[Ham-Computers] Of Vista, Mice, and USB Ports

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

Hi all,

Hope everyone's enjoying this holiday season!  I, myself, am gearing up
for the New Year and the upcoming 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Lost
Wages, NV.  I was more of a COMDEX nut, but since that's no longer
around, CES is it.

Anyways, time to catch up on a few posts and throw in my two cents...


What version of Vista, if any?
If you must use Vista, then go with the "Ultimate" Edition.  That way,
you're sure you're not missing any of the Vista "experience".  Some are
now complaining about missing features in the "Home" editions and wish
they got "Ultimate" instead.  Save yourself from possible headaches, esp
if you plan on networking the computers.

As to Windows OS licensing in the VM itself..."officially", each running
instance of a VM needs it's own license of a "retail" copy of Windows -
OEM licenses can't be used in a VM.  Do many do this?  Probably not -
just laying out the legal issues.


Mice, Mouses, whatever:
Yes, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports are becomming a thing of the past.
One way around this is to buy an "active" PS/2 to USB adapter  - this
allows you to use your PS/2 keyboard/mice with USB-only systems.  Don't
get this confused with the "passive" adapters that just "adapt" the port
- "active" adapters do actual translation between the PS/2 signals and
USB signals.  The mechanical adapters just change the physical
configuration of the port to make the keyboard/mouse fit the USB port -
the keyboard or mouse itself detects what kind of port it's plugged into
and uses the appropriate signaling.  Not all keyboards/mice work this
way.  Mice that work with both are usually labeled "combo" - for
example, Logitech mice with a model number starting with "C" are usually
"combo" mice.  As for keyboards, you'll have to read the manual for
each; but, if it comes with a passive adapter, the keyboard has the
circuitry to work with either USB or PS/2.

Here's a link to some "active" PS/2 to USB adapters:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000353&Des
cription=usb+to+ps2&name=Adapters+%26+Gender+Changers

About $6 on average.  You might notice that many look identical.  That's
because they are - only a couple of actual manufacturers.  The vendors
just stick their own names on the label.


USB mouse compatibility:
This really shouldn't be a problem.  Mice are still officially
considered a "foreign object" in the x86 architecture - the original IBM
PC didn't use a mouse.  As such, mouse support is gained via a driver
for the mouse.  In DOS, you *need* to load the mouse driver in order for
the mouse to work.  If you're using a USB mouse, the driver needs to
look for the mouse on the USB port - most mouse drivers have been this
way for years, so it's odd if a recent HD installer disk wouldn't work
with a USB mouse.  One thing to try is to make sure that "Legacy USB"
mode (sometimes called USB Keyboard/Mouse support) is enabled in the
system's BIOS - this ensures that the USB ports are "powered" (even when
the system is off) and that the BIOS intercepts and forwards (and
translates) USB keyboad/mouse signals to the legacy PS/2 port handlers.

Links to more info:

http://www.intel.com/support/peripherals/sb/cs-011939.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/usbcompat.mspx


And, if you're looking for a source of inexpensive mice (starting at
$2), there's always Newegg.com...

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=65&Tpk=mou
se

Click on the price range selector on the left, then change "Best Match"
to "Lowest Price" to sort by price.


I hope I covered everything.  If not, I'll start another long message
<g>.  73 all and have a Happy New Year!


  - Aaron, NN6O