I just reinstalled Windows XP - while it was installing I didn't notice that the mouse wasn't plugged in. Once the instalation was complete my mouse doesn't work. The pointer shows up when Windows starts, but it doesn't do anything when I move my mouse.
What should I do to fix it? Get a mouse driver or something?
This is what my mouse properties look like:
5 Answers
Windows has built in drivers for a mouse. If it is a PS/2 interface, you need to have it plugged in when the computer is booting, so you may just need to reboot.
If it is USB, you should just need to wait a few seconds.
If it still doesn't work, you may not have installed your computer's chipset drivers. These drivers usually include the drivers for the USB controller as well if Windows doesn't have one built in.
If that still doesn't work, try the mouse on a different computer. Your mouse may have coincidentally died at the same time that the machine was being reinstalled.
5Try powering off the computer. Sometimes PC hardware will get into a state where a simple reboot isn't good enough. Shut it down, wait about 30 seconds, then power up. If the mouse still doesn't work, go into the Device Manager (Control Panel > Administrative Tools), find the mouse device and remove it, then restart.
1Bad PS/2 port? Try booting up a Linux live CD and see if the mouse is detected. If not, you may have a hardware problem. Wouldn't be the first time I've heard of a port suddenly just failing (I've seen it with both PS/2 and USB where it works fine, then suddenly works no more).
Just a suggestion, but I would have your mouse plugged in while you reinstall Windows XP, and then Windows will know the mouse from the very beginning, and that might fix your problem...
If it is not a USB mouse, it has to be a P/S2 mouse. If you plug in a P/S2 device such as a keyboard or mouse while Windows is running, it will not recognize it. You have to reboot the computer with the device plugged in. Most but not all P/S2 devices are plug and play but yours may not be. Try running the Add Hardware applet in the Control Panel if Windows doesn't recognize your mouse.
