Microsoft Mouse Driver 8.1 Update Kit README.TXT File

• Microsoft Mouse Driver for MS-DOS, version 8.1

SUMMARY

The following text is the README.TXT from the Mouse Driver 8.1 Update Kit. Note that customers can view this file by running the README.EXE file.

MORE INFORMATION

MICROSOFT MOUSE RELEASE NOTES (software version 8.10) Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1991

This document contains information that supplements the "Microsoft Mouse User's Guide" and accompanying software.

CONTENTS

     I. Notes on Setup for DOS and Windows 3.0
          The APPEND Command
          PATH Modifications
          Single-drive PCs
          Network Installations
          Loading the DOS Mouse Driver under Windows
    II. New LCD Screen Pointer Options
          Improving pointer visibility in DOS
          Improving pointer visibility in Windows
          Pointer settings in MOUSE.INI
          Using pointer options with included menu software
   III. Using the MS Mouse with OS/2
          Installing an OS/2 Mouse Driver
    IV. Miscellaneous Items
          Using high or expanded memory with DOS 5.0
          Loading MOUSE.INI Settings
          Using the MS Mouse with Desqview

I. NOTES ON SETUP FOR DOS AND WINDOWS

The APPEND Command

SETUP may not work properly if you have used the MS-DOS APPEND command.If APPEND is in effect, then remove it before running Setup by typing

     APPEND;

PATH Modifications

If you have a long PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you may want to tell Setup not to add the Mouse files to your PATH. If you exceed the DOS limit of 127 characters, you will have to switch to (or specify) the directory containing the mouse file you want to load or run.

Note that some systems may not start properly if the AUTOEXEC.BAT file being used contains a PATH statement that is too long. If this occurs with your system, restart the computer using a floppy system disk (DOS boot disk) and edit the PATH statement so that it contains fewer than 127 characters.

If you have an older version of the mouse software on your system and the directory that includes the older version is included in your PATH, you should delete this directory from the PATH statement. Leaving the directory in the PATH may cause the older files to be found when you enter mouse commands at the DOS command line.

Older versions of the mouse software do not include all the features of version 8.0+, including BallPoint Mouse support. Delete older versions of the mouse software from your system and use a text editor to remove the older directory from the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Single-drive PCs

If you have a single-drive PC without a hard disk, you will not be able to use the Setup program to install the MS mouse software. For more information, see "Installing the Mouse for Additional Configurations" in the Mouse User's Guide.

Network Installations

If you have a network, the Setup program should install the mouse software correctly. If you experience problems getting the mouse to work with network software on your computer, you may need to make sure that the network software loads before the mouse software. After running the Mouse Setup program, check the order in which the files load in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and change it if necessary.

Loading the DOS Mouse Driver under Windows

You cannot load the DOS mouse driver from the DOS Prompt in Windows. To load the DOS mouse driver so that it is available when you go to the DOS Prompt from Windows:

     1. Exit Windows
     2. Type MOUSE at the command line
     3. Restart Windows

II. NEW LCD SCREEN POINTER OPTIONS

To improve mouse pointer visibility on computers with liquid-crystal (LCD) displays, version 8.10 of the mouse software introduces several features. Pointer visibility can be improved by altering the size and color of the pointer. The pointer can also be made to grow in size when the mouse is moved, returning to its normal size when mouse movement slows. This "growth" capability helps you keep track of the pointer when it is in motion, yet still do detail work with the pointer at its normal size--without obstructing vision of an object or control on the screen. Pointer settings are kept in the MOUSE.INI file.

Improving pointer visibility in DOS

For non-Windows applications, pointer visibility options must be set from the DOS command line. The new POINTER command is provided for this purpose and uses the following format:

     POINTER [size,color,growth,threshold,delay]

where     size = 1, 1.5, or 2  (normal/small, medium, large)
          color = normal, reverse, or transparent
          growth = 1 or 0  (on or off)
          threshold = 1-100
          delay = 1-100

Text mode pointer shapes:

                              X                XXX
       Normal  X     Medium  XXX        Large  X X
                              X                XXX

The normal (white) pointer can be made reverse (black) in color. The actual colors may differ depending on the type of screen you are using. A third color choice is transparent," which makes the pointer opposite in color to whatever is beneath it at any given time. This gives it a transparent effect as it is moved over text and objects on the screen.

The growth option is specified as either 1 or 0 (on or off). When growth is on, the setting for threshold is used to determine the speed at which the mouse must be moving before the pointer will be "grown" to either medium or large (depending on which was specified with the size parameter). Both threshold speed and delay are relative numbers in the range 1 to 100, representing minimum to maximum settings. A maximum delay of 100 corresponds to a delay of approximately ten seconds before the pointer returns to small size on the screen. Note that threshold and delay settings have no visible effect when the growth parameter is off.

Pointer parameters must be entered in the order shown above, separated by commas. However, parameters may be skipped by leaving out their numeric values.Spaces are ignored. Values that are not being changed, but follow those you are changing, may be omitted. Parameters that are skipped or omitted result in no change to those settings in mouse- driver memory.

Example DOS pointer commands:

     POINTER 2
     POINTER 2,reverse
     POINTER 2,reverse,1,30,10
     POINTER 1.5,,0
     POINTER,transparent,1
     POINTER,,,30,10

     POINTER         (displays brief command-line help)

Improving pointer visibility in Windows

Pointer settings are now available using the Pointer option button in the Windows Mouse Control Panel version 8.10. You can customize your Windows pointer by selecting the Size and Color icons that make it easiest to view on your LCD screen. Note that your choices take effect immediately, so that you can quickly determine which combination of settings is best for you.

The pointer growth feature is available when you choose either a Medium or Large pointer size. To turn on growth, click the On button. When you move the mouse quickly, and with growth on, the pointer will "grow" to the pointer size you have selected. Once mouse movement slows, the pointer will return to its Normal (or smallest) size again. You can set the mouse speed required to cause the pointer to grow by moving the Threshold slider bar. The amount of time that the pointer remains larger, before it returns to Normal size, is set using the Delay control.

Note that the growth feature works only with the normal system pointers used in Windows. Many Windows applications include additional pointers for specific tasks. These additional, or application-specific, pointers are not affected by the growth option. The size and color options do, however, take effect with application-specific pointers.

The Restore button at the bottom of the Pointer Options dialog box allows you to return all pointer settings to their default values for Windows. When you choose Restore, the Size and Color options will indicate that nothing is currently selected, and the Growth feature is turned off. You may notice that the shapes of some of the Small pointers differ slightly from the default (restored) Windows shapes. The Small pointer shapes have been adjusted to improve visibility on LCD screens.

You keep pointer settings in effect in Windows and in your Windows applications, by choosing the OK button. To discard the changes you have made, choose Cancel. When you choose OK, the Pointer Options dialog closes and you are returned to the Mouse Control Panel where you can choose other mouse settings. Note that settings changes are recorded permanently from the Control Panel only when you choose OK. In order to keep the growth feature running when you choose OK, the following filename is added to your WIN.INI file:

     load=c:\mouse\pointer.exe

Pointer settings in MOUSE.INI

Pointer settings are stored in two new sections in the MOUSE.INI file. This file is located in the directory you specify when you run the Setup program. Following are the settings in MOUSE.INI that are installed when you tell Setup you want to improve pointer visibility for your LCD screen. These are the default settings, which will change when you use either the POINTER command from DOS or the Pointer Options button in Windows.

  [DOSPointer]              [WindowsPointer]
  PointerSize=Large         PointerSize=Large
  PointerColor=Normal       PointerColor=Normal
  Growth=OFF                Growth=OFF
  Threshold=20              Threshold=20
  Delay=3                   Delay=3

Using Pointer Options with Included Menu Software

Pointer visibility options are not compatible with the menu programs that are included with the mouse software. Loading a DOS-application mouse menu will disable any pointer options which may have been in effect. The mouse menu will load and function properly, however. Similarly, if you have a mouse menu loaded and attempt to also load pointer options (using POINTER.EXE from the command line), the menu will cease to function, and the pointer options will take effect.

___________________________________________________________

III. USING THE MS MOUSE WITH OS/2

Installing an OS/2 Mouse Driver

This release includes two Microsoft OS/2 Mouse drivers:

     OS2MOUSE.V11     for OS/2 version 1.1
     OS2MOUSE.V13     for OS/2 versions 1.2 and 1.3

     MS Serial-PS/2 Mouse
     MS Bus(Inport) Mouse
     MS BallPoint Mouse

To install an OS/2 mouse driver:

  (Assume your device drivers are in the directory C:\OS2.)

     1. Copy OS2MOUSE.V11 (or OS2MOUSE.V13) to C:\OS2.
     2. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file to remove the line that
        points to your current mouse driver. This line will
        vary according to the type of mouse installed.
        Example line to be removed:

        DEVICE=C:\OS2\IBMMOU1.SYS      (remove this line)

     3. If you are using OS/2 version 1.2, you must also
        remove the line that includes MOUSE.SYS. Example
        line to be removed:

        DEVICE=C:\OS2\MOUSE.SYS TYPE=MSSER$
                                    (remove this line)

     4. Insert one of the following lines in the CONFIG.SYS
        file:

        DEVICE=C:\OS2\OS2MOUSE.V11 (insert for OS/2 ver.1.1)
           or
        DEVICE=C:\OS2\OS2MOUSE.V13 (for OS/2 1.2 or 1.3)

     5. Save these changes and restart your computer.

Loading MOUSE.INI settings

The settings in MOUSE.INI are read by both the DOS and Windows mouse drivers only when they load. Similarly, the Windows Mouse Control Panel reads the settings in MOUSE.INI only when it is started. The DOS mouse utilities Compass and Control Panel get their initial settings from those resident in mouse-driver memory.

Saving changes permanently from any of the mouse utilities updates both the settings in driver memory and the settings in the MOUSE.INI file. However, if you edit the MOUSE.INI file manually, your new settings will not be recognized by either mouse driver until it is reloaded.

To make your edits to settings take effect in DOS:

     1. Save the edited MOUSE.INI.
     2. Restart your computer.
        or,
        Remove the mouse driver from memory by typing MOUSE
             OFF;
        then reload the mouse driver by typing MOUSE.

     1. Save the edited MOUSE.INI.
     2. Exit Windows.
     3. Restart Windows.

Using High or Expanded Memory with DOS 5.0

You may use the loadhigh or devicehigh commands in DOS 5.0 to load the mouse driver into high or expanded memory. To load the mouse driver into one of these memory areas, use the /U or /E mouse command-line switches provided. For more information on mouse driver memory management, see Appendix A in the Mouse User's Guide.

Using the MS Mouse with Desqview

When run as a TSR, or pop-up program, the DOS mouse control panel CPANEL.COM is not fully compatible with DesqView. The non-TSR mode of CPANEL works correctly under DesqView. To use CPANEL with DesqView, use the /t command-line option, select Directed Text Output, Don't Virtualize, and Uses Serial Ports. In Advanced Setup (F1), select Close on Exit.