Mouse Driver For Legacy LabWindows 2.3.1

[MR330]

LabWindows 2.3.1 and DOS 5.0

I am tasked to bring an existing (very old) test system to live. Most everything is working again - except I cannot make the mouse work.

Installing a serial mouse using the DOS Mouse.com driver seems to work in the LabWindows programming environment. When switching to the graphical user interface editor the mouse pointer just hovers in the center of the screen. Sometimes the system locks up completely.

Any ideas how the mouse is supposed to be installed?

[WireWeaver]

It looks like there was a maintenance update that fixed issues related to the mouse... but reading through the update.doc, it seems like it was the opposite of the problem you're seeing:

ftp://ftp.ni.com/support/labwindows/dos/updates/2.3.1/lw/mu2/

I have no idea if this will help, but it could be worth a shot if you haven't already installed this update.

Good luck,

Trent

[MR330]

Hello Trent,

Thanks for the reply - really appreciate it. 

I will look through what you sent me.

What I have is a computer that was running properly at one time and the hard disk had all the Lab Windows installation on it. We know that the mouse was working years back. Unfortunately my client company lost most all documentation and their IT department threw out all DOS related stuff including the LabWindows software - books etc. I remember (it was back in 1993) LabWindows came in a big brown box with thick manuals. We were working at the cutting edge then and we are working at the cutting edge now - but the system lifetime we built then is still active.

Maybe its just the newer serial mouse that is not compatible.

Questions:

Does old LabWindows V2.3.1 require the Microsoft Mouse Driver?

Or is Labwindows supposed to run without the Microsoft mouse driver?

Thanks 

Robert

[WireWeaver]

DOS was before my time, so I don't have any useful insight on the mouse driver side of things.

As for LabWindows, judging by the text of the bug fix list in that .doc, it sounds like it was intended to work with or without a mouse (or else it wouldn't make any sense to fix that bug).

-Trent

[MR330]

Full disclosure (revealing my age) - I grew up with DOS. In fact I wrote software before there was DOS, or a PC for that matter. 

Of course working now with LabView and MS .net. I try to keep up!

It appears  my installation of LW 2.3.1 is not updated because the mouse cursor does appear static when I don't install the mouse. So, we will try to do this update and see what happens.

Thanks for the help

Robert

[WireWeaver]

Let us know how it goes!

[MR330]

Ok - installed the update which went smooth.

Unfortunately the mouse problem still exists.

Let me try to explain again:

The original system as it was did not have any mouse.com or mouse.sys files on it.

I suspect that Labwindows used to work without the mouse.com or mouse.sys driver, otherwise I would have found such a driver on the hard drive.

Now when I start Labwindows without having the mouse.com driver loaded it all works fine - I just don't have a mouse pointer and have to TAB through the controls.

When I install the mouse.com driver - the mouse works fine within the software editing screen. When I go to the UIR screen the mouse pointer just keeps hovering back to center of the screen. When I exit the UIR screen then the editing screen stays black and is locked. Need to reboot the computer.

Clearly the the mouse.com driver does not seem to be compatible with Labwindows.

So for now - I don't know how to fix it. I sure let you know once I figured it out.

of course any idea is very welcome?

Best

Robert

[MR330]

Still working on this!

I guess the fundamental question is:

"Does LabWindows 2.3.1 require a separate mouse driver installed on DOS"?