IntelliMouse Optical problems

[Leonette24]

This is just so weird. I've got a Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical mouse that I just adore and I've been using it for some years now on several different computers. The previous computer had Win98 and everything was wonderful. I recently switched to WinXP and now my wonderful mouse has decided that some things will work and some won't.

This mouse has buttons on the side that will enable you to click them to go back and forward without having to move the mouse to those back and forward arrows. Sadly, this no longer works. The other setting that no longer works is the ability to hide the pointer while I'm typing. However, the back and forward buttons do work as long as I'm not online; the hide button does not work no matter where I am.

Microsoft seems to believe that if I just unplug it from the USB port, life will be wonderful. Unfortunately, it is not plugged into that port, it's plugged into the regular, ordinary PS/2 port. What in the world has gone wrong? And what information may I impart to you that will help you solve this problem?

[PrntRhd]

Welcome to the wonderful way MS Windows upgrade paths work.
:rolleyes:

Seriously, I ran into the same issue with my wife's PC in reverse, I bought her a new mouse and the features did not work on her old PC.
So when we got her a new XP PC all the features now work.

[pangea33]

Have you installed the updated Microsoft drivers? I went to their site and things are working just fine with my optical Intellimouse through the ps/2 port now.

[Leonette24]

Yes, I've been to their website and downloaded the driver. There seems to be more than one to choose from. Does it matter which one is selected as long as XP supports it?

[Leonette24]

I've noticed something. I seem to have both 5.2 and 5.5 software on my hard drive. I'm not at all sure which one is actually installed. How can I remove them all and start from scratch?

[PrntRhd]

Just go to Add/Remove Programs and remove a version.

[mjc]

If it is showing two versions loaded, that could be the source of your problems...

[Leonette24]

Yes, I kind of thought that might be the difficulty. So I did go in under Add/Delete Programs and deleted the 5.5, restarted, installed the 5.2. But, alas, no difference at all. What could have gone wrong? And why will the back and forward buttons not work online, but will work out of online (if that is such a phrase)?

[ski]

It may be time for a new mouse:
http://castlecops.com/article1101.html

[mjc]

Well, there is always the fact that its time has come...more than three years from a mouse is pretty darn good, five or six is fantastic and seven or more is almost unheard of...

[Leonette24]

And I would agree with you except for one thing: I just pulled a brand new one out, never been used, shut down the computer and installed it, and it's doing the same thing. Are you telling me they're all bad right out of the gate? I have no idea not only where I bought them, but where the receipt could be, so I'm screwed on this replacement thing. What other options do I have? Buy another kind? Another mouse maker other than Microsoft?

[mjc]

It could very well still be a driver problem...try going into safe mode and removing all the mouse drivers, then with the new one installed reboot into normal mode and let it install the driver

[Leonette24]

Okay, I'm going to try this. By the way, I stumbled on my receipt for the last two IntelliMice(?) I purchased online. If this doesn't work, I'm going to go for that replacement thing. Wish me luck!

[Leonette24]

I must be doing something wrong because I am unable to delete the driver(s) for this mouse. When I go to Add/Delete Programs, the list has IntelliMouse 5.2, but not ability to delete it. I go into safe mode, same thing. I can delete the driver, but when I restart it just installs the same thing and that is not solving the problem. How do I truly delete this software and start from scratch?

[Leonette24]

:mad: All right, figure this one out. I have since bought another mouse, Kensington Optical Elite. It has five buttons, so essentially the same as the IntelliMouse. I've got it hooked up, software loaded and updated, and it is doing the exact same thing the IntelliMouse was doing. It will not go back and forward, but only when I'm online. Offline, just tooling around on the computer, no problem, works like a champ. What in the world is going on? I've got AOL 8.0, have not had a problem at all with them. Is there some setting I'm missing that I've activated somehow? What?!? Please help me.

[rond36]

Have you tried the configuration program for the mouse, it can assign buttons to do different things in different programs.

Go to Control Panel and click on the mouse icon, or go to start-->all programs-->Microsoft Mouse-->Microsoft Mouse-->buttons tab, select the functions that you want the buttons to perform

If it is checked, un-check "Enable Program-specific Settings"

http://img416.imageshack.us/img416/4576/mouse2xz.jpg

[Leonette24]

Absolutely, been there, done that. In the IntelliMouse Optical, that is the default setting. There was nothing to select, it came that way. Regardless, I have switched to another five-button mouse, also default settings the same, and it is doing the exact same thing. This is happening only in AOL using their browser. I've got AOL working on solving this problem because the solution just has to come from there. I can't imagine that all of sudden all of the mice(?!?) that I have here have gone bad all at once. Seems unlikely to me. If they figure it out, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'll take all suggestions!