Mouse Problem while installing Windows 9X

[sam13484]

I have an old IBM S42. I've run both Windows 9X and XP on it, in the past, without any problems. I recently bought a new HD for it. FDISK it, and then attempted to install Windows 98. When the Installation Wizard starts, the mouse won't work. I can see it move the cursor a bit when I first use the mouse, but then it freezes. I tried both PS/2 and USB mice. The same thing happens. I thought it might be the connector, but just to try one other thing I FDISK the drive again and installed XP. I had no problems with the mouse. Went back and tried 98, and the mouse frooze again. Does anyone have an idea what is going on here? Thanks.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

You can get through the setup without needing a mouse. Hint: Tab and Space. Finish installing then see if it works. And if you use a PS/2 mouse, disable USB Mouse support.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Th3_uN1Qu3

[Multibooter]

You can get through the setup without needing a mouse. Hint: Tab and Space.

With Tab & Space you can move the focus, but you cannot make menu selections (=make a black dot appear to the left of the selected menu item). Use cursor keys and select items by pressing Control+Space.

I also had encountered this mouse problem a few times during a Win98 installation, just after ScanDisk and before the Select [Windows] Directory comes up. I don't quite remember, I think it depended on the type of mouse I used, either with a round

PS/2 connector or with a regular serial connector. Win98 at the problematic point during installation has not yet loaded the required (serial port?USB?) driver; if the cursor of the USB mouse could be moved before that point, I would assume because of a setting in the BIOS to support USB devices with legacy operating systems. In any case I would rather not use a USB mouse for the installation of Win98.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Multibooter

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Well, i supposed he knew why the cursor keys exist. Hitting the underlined letter of that button also works.

[sam13484]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was unable to use them because it appeared that the keyboard also didn't work. However, I did find a solution. The one thing I did differently from the previous successful installs was I used another Boot CD. There must be a problem with the drives on the CD, because when I went back to using a Windows 9X boot floppy, everything worked. I'd be interested in any similar experiences with that Boot CD. I use it a lot when installing Windows and generally working "in DOS". I haven't noticed the mouse/keyboard problem before.

[Multibooter]

Hitting the underlined letter of that button also works.

If I remember right, in the window "Select Directory" of Windows 98 Setup no menu selections (e.g. 'Other directory') have an underlined letter, using the cursor keys and pressing Ctl+Space is the only way to make a selection there without a mouse, and no idea why MS did not allow the hitting of an underlined letter (maybe the keyboard driver is necessary for entries of Alt+Character and is not yet installed at that stage of the installation). Please correct me if I remember wrong. Edited August 8, 2008 by Multibooter

[dencorso]

Are you perchance using a 3- or 5-button mouse?

If so, use the dos Cute Mouse 2.0 alpha 4 driver (google for it), instead of MS Mouse, and it'll solve your problem.

Edited September 11, 2008 by dencorso