>>> 3. It wouldn't have suddenly started happening at exactly the time I 
>>> changed some software.
>>
>> Why not?
>
> Why would software make the batteries go flat?

It wouldn't.  But it's certainly not impossible the batteries ran flat at 
the time you changed software.

BTW did you try running Windows in safe mode for a while to see if the same 
thing happens?

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scott wrote:
>> The point being, if you have keys to move the mouse and click the 
>> button, *every* program can be completely operated using only the 
>> keyboard.
> 
> But *really* slowly

Oh yeah, sure. Having real keyboard shotcuts is faster when they're 
there, but being able to do the thing at all is better than nothing...

>> Hmm... I wonder if anybody has developed a small 3rd party solution to 
>> this?
> 
> Control Panel -> Accessibility -> Mouse -> "Use MouseKeys".

Ah. Interesting...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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scott wrote:
>>>> 3. It wouldn't have suddenly started happening at exactly the time I 
>>>> changed some software.
>>>
>>> Why not?
>>
>> Why would software make the batteries go flat?
> 
> It wouldn't.  But it's certainly not impossible the batteries ran flat 
> at the time you changed software.

No, just really unlikely. ;-) Anyway, as I said, changing the batteries 
was the first thing I did - until I noticed that the activity light is 
still going, indicating the signal *is* being received.

> BTW did you try running Windows in safe mode for a while to see if the 
> same thing happens?

No - but I could do...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Invisible nous apporta ses lumieres en ce 2008/01/14 06:51:
>>> Anyway, does *anybody* have *any* idea why reinstalling Windoze has 
>>> made my mouse malfunction so badly??
>>
>> I would check the drivers for the mouse, USB ports and any other 
>> "mainboard" type drivers.  There might be some different version now 
>> than before the reinstall.
> 
> When I originally installed Windoze, I used the CDs that came in the 
> box. However, I now have a dual-core CPU, and [I forget exactly what 
> happened] I couldn't get Windoze to work properly without using the 
> latest motherboard drivers. Go figure.
> 
> So, new motherboard drivers. (The mouse itself doesn't have any drivers 
> - or rather, it does, but I've never used them. The drivers are to 
> activate the 15 buttons that I don't use. 3 buttons is enough for me...)
> 
>> Then I'd try a different mouse, just to see.
> 
> Yeah, if I had one...
> 
>> When it stops working, is the mouse still "there" (ie in device 
>> manager) or does Windows think it has gone?
> 
> It's very hard to check.
> 
> 10 years ago, I used a sophisticated operating system called AmigaOS. It 
> was possible to operate this without a mouse, because there was a set of 
> keyboard shortcuts for moving the mouse pointer and clicking mouse 
> buttons. However, to my absolute frustration [indeed, near rage], 
> Windoze doesn't appear to support such a feature. So you have to guess 
> what keyboard shortcuts every individual program uses [assuming it 
> provides any at all]. Grrr!!
> 
> I do have a very vague recallection that maybe I had the mouse plugged 
> into the PS/2 port before, whereas now it's in a USB port. However, I 
> *cannot* find the USB-PS/2 adaptor anywhere, so...
> 
New hardware, going from single core to dual core, new mother board drivers.
The environment of your mouse have changed dramaticaly. There may be some 
conflict somewhere.
Even if you don't need almost all of the funtionality, try installing the latest 
drivers, maybe using the personalised setup if there is one.

-- 
Alain
-------------------------------------------------
   Last night my wife met me at the front door. She was wearing a Sexy negligee. 
The only trouble was, she was coming home.
	Rodney Dangerfield

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Orchid XP v7 nous apporta ses lumieres en ce 2008/01/14 17:46:
> The Afro wrote:
>> Tried new batteries?
> 
> If it was the batteries,
> 
> 1. The receive light wouldn't be twinkling.
> 
> 2. Rebooting the PC wouldn't fix the problem.
> 
> 3. It wouldn't have suddenly started happening at exactly the time I 
> changed some software.
> 
> FWIW, yes, I have changed the batteries several times. However, usually 
> when the batteries fail, the mouse starts to gradually move slower than 
> usual before actually stopping. This is quite different...
> 
What software did you change? Maybe the changed software is misbehaving, puting, 
altering or removing some system hooks, and not preserving the correct ones.
I've seen that a LOT. Programs altering some thing, then restoring that thing to 
what the developer *assumed* to be "universal" settings, but not the ones that 
you need to have a workable configuration.

-- 
Alain
-------------------------------------------------
You know you've been raytracing too long when you read each of these quotes.
Mike Weber

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message
news:478c7e3c$1@news.povray.org...

> Because for the last 4 years it's worked perfectly fine with the
> existing drivers, and now suddenly it won't. It's not like drivers
> suddenly stop working after X years...

Ah. I got the impression that you had bought a new motherboard.

> The point being, if you have keys to move the mouse and click the
> button, *every* program can be completely operated using only the
> keyboard. That includes e.g. games [where the developers don't think
> about mouseless operation].

*imagines trying to navigate mouse with keyboard* *shudder*
Give me short cut keys any day

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On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:18:40 +0200, "Gail Shaw" <initialsurname@sentech sa dot
com> wrote:

>
>*imagines trying to navigate mouse with keyboard* *shudder*
>Give me short cut keys any day

IIRC it was part of the win 2.x or 3.x setup. Not everyone had a mouse in those
days.
I've just noticed that there is some junk DNA left. 
Put a windows app in restore mode (not maximised) with the mouse click the
top-left most icon and select size. You can then resize the window with the
cursor keys. I can't remember how to access this menu with the keyboard.


Regards
	Stephen

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>> Because for the last 4 years it's worked perfectly fine with the
>> existing drivers, and now suddenly it won't. It's not like drivers
>> suddenly stop working after X years...
> 
> Ah. I got the impression that you had bought a new motherboard.

Nope. Only new thing is the CPU. (Was 1-core, now 2-core.) Since I did 
that, the existing drivers don't work reliably any more...

>> The point being, if you have keys to move the mouse and click the
>> button, *every* program can be completely operated using only the
>> keyboard. That includes e.g. games [where the developers don't think
>> about mouseless operation].
> 
> *imagines trying to navigate mouse with keyboard* *shudder*
> Give me short cut keys any day

Much faster if specific keyboard shortcuts exist - but if they don't, 
it's better than having to reboot the entire PC to get control back 
[quitting POV-Ray in the process].

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message
news:478ce1aa$1@news.povray.org...
>
> Much faster if specific keyboard shortcuts exist - but if they don't,
> it's better than having to reboot the entire PC to get control back
> [quitting POV-Ray in the process].
>

Last time my mouse ran the batteries flat (and I didn't have charged spares)
I used the machine for the rest of the day with no mouse.  It wasn't
difficult. There are enough shortcut keys built into windows to navigate
most apps (unless you're doing some photoshop or 3d modeller work)

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On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:28:43 +0000, Stephen wrote:

>  I
> can't remember how to access this menu with the keyboard.

Alt+Space IIRC.

Jim

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