IntelliPoint: Internal Pointing Device Conflicts with Mouse or IntelliMouse (96016)

SYMPTOMS

When you install the Microsoft IntelliPoint software and a Microsoft Mouse or Microsoft IntelliMouse on a computer with an internal pointing device (such as a touch pad or trackball), you may experience any of the following symptoms:

When the mouse driver is loaded, you may receive the following error message:
Driver Not Installed -- Microsoft Mouse not found.
The mouse pointer may move erratically.
The mouse pointer may not respond when you move the mouse.
The computer may not respond when you click a mouse button.
The internal pointing device or the external mouse may stop responding after a few minutes of use.
The external mouse may not work.
The wheel on the external mouse may not work.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if both of the following conditions are true:

The external mouse is connected to the PS/2 port on your computer.
The internal pointing device uses the PS/2 port on your computer.

If both of these conditions are true, a limitation of the PS/2 port causes a conflict between the pointing devices. The internal pointing device sends three bytes of data through the PS/2 port, and the external mouse sends four bytes of data through the PS/2 port. However, a PS/2 port is able to receive only six bytes of data at a time.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.

Disable the internal pointing device on your computer.

For information about how to disable the internal pointing device on your computer, consult the printed documentation provided with your computer or contact the computer's manufacturer.
If your mouse is Serial compatible, use the serial adapter included with the Microsoft mouse to connect the external mouse to an available serial port.
If your mouse is USB compatible, remove the green USB to PS/2 adapter included with the Microsoft mouse and connect the external mouse to an available USB port.

Note Many portable computers have a basic input/output system (BIOS) feature to "auto disable" the internal pointing device. When activated, this setting automatically turns off the internal pointing device when an external pointing device is detected. In many cases, enabling this BIOS setting will resolve the issue.

MORE INFORMATION

When the IntelliPoint software is installed on your computer, Windows detects the external mouse as a mouse with a wheel, and cannot detect it as a standard 2-button mouse again.