Will an old Compaq mouse work on my PC?

I have a Derby Tech computer that was given to me by my brother for Christams, used.. it is an older computer, windows 95... and my question is this... I hooked up everything, but cannot get the mouse... which is a different mouse than the one that he was using, to work... It pops uip with a message that a mouse is not detected..... What should I do.. I have a compaq mouse that a friend gave me... do I need to add new hardware?

This question was answered on January 10, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

I can't vouch for the compatibility of a Compaq mouse I recently scrapped out a Compaq PC, and even the floppy drive was proprietary

First, buy a new mouse, or get one used Don't pay more than about four dollars If there is a socket in the back of the computer, get a mouse that can plug into that socket Adapters are available for various types of connectors If there is no round connector for a mouse, what you need is a "Serial Mouse".

The computer ought to detect a good mouse right away If it doesn't, this may be the reason you inherited the PC to begin with.

If you need to navigate Windows without a mouse, for purposes of troubleshooting, here is the location of a file which can help: http://www.mstc.edu/Instructor/SHunt/107-165/labs/NoMouse.doc

You may need to troubleshoot the serial port If it is bad, you may need to install an expansion card with a second serial port Be warned Legacy cards such as these have shot way up in price You will probably expect to pay two or three times what the computer is worth, which can total as high as forty dollars.

I would locate components as I find them, at flea markets and garage sales, junk around through used computer sellers' scrap bins, and slowly resurrect the machine Still, old PC's can be an amusing, though not a very lucrative hobby.

RG

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Posted by Robert of Mesa Community College on January 10, 2003

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