Mouse problems. Please help.

[xby]

A few years back I built a computer based on the Abit IT5H motherboard, and attached to its PS2 port a Star mouse. Everything was working alright until recently.

Nowadays, two problems occassionally occur with the mouse at unpredictable times:
1) The mouse cursor and all other mouse functions, all of a sudden, stop responding to any mouse action. The mouse comes back to life when I turn the mouse driver off, then on again.
2) An inactive mouse blocks keyboard response from the keyboard queue. Nothing happens when I key a number of characters on the keyboard; but as soon as I move the mouse a bit, those characters come to life with the correct response.

These problems seem to be independent of each other, and occur unpredictably. On one extreme, I can work on the machine for days without facing any of them. On the opposite extreme one problem or the other would hit shortly after I power the machine on. The general occurences are somewhere in between those two extremes.

Any suggestions?

[randy48]

Have you tried to uninstall/reinstall the mouse? Somethings drivers get corrupt and things start to act up!

[daveleau]

You may need to reinstall the mouse.drv file but do it in DOS. Get a good copy from another system that is unafflicted and then install it in DOS.
Dave

[xby]

Thank you very much, Randy48 and Daveleau, for your suggestions. However, I have already figured out that the problem is in the hardware. Therefore there is not point in fiddling with the mouse software.

I am trying to figure out if the problem is with the mouse or the motherboard.

[Dave_Whittle]

Its probably the mouse the easiest way to find out is to borrow your mates or just buy another one anyway. More than 2 years is not bad going for a mouse!

[daveleau]

Get a cheap mouse and try it out. That is the easiest way to see what is up. If your PS2 port is dead, you can get a serial or a USB mouse.
dave

[wilbur]

for some reason, mouse that cost under 10 bucks last longer. i have mine for about 4 years now, and it's good as ever.

[wilbur]

maybe you need to clean up your mouse. works for me everytime that little vermin starts to give out.

[wilbur]

to be more elaborative, i take the mouse ball cover, once taken off, i use a tooth pick to fish out the dirt inside. wallah, you have a clean working mouse!

[xby]

Thank you all for your worthwhile suggestions. Since the problem is so unpredictable, I intend to try them out one at a time, simpler thing first, as a way of isoating the problem and identifying it.

From my point of view, a software bug or a hardware problem is not a nuisance only - it also has the positive aspect as a learning experience.

Wilbur, like yourself, I found out on many occassions that you do not always get what you pay for. Price does not always reflect quality. Many a time cheaper products are better than their more expensive counterparts.

[DHatAVI]

I recently had a similar problem with a compaq and it's PS/2 mouse. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling, checking device manager in safe mode for multiple entries, but nothing permenant seemed to work. I tried the mouse on another computer and it worked normally. I finally installed a serial mouse and disabled the ps/2 port and that solved the problem.

David