because I used the PS2 adaptor that came with it so I could save the USB port for other things that relied on that connection like my scanner and external zip. So I got sick of having to turn off power (you cant just take a PS2 device out while the computer is running) and stopped using the PS2 adaptor thinking if it didn't solve the problem altogether, at least I could take the mouse out and put it back in without shutting down first. Well the problem still persists, so I uninstalled the updated Intellipoint software, and tried the default XP driver for it (thinking it is a fairly new Microsoft device they should support it), well it's funny, if the PS2 adaptor is on the mouse then XP doesn't recognize it as the right mouse and it loses functionality of the extra buttons, but using the USB port XP recognizes it as exactly the mouse that it is. So that's good, but.......

Where as before, when it would lose functionality, there would be no audible sound plus the function would not come back, now with the USB port and just the default XP driver, I now get a sound when this happens plus it comes back (with another sound) about 1 second later. I went into the Sounds and Audio control panel in the start menu to identify what the sound was identifying, and they are only used for one thing: "Device Disconnect" and "Device Connect". So this is telling me that the mouse is disconnecting for a split second and then reconnecting (I can then use it after that one second). Also sometimes it seems as if my pointer speed is reset to VERY LOW but the slider control for it in the mouse settings stays in the same slot, so I have to turn it all the way up to be useful, but then after a while it may go back to normal and my mouse is then super fast and I have to go back and turn it to normal again.

I have checked to make sure the USB cable is connectd securely to the USB port (like I said above I haven't yet tried a different port as they are all taked right now, and my Dell machine suggests only using the top two ports for mouse and keybourd devices). I have all the updates for windows itself, I checked the support at Microsoft but there is nothing with my problem on this mouse (they are all for the wireless version). There are also no Alerts in Administrative Tools having to do with the device connect disconnect thingy.

This is better than before where the mouse would not come back at all and I would have to shutdown because it was a PS2 port, but still this shouldn't be happening.

Has anyone had this problem? Did you fix it? Any ideas from anyone (besides trying a new port)?

I know that was a bit of reading but this has really been bothering me and screws me up big time in Photoshop (can't be having that kind of tchnical difficulty when trying to work, ya know?)

Thanks everyone

[bailey]

I would strongly reccommend your getting a self powered usb 4 port hub, wal-mart hase them for under 30. this will give you plenty of usb ports to use, and will solve the problem for you.

[ktkendall]

Dilly;
I wasn't keeping up, but now you said above that you are down to just this one prob with winxp, so I assume you got your internet connect to say on all the time now?? I don't have a real solution but have noticed everyonce in a while I boot up winxp-home and my ps2 mouse pointer is just frozen in the middle of the screen and I have to reboot. I just bought an optical, but a cheap one 14.99 so maybe it just a cheap mouse. But the other thing I've noticed is my usb flash card reader seems to get lost then re installed cause it then becomes D instead of G so I know win lost it and reinstalled it. Also notice I sometimes get the icon for it and sometimes not. Did you try the Microsoft Knowledge Base???

[DilLy]

ktKendall:
Thanks for noticing the internet connection fix. I can't say what fixed it as I tried many things all at once and dont know what did it for me.

Also almost all the questions you asked can be answered from reading my post. sorry.
I wrote all that much at the beginning so I wouldn't have to later on, and people could just dig in to this problem (if they wish) that much faster.

Oh and I just tried the other port, but I still got the "connect disconnect" effect twice already. Everything looks correct in the Device Manager. It says it's working prperly and there is no conflicts.

[DilLy]

For any who may have been interested (not many I gather), I have looked in the USB hub settings (in device manager) to find that it is set to be "shutdown by Windows to save power". I made sure that checkbox wasn't checked and then restarted. Have'nt had the problem since (so far).

I don't like how every device that has a power setting is checked by default. I never had problems like this in 98/ME, therefore I never checked those settings much and don't remember if they are defaulted to the power saving method or not.
So it may just be XP that is like that? That needs to change.

Anyway, I'll still have to use the mouse for a while to make sure it was the solution......

[DilLy]

Well, I tried it and it still does the same thing. *sigh*