Serial Mouse with laptop?

[Guest]

Is it possible to disable touchpad and use serial mouse in laptop? The PS/2 port on an older Gateway is damaged so I can't use PS2. The CMOS options for serial are:
COM 1, COM 2, COM 3, COM 4 and "Disabled."
I tried all settings but serial mouse wasn't recognized. Should I add additional com port(s) under Control panel/system?
O/S is Win95.
Thanks!!!

 

[jclw]

Set your serial port to COM1 (as long as nothing else is COM1) and start Windows and make sure it recognizes COM1. Some laptops have an option in the bios to use either touchpad/PS2/COM1/COM2 for the mouse but others don't. If you can't find anything in bios download the latest mouseware driver from logitech http://www.logitech.com/cf/support/mousefiles_w2000.cfm . This driver works with all the mice I've ever found and should detect the mouse on COM1. The driver works in 95, 98, ME, NT4, and NT2000.

BTW: Most OEM PS2 mice do NOT work with a PS2->Serial adaptor (in my experience) so make sure you have a serial mouse (or a retail version).

- JW

 

[Grizely1]

Yeah, the newer mice can't work on serial.

On my laptop (Emachines 450k Eslate), all I do is plug in my mouse to the PS/2 port and I can automatically use it. No fooling around in the BIOS or anything.

 

[jclw]

Nearly all touchpads and pointing sticks on laptops are PS2 devices as well, so when you plug a mouse into the PS2 port it just switches over to that ...kind of like when you plug headphones into some stereos the speakers turn off (if that makes any sense at all...).

Almost all laptop pointing devices are made by Alps (www.alps.com)