Err Msg: ...Pointer Options Requires MOUSE.DRV 8.20 or Later

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
• Microsoft Mouse Driver for MS-DOS versions 8.x and 9.0

SYMPTOMS

An attempt to install the mouse driver provided with Microsoft Mouse versions 8.x and 9.0 in Windows NT or Windows NT Advanced Server fails and Windows NT generates the following message:

   This version of Pointer Options requires
   MOUSE.DRV version 8.20 or later

RESOLUTION

To disable this Pointer Options error message, log into the system as the user that received the error and perform the following eight steps to modify the Registry:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

1. Start Registry Editor. Select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree and search for the following key:

   Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

2. On the right side of the window, select the Load value.

3. From the Edit menu, choose String.

4. Edit the string to remove any reference to POINTER.EXE.

5. On the right side of the window, choose the Run value.

6. From the Edit menu, choose String.

7. Edit the string to remove any reference of MOUSEMGR.EXE. (This step applies only to Microsoft Mouse version 9.0. Although no error is generated by MOUSEMGR.EXE and it appears to load OK, it should still be removed.)

8. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree and search for the following subkey:

   Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WOW\boot

9. On the right side of the window, choose the MOUSE.DRV value.

10. From the Edit menu, choose String.

11. Edit the string by removing <drive>:\path and leave only MOUSE.DRV. (By leaving MOUSE.DRV as the only reference on the string, Windows NT will know to look first in the SYSTEM32 directory.)

12. Exit Registry Editor. Log out of Windows NT and log back in.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.