Keyboard/Mouse hook up on old system

[Cook1]

Ok so my grandparents brought me their really old computer to just clean it up a bit. They just dropped it off at my house and said they would pick it up after their cruise. So I see they taped a seriel/ps2 adapter on the tower itself and hook that up, but then where I do put my keyboard if I put my mouse in? So I have one ps/2 port on this computer, I say screw it and get my wireless keyboard/mouse which uses a USB port for connection, luckly they have 2 USB ports on the back, thinking I've made some progress. Well I load up with the keyboard and mouse in the USB port and a windows message pops up saying...

"Windows did not detect a mouse attached to the computer. You can safely attach a serial mouse now.

To attach a mouse to a PS/2 mouse port, you must first turn the computer off."

Ok, so I think, I'll put the mouse on the serial adapter and just use the keyboard on the USB port...no go. Right now I should have two mice connected to the same computer. If I put the same configiration on the computer I'm on now, it works just fine.

Help...please?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

uses most likely an AT keyboard..here is a pic AT to ps2 adapter

 

[DaveSimmons]

you need a ps2 - to - at connector for the keyboard. No idea where you'd buy one these days, though CompUSA, Office Depot etc. might have Belkin ones for $19.95

 

[Cook1]

Yeah I see that AT male on the back of it, but shouldn't it work with the USB as well?

Just asking before I head out to Radio Shack.

*edit here*

It says it's not reading the mouse when it's the mouse I have connected to the serial to ps2 connector. Also, I assume it's reading the keyboard from the usb port since I don't get a message pop up, am I safe in assuming that?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Cook1
Yeah I see that AT male on the back of it, but shouldn't it work with the USB as well?

Just asking before I head out to Radio Shack.

thrift store or a comp shop ..grab a used AT keyboard would be cheaper by far..gl

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Cook1
Yeah I see that AT male on the back of it, but shouldn't it work with the USB as well?

Just asking before I head out to Radio Shack.

It might not if it has an older BIOS, and/or Windows95 or Windows98 (not Win98SE). USB support was pretty spotty before Win98SE.

 

[Cook1]

Has Windows 98 on it.

 

[So]

How can a computer have USB but NOT PS/2 ??

 

[Cook1]

So if I go out and buy an AT keyboard, then the mouse should work with the serial to ps2 adapter I have now right? But the only thing I don't get is then why am I having a mouse error pop up message and not a keyboard one?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: So
How can a computer have USB but NOT PS/2 :confuised;

cheap AT in transition mobo..

 

[Cook1]

The USB looks as if it's on a card, this thing has to be at least 8 years old, full tower HEAVY HEAVY case.

 

[Cook1]

Originally posted by: Cook1
So if I go out and buy an AT keyboard, then the mouse should work with the serial to ps2 adapter I have now right? But the only thing I don't get is then why am I having a mouse error pop up message and not a keyboard one?

Thanks for all the replys, but still wondering about this...

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Cook1
So if I go out and buy an AT keyboard, then the mouse should work with the serial to ps2 adapter I have now right? But the only thing I don't get is then why am I having a mouse error pop up message and not a keyboard one?

the mouse needs(if serial) to be connected to the serial port ..hope the port isn't misfiring tho(shorted) if it is a ps2 mouse using a serial adapter sometimes it won't be recognized by the mobo..I hate antiques..

 

[Cook1]

Ok, I have a serial to ps2 adapter and I have the mouse on that, and I'm getting the message that it doesn't detect a mouse.

So I need a serial mouse?

And for the record, the keyboard isn't working either. When the error message pops up there's an option for "ok" and it's highlighted and when I hit enter it doesn't do anything.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Cook1
Ok, I have a serial to ps2 adapter and I have the mouse on that, and I'm getting the message that it doesn't detect a mouse.

reread my edit..sorry about that..would be simpler in your life if you could get the big money vacationers to spring about $300 towards a nice refurb comp..

 

[Cook1]

My grandparents, I love them to death they have a lot of money and they are spending it (which I am happy for) in their retirement, right now they're on a cruise to Alaska and after that going to Ireland. They have two homes one in WI and another in FL. They just bought a new computer for their FL home but don't want to buy another one for their WI home which they are only there for about 4-5 months of the year. So, here I am, trying to clean it all up for them and I can't even get past this mouse issues....ha!

 

[ScrapSilicon]

ah..they are trying to be slick..

Ok so my grandparents brought me their really old computer to just clean it up a bit.

..I have a comp right now laying on its side tied in thru my USB 2.0 enclosure(the enclosure is naked ) and am cleaning 47 viruses out of ...slowly but surely..will run adaware, hijackthis and spybot ..once nailing Hanta and Win32.Pinfi down and out..gl

 

[Cook1]

Ha! I'll need it. Just thinking of telling them to either buy a new system or they should have brought me their old keyboard/mouse set up.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

they should have brought me their old keyboard/mouse set up

is what should have been done..in my instances I prefer standoff tactics to "cleaning up" of bug-ridden harddrives..