# New computer, mice don't work. Feeling stupid. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396 "2009-02-04T10:35:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/1 "2009-02-04T10:35:53Z")
Ok, so I got my new computer in the mail today. Yay! Everything is hooked up, computer boots fine, and I have three USB laser mice, and none of them work. All work on my other computer, and all the USB ports seem to work (plugging in a external hard drive powers it up), but when I plug in the mice (one at a time, of course) the laser remains dark. No go. I’m thinking this is something obvious, but I can’t figure out what. Help? ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/2 "2009-02-04T11:08:57Z")
Did the mice come with driver install CD’s? They usually don’t, but I thought it would be worth asking. Failing that, google the make/model for drivers to download. Sounds like it’s having trouble installing the drivers manually. The only hardware I’ve had this problem with though is old webcams. Mice are usually plug in - ready to go. Also try going into control panel\>system\>hardware\>device manager. Right click on human interface devices and click scan. You never know, you might get lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/3 "2009-02-04T11:21:30Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I’m thinking this is something obvious, but I can’t figure out what. Help? Have you tried waiting few minutes for the computer to detect them? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/4 "2009-02-04T12:15:06Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > Did the mice come with driver install CD’s? They usually don’t, but I thought it would be worth asking. > > Failing that, google the make/model for drivers to download. Sounds like it’s having trouble installing the drivers manually. The only hardware I’ve had this problem with though is old webcams. Mice are usually plug in - ready to go. > > Also try going into control panel\>system\>hardware\>device manager. Right click on human interface devices and click scan. You never know, you might get lucky. But I can’t go to anything…I can’t get past the welcome screen–no mouse, remember? It’s three different basic mice…there really shouldn’t be any drivers. They all work on this laptop with no instalation. I’ve had one plugged in for an hour or so, no detection. Thanks, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/5 "2009-02-04T12:22:12Z")
You don’t need a mouse to navigate around your PC. You can use the tab button to cycle through your desktop, and the start bar (or ctrl esc), which you can use to go to device manager. Use the arrow keys and enter key to access things. Oh, but right clicking. Yes. I am an idiot. 🙂 When in device manager, press tab, go to action then scan for hardware changes. Well, finding drivers to install should still be possible. Download them on whatever computer you’re using now and transfer them using a USB memory stick and access them using your keyboard (tab to start, my computer and use the keyboard to go to the device - you said it was only USB mice that weren’t working. If that’s the problem of course, it’s highly unusual for mice not to simply work as soon as you plug them in. Alternatively, you can access your web explorer using the keyboard, tab your way through the files and google for what you need. It’s very cumbersome, but it works! Oh, also try plugging in BEFORE you turn on your computer, if you haven’t already. Windows does checks on the startup and it might find them better then. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/6 "2009-02-04T12:28:55Z")
Can’t edit anymore: If in Device Manager you see nothing about human interface devices, then I’d call the computer company. In fact, since it’s brand new and this definitely should not be happening, sounds like a replacement might be better than screwing around and coming across more problems in the future - if it’s like a motherboard issue or something, which it is beginning to sound like. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/7 "2009-02-04T13:20:14Z")
> [@](#): > > You don’t need a mouse to navigate around your PC. You can use the tab button to cycle through your desktop, and the start bar (or ctrl esc), which you can use to go to device manager. Use the arrow keys and enter key to access things. Hm. That isn’t working for me. The keyboard has lights on it, and appears to be working, but tab does nothing on the welcome screen (and the keyboard doesn’t cancel the screensaver, either). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/8 "2009-02-04T13:56:42Z")
Can you get into the BIOS and check for a USB mouse setting? If you’re stuck on the login screen and this is Vista, just type your password in the box and press Enter. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/9 "2009-02-04T14:10:15Z")
How do I get into BIOS? It’s a XP machine, a friend of mine built it for me. No password box, just a button to click on. I’m in Japan, he’s in Arkansas, and probably won’t be up yet. I’m about to head to bed, so I’ll call him in the morning. I just though this might be something obvious, but perhaps not. Thanks for the help, everyone. I’ll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/10 "2009-02-04T14:31:24Z")
When the computer boots up, the first screens will usually say something along the lines of “Press F5 or F12 to enter BIOS settings (or sometimes just ‘settings’)” If no screen like that appears, press tab or esc when it boots up. There should be some information on the screen to tell you which key to press. Just keep tapping it - sometimes pressing it once does not register. Oh, on the ‘welcome screen’ (I think by that you mean the screen some computers have to allow you to choose a user to log in as) try ctrl alt delete. This should give you a way to enter your username (usually Home if it hasn’t got a specific name set. Just type in whatever you see on the welcome screen - or just try ‘admin’ or ‘administrator’), since you don’t have a password, just leave that field blank. Once the computer is actually on your desktop, it might actually find the devices, so try that first? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/11 "2009-02-04T15:02:20Z")
If you can find a PS/2 keyboard and mouse, you might try starting the computer with those connected. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/12 "2009-02-04T16:39:14Z")
It’s probably a BIOs setting as mentioned above. You’ll have to look through every menu to find it, sometimes they hide it on you. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/13 "2009-02-04T16:41:58Z")
Also consider it might be a hardware problem with the new computer. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/14 "2009-02-05T00:02:26Z")
I e-mailed my friend about it, and he replied with this: > [@](#): > > Ok… I hopped on to take a quick look. Sometimes the USB ports get “jammed up” which is what I think happened here. I deleted all the > ports from the device manager and redetected them. (He has this logmein program installed so he can fix problems remotely.) And now everything works! This computer is so fast! I’ve been working on a 6 year old bottom of the line Dell, and, wow, what a difference. Thanks for all the advice everyone. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/15 "2009-02-05T01:14:46Z")
Make sure logmein has a truly secure password on it. Your friend isn’t the only one who could log in with it, if he left it as admin/admin or something. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-mice-dont-work-feeling-stupid/484396/16 "2009-02-05T03:49:17Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Make sure logmein has a truly secure password on it. Your friend isn’t the only one who could log in with it, if he left it as admin/admin or something. I disable it unless I know he needs access. It’s nice to have being on the other side of the world and basically useless re computers.