Question 16
April 2003
My Question: I am having a serious problem with my
mouse. I have an older Pentium computer. Not the fastest, but it does all
the things I need it to do. My 4 year old mouse has died. I tried cleaning
and all the other things but the mouse is just dead. The problem is that I
don’t have a USB port or one of those round sockets that the newer mouse
fits into. My mouse socket is trapezoid shaped. I bought a mouse with a
round shaped plug and an adaptor that would allow it to fit in the
trapezoid socket, but this didn’t work. Does this mean I have to have a
major upgrade to my computer.
Regards,
Darren
Answer
Darren,
Good question. The modern mouse
usually works on either a USB or PS2 port (the round socket). The
trapezoid plug is called a Serial Plug. You might be able to purchase an
adaptor that will adapt from serial port to PS2 port, but even with an adaptor a PS2 mouse
might not work in a serial port, because the circuitry in the mouse could
be different. Still, it may be worth a try. You might find an adaptor at
an electronics store (Tandy, Dick Smith's, Jaycar).
Another solution is to install a USB card in your
computer. Having this done would be in the $100.00 range. This would also
allow you to use other USB devices.
It may be time to consider a new computer. Prices
are reasonable now. Even though your computer is doing all you need you
are missing out on a lot of new technology that will really make your
computing more exciting.
Extra Tip: If
you are ever stuck with a mouse that doesn’t work remember that you can
manoeuvre around using different key stroke combinations. The manual that
comes with many programs will explain the different key stroke combos to
use.
Happy
Computing,
Mango
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