Lab 8.3: Installing and Customizing a Mouse in Windows 98

The mouse is a critical part of any GUI operating system. If it is attached in an operational port before power is applied to the computer, Windows will usually find the mouse and make it active; however, the mouse will use the Windows driver and may not have all of its features active. A mouse with special features has its own driver, which must be installed.

Upon completion of this lab, you will be able to:

• Install a mouse in a Windows system

• Customize the mouse

Set Up

For this exercise, you will need a working PC with Windows 98 installed and a mouse that can be installed. If the mouse has special functions, you will need the mouse driver.

Exercise

In this lab, you will install a mouse in a Windows system and customize that mouse.

Installing the Mouse

To install the mouse, follow these steps:

1. If the computer is running, use the normal shutdown procedure. If the mouse is not functioning, you can use the following procedure to shut down the computer: Press Alt+F4 to close an open program, press Ctrl+Esc to open the Start menu, and then press the appropriate underlined letter in each of the following displays to complete the shutdown.

2. Locate the serial port and attach the mouse.

3. Boot the computer to Windows 98. The mouse should be operational. If the mouse needs a driver for its special functions, Windows may ask for the driver. If the driver is requested, follow the on-screen instructions.

4. If the mouse driver is not requested and the special functions are not available, use the Add New Hardware feature to install the mouse driver:

   Start Settings Control Panel Add New Hardware

5. When the New Hardware Wizard opens, click Next and then click Next again to have Windows search for the new mouse.

6. When a device list is displayed, select No, the Device Isn’t on the List and then click Next.

7. When prompted, select No, I Want to Select Hardware from the List and then click Next.

8. In the list provided, select Mouse and then click Next.

9. When the manufacturer’s list is displayed, select Have Disk and follow instructions.

Customizing the Mouse

To customize the mouse, follow these steps:

1. The following sequence opens the Mouse dialog box and permits you to make modifications to the mouse:

   My Computer Control Panel Mouse

2. The Mouse dialog box has three tabs. Each tab provides access to different mouse characteristics:

   • The Motion tab lets you select the pointer speed and provides mouse-trail options.

   • The Pointer tab lets you select the pointer shape.

   • The Buttons tab lets you select the mouse button functions and the double-click speed. Left-handed users often want to change the mouse-button functions.

   Make some changes to the mouse and observe the differences in operation.