[bigdrill]

HI! I need help installing a mouse that isn't Vista ready. It's plug and play from Toshiba. The problem is that Toshiba apparently doesn't have a Vista driver for it. Is there any way to install it anyways? Thanks for your help.

Edited by bigdrill, 08 March 2009 - 02:46 AM.

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Hi and welcome

I have yet to play with a mouse that doesn't just "work" (unless something was faulty).

Does it not work, or you're yet to try it?

Troy

[Troy]

Hi and welcome

I have yet to play with a mouse that doesn't just "work" (unless something was faulty).

Does it not work, or you're yet to try it?

Troy

[bigdrill]

I've plugged it in and went through the installation procedure. I got a message about a missing entry in the file one time and another it said it was successfully installed. Both times the mouse would not work at all. Researching online I read that Vista is reluctant to accept hardware that is not Vista capable. There has to be a way though, without having to regress my computer to XP or spending even more money to buy another mouse. Speaking of buying, the choices are slim to none here in Iraq, lol!

[Troy]

My mouse isn't advertised as "Vista Capable", but it works just fine. At work, there's a really old PS/2 ball mouse (no brand) that works fine.

Is this a wireless mouse? USB mouse?

Off the bat, I'd say it's faulty, unless your comment about XP means it works fine on a good system. Vista's actually pretty good at drivers, I've thrown quite a few different things at my systems that worked fine.

Hhhmm, you mean you can't just walk down to a local PC corner store in Iraq?

Cheers

Troy

[bigdrill]

Well, the mouse works fine on an XP computer. It is a wired basic optical mouse with no special features. I haven't a clue why it doesn't work on Vista except for a supposedly missing entry in the installation file, which is what Vista tells me when I try to install. I'm stumped. This is the first problem I have encountered that couldn't be solved by doing research on the web. As for going out to the PC mart in Iraq, it's not in the cards! At least without 20+ personnel armed to the teeth and permission from higher authority!

Cliff

[bigdrill]

OK, I now have a mouse that is supposedly Vista ready and THIS mouse will not work either. What the heck is the problem? Maybe my driver file is corrupted. This new mouse does work on another Vista computer so I know that nothing is wrong with the mouse. Somebody please help me.

Cliff

[Troy]

Okay, now we're getting somewhere I can understand.

Is this a wired USB or wired PS/2 mouse? Does the opposite work (ie. if the mouse not working is USB, try a PS/2 mouse)?

It's possibly a driver issue (hopefully), otherwise you might be looking at faulty ports on the computer itself.

Troy

[bigdrill]

I do not have a ps/2 connection on my computer. I have four USB ports, one card reader, one UTP connection, one HDMI connection, one very small connection that I am not sure the purpose of and on connector with 15 holes for pins. I have also tried to update the mouse driver through the device manager and had no luck, apparently I have the most updated software available. One thing that I did see, I'm not sure where, is that the PnP software device enumerator is disabled. I don't know if that is my problem. I tried to enable it but was not given the option, i.e. the button was not click-able. I have tried to use the drivers and utilities disk that came with the computer but apparently it isn't there, only drivers for devices like my camera, hard drive, network devices, etc. I believe that the problem lies with my driver file that came installed. I do not know how to re install that. The window disk that came with the computer says that it is not to be used to to reinstall drivers or programs, only the OS. I was considering copying the driver file from another Vista machine that the mouse works on, but I don't know if that is viable. I'm not sure copying will help me because I don't know if the files will install or just sit there. This is driving me crazy. I don't know what information you may need. I have made sure that I didn't do anything irreversible.

[wannabe1]

Have you tried other devices in the USB ports to see if the problem might be in the ports?

Open a run command window (Ctrl + Alt + Del and select New Task). Type prefetch and press "Enter". In the window that opens, select "Edit" on the toolbar, then select "Select All"...press the delete key. Close the prefetch window.

Open Device Manager and expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers". Uninstall all of the USB Root Hubs you see listed...then reboot and let the Root Hubs reinstall when Windows starts.

Does the mouse work after the root hubs and associated devices are reinstalled?

==============

As a side note to you and all your buddies... Thanks for all that you do!

[bigdrill]

OK, I'll try that though the ports work. I have used a portable hard drive and several memory sticks. HEHE, someone's got to do this job!!

[wannabe1]

It may be loading a corrupt mouse driver from the prefetch. This will force Windows to install fresh drivers for all the USB related hardware.

[bigdrill]

Sorry, that didn't work. The installation searched windows update and found software, but an entry was missing. I've attached a screen shot. On another note, once I performed the preceding instructions, my fingerprint scanner quit working. But I think I'll be able to get that myself. One problem at a time right?

Attached Thumbnails

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[bigdrill]

hey, wannabe. On the off chance that my problem is a corrupted driver file I've been researching it online and I found some instructions. Here they are. Could you take a look and tell me if it's good? It might be a little time consuming and probably above my skill level, but I think I could manage it OK. I just wanted to know if it stood a chance of working. Here they are:


(01) insert your Vista setup DVD and boot your PC from that by pressing any key when prompted;

(02) when it ask you for your language, be sure only to choose the one matching your current keyboard layout and click "Next";

(03) Windows is ready to install... but you MUST click "REPAIR YOUR COMPUTER" option, in the lower left corner of the window;

(04) System Recovery will look for installed operating systems: once found, click it and then click "Next";

(05) a quick scan for common problems will start: if something wrong is found you'll be prompted for an automatic system restore, that you shall abort by clicking "Cancel" button.

(06) Now you should see the "System Recovery Options" window: select "Command Prompt" and prepare for a tasty DOS session...

(07) go in your system disk by typing C: (or the letter corresponding to your system disk, followed by a colon);

(08) reach your INF system folder by typing CD \Windows\INF

(09) set a variable to let the file listing being sorted by extension (file type) and then by name, with folders grouped at the top by typing the following command: SET DIRCMD=/p /a /ogen

(10) now, let's get the files list: type DIR
You'll see an enormous amount of INF and PNF files, a bunch of subfolders and a few files having different extension and a really recent date: yeah... you've found them!!

(11) Let's do the hard stuff... type each one of these commands with care and being sure that your command prompt is pointing to \Windows\INF folder:
DEL DRVINDEX.DAT
DEL INFPUB.DAT
DEL INFSTOR.DAT
DEL INFSTRNG.DAT
DEL INFCACHE.*
DEL SETUPAPI.*
All of the above files shouldn't be write-protected nor hidden, so you don't have to see any error following each command.

(12) When finished, type EXIT and the command prompt window will close itself.

(13) Click "RESTART" button and remove Vista Setup DVD from optical unit.

Now, by having completely destroyed the built-in database, Windows will launch its rebuild at the first time you'll plug a new Plug'n'Play peripheral or when you'll start the "Add new hardware" procedure in Control Panel.

[wannabe1]

That procedure shouldn't have disabled the biometric device, though the prefetch sometimes takes a few reboots to fully repopulate the folder. Did you get that working?

Before you do all that (if you haven't already), what's the make and model number of your mouse? (should be stamped on the bottom)

Is it a corded USB mouse or is it wireless?

[bigdrill]

It is a Toshiba 3D optical mouse with a USB connection. Though I think it's actually some kind of generic device. The biometric device recovered on it's own. I haven't performed the instructions in my previous post. I was wondering if it was safe to do it.


Cliff