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Download Hardware Troubleshooting Techniques
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06 0789732769 CH03 8/31/04 12:54 PM Page 197 197 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hardware . . . . . Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . Techniques . . . . . . Mouse Hardware Checks The hardware check for the mouse involves isolating it from its host port. Simply replace the mouse to test its electronics. If the replacement mouse works, the original mouse is probably defective. If its electronics are not working properly, few options are available for actually servicing a mouse. It might need a cleaning, or a new trackball. However, the low cost of a typical mouse generally makes it a throwaway item if simple cleaning does not fix it. If the new mouse does not work either, chances are good that the mouse’s electronics are working properly. In this case, the mouse driver or the port hardware must be the cause of the problem. If the driver is correct for the mouse, the port hardware and CMOS configuration must be checked. The system board typically contains all of the port hardware electronics and support so it must be replaced to restore the port/mouse operation at that port. However, if the system board mouse port is defective, another option is to install a mouse that uses a different type of port (for example, use a USB mouse to replace the PS/2 mouse). Mouse Configuration Checks When a mouse does not work in a Windows system, restart it and move into safe mode by pressing the F5 function key while the “Starting Windows” message is displayed. This starts the operating system with the most basic mouse driver available. If the mouse does not operate in safe mode, you must check the mouse hardware and the port to which the mouse is connected. If the mouse works in safe mode, the problem exists with the driver you are trying to use with it. It might be corrupt or it could be having a conflict with some other driver. To check the driver, consult Device Manager. If Device Manager shows a conflict with the mouse, remove the driver and allow the system’s PnP process to reinstall it. If the correct driver for the installed mouse is not available, you must install one from the manufacturer. This typically involves placing the manufacturer’s driver disk or disc in the appropriate drive and loading the driver using the Update Driver (requires disk from original equipment manufacturer [OEM]) option on the Device Manager Mouse Properties page. If the OEM driver fails to operate the mouse in Windows, you should contact the mouse manufacturer for an updated Windows driver.
