PS/2 -> Serial mouse and windows 3.1

Twiggy

Hi again,

I got a ps/2 to serial converter for one of my mice, and everything physically fits together fine, however windows 3.1 won't recognize my mouse automatically and it's to be expected as 'plug n pray (think you're doing something when you're not)' wasn't out until win 95.

However the floppy drive on my windows xp machine will not read or write to any floppy's and there is no network installed on the old laptop.

Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to get the mouse working without floppies?

SomeGuy

You mean a converter to hook a PS/2 mouse to a serial COM port? If it didn't come bundled with the mouse, it probably won't work.

Those kinds of adapters are proprietary for each vendor and require extra electronics in the specific mouse. So plugging one in to a random mouse usually won't work.

Twiggy

SomeGuy wrote:

You mean a converter to hook a PS/2 mouse to a serial COM port? If it didn't come bundled with the mouse, it probably won't work.

Those kinds of adapters are proprietary for each vendor and require extra electronics in the specific mouse. So plugging one in to a random mouse usually won't work.

on the box for the converter it said "IBM/PC" and I am using an old microsoft mouse.

thinkpadman

+1 SomeGuy

The mouse you're using likely doesn't have the required ability to interface with a serial port. Only some mice had the compatibility to run either on a serial or PS/2 port, it's not universal. The ones that could usually had the adapter included. It also happens to the be same with USB to PS/2 converters. If the mouse only supports USB, it's just not going to work plugged into a PS/2 converter.

The "IBM/PC" on the box was probably just there to differentiate that it's not intended for use on the Apple Macintosh, as the ports were completely different before widespread use of USB.

Twiggy

Ok,

I guess I will try installing the serial drivers just to see as right now the windows setup is set for a ps/2 mouse and not serial, if I set it to serial and it doesn't work still, I'm gonna have to get a "new" mouse then.

Twiggy

gonna have to goto goodwill and get a computer with a floppy drive and capable of xp.

TCPMeta

There are some adatpers that convert a PS\2 to serial no mater what kind of PS\2 mouse you got but these apaters are hard to come by.

If you're handy with a soldiering iron you can build one.
http://www.eeweb.com/blog/circuit_proje ... 32-and-ps2

Twiggy

TCPMeta wrote:

There are some adatpers that convert a PS\2 to serial no mater what kind of PS\2 mouse you got but these apaters are hard to come by.

If you're handy with a soldiering iron you can build one.
http://www.eeweb.com/blog/circuit_proje ... 32-and-ps2

Interesting, however I can't solder for shit. I totally failed that in Technology class in high school. I installed the drivers however none of my mice will work, I have an IBM mouse at my parents which Ill try on the weekend, but if that doesn't work, I'll need to buy one.

TCPMeta

Come to think of it it of logitech PS/2 mice are serial compatible. Almost every PS/2 logitech mouse I bought came with a serial adapter.

Twiggy

TCPMeta wrote:

Come to think of it it of logitech PS/2 mice are serial compatible. Almost every PS/2 logitech mouse I bought came with a serial adapter.

hmm, I'll try I have a logitech trackball.

Twiggy

Well, this sucks. I put it back on the original drivers so the laptop "mouse thing" (I don't know what to call it) will work. (it's like one of those things on thinkpads which can really annoy you while typing).

However the screen is monochrome, so I wanted to sue it as a desktop because it can do VGA out. Guess I'm gonna have to wait for that a bit more. :(

BlueSun

popeyewinter wrote:

Well, this sucks. I put it back on the original drivers so the laptop "mouse thing" (I don't know what to call it) will work. (it's like one of those things on thinkpads which can really annoy you while typing).

It's called a trackpoint and it's amazing.