Installing Your Keyboard or Mouse

    Read this guide to learn how to install a replacement keyboard or mouse.

    Installing a keyboard or mouse is a process consisting of two procedures that must be done in sequence:

    1. Install the new keyboard or mouse.

    2. Install the new keyboard or mouse driver (optional).

    This guide also has a troubleshooting section that provides keyboard and mouse installation troubleshooting tips.

Important

The photographs in this document show a typical computer. They may not exactly match your configuration and may include options you did not purchase. However, they are similar enough to your computer that they should help you install your keyboard or mouse successfully.

Installing the keyboard or mouse

To install your keyboard or mouse:

    1. Exit Windows and turn off your computer.

    2. Unplug the power cord and modem and network cables.

    3. Disconnect the old keyboard or mouse.

    4. If you are installing a USB mouse, connect the mouse to a USB port on the back of your computer.
      - OR -
      If you are installing a Personal System/2 ® (PS/2) mouse, connect the mouse to the PS/2 mouse port on the back of your computer.
    1. If you are installing a USB keyboard, connect the keyboard to a USB port on the back of your computer.
      - OR -
      If you are installing a PS/2 keyboard, connect the keyboard to the PS/2 keyboard port on the back of your computer.

    1. Connect the power cord and modem and network cables.

    2. Turn on your computer.

Installing the device driver

    A device driver is a program that controls a device such as a mouse or keyboard. A driver translates information between the device and programs.

Important

If you are replacing your keyboard or mouse with an identical device, you can often change the keyboard or mouse without reinstalling the old device driver. If the new hardware does not work, reinstall the device driver.

    Follow the installation instructions for your specific operating system.

    If you are not sure which operating system your computer uses, open the My Computer window, click Help, then click
    About Windows    . The About Windows dialog box opens listing your operating system.

    If your operating system is:

Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows 98, see Installing drivers with Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows 98.
Windows NT 4.0, see Installing drivers with Windows NT 4.0.

Tips & Tricks

If your operating system is Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows 98 and you cannot find the correct keyboard or mouse driver on one of your installation CDs, use Gateway Update on Gateway's Web site ( www.support.gateway.com ) to download the latest driver.

You can also check the manufacturers Web site for the latest driver.

Installing drivers with Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows 98

Installing the driver from a stand-alone CD or diskette

To install the device driver from a stand-alone CD or diskette:

    1. Start your computer. The Add New Hardware Wizard window opens.

    2. Insert the stand-alone CD or diskette into the CD, DVD, or diskette drive.

    3. Following the Add New Hardware Wizard on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".
      - OR -
      If the Add New Hardware Wizard did not find a driver for your keyboard or mouse, close the wizard, then go to the next step.

    1. Open the My Computer window.

    2. Double-click the drive letter of the CD (typically D: ), DVD (typically D: ), or diskette drive (typically A: ). If the setup program runs automatically, follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".
      - OR -
      If the My Computer window displays the files on the CD or diskette, go to the next step.

    1. Click Tools or View, then click Folder Options. The Folder Options window opens.

    2. Click the View tab, then click to clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check box, if necessary.

    3. Click OK. The device driver file extensions appear. For example, setup now appears as setup.exe.

    4. Double-click setup.exe (the file could also be named wizard.exe or install.exe), then follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

Installing the driver from the red Drivers CD

To install the device driver from the red Drivers CD:

    1. Start your computer. The Add New Hardware Wizard window opens.

    2. Click Search for the best driver for your device, then click Next. Complete the wizard by repeatedly clicking Next until the wizard tells you that it was unable to detect any devices and that it has installed an unknown device.

    3. Insert the red Drivers CD into the CD or DVD drive. The System Restoration Kit program starts. Go to Step 6.
      - OR -
      If the program does not start automatically, go to the next step.

    1. Click Start, then click Run. The Run dialog box opens.

    2. In the Open text box, type d:\runmenu.exe (where d is the drive letter of the CD or DVD drive), then click OK. The System Restoration Kit program starts.

    3. If the Welcome to the System Restoration Kit window opens, close it by clicking OK.

    4. Click the Reinstall Drivers and Applications tab.

    5. Scroll down to the Keyboard or Mouse section, click your device driver, then click Install.

    6. Follow any additional on-screen instructions. Depending on the driver you are installing, you may only need to restart your computer to complete the installation. If a setup wizard opens when you restart your computer, follow the on-screen instructions.
      Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

Installing the driver from the Gateway System Restoration CD

To install the device driver from the Gateway System Restoration Kit:

    1. Start your computer. The Add New Hardware Wizard window opens.

    2. Click Search for the best driver for your device, then click Next. Complete the wizard by repeatedly clicking Next until the wizard tells you that it was unable to detect any devices and that it has installed an unknown device.

    3. Insert Disc 1 of the Gateway System Restoration Kit into the CD or DVD drive. The System Restoration Kit program starts. Go to Step 6.
      - OR -
      If the program does not run automatically, go to the next step.

    1. Click Start, then click Run. The Run dialog box opens.

    2. In the Open text box, type d:\autorun.exe (where d is the drive letter of the CD or DVD drive), then click OK. The System Restoration Kit program starts.

    3. Click the Install Hardware tab.

    4. Click the device driver, then follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

Installing drivers with Windows NT 4.0

Installing the driver from a stand-alone CD or diskette

To install the device driver from a stand-alone CD or diskette:

    1. Start your computer.

    2. Insert the stand-alone CD or diskette into the CD, DVD, or diskette drive.

    3. Double-click the My Computer icon. The My Computer window opens.

    4. Double-click the drive letter of the CD (typically D: ), DVD (typically D: ), or diskette drive (typically A: ). If the setup program runs automatically, follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".
      - OR -
      If the My Computer window displays the files on the CD or diskette, go to the next step.

    1. Click View, then click Options. The Options window opens.

    2. Click the View tab, then click to clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check box, if necessary.

    3. Click OK. The device driver software file extensions appear. For example, setup now appears as setup.exe.

    4. Double-click setup.exe (the file could also be named wizard.exe or install.exe), then follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".
      - OR -
      If there is not an .exe file but there is an .inf file, go to the next step.

    1. Click Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

    2. Double-click the Mouse or Keyboard icon.

    3. Click the General tab, then click Change.

    4. Click Have Disk, then follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

Installing the driver using the red Drivers CD or Gateway System Restoration Kit

    Use the Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator utility to find the existing device drivers you need to replace. The utility is located on the red Drivers CD or on Disc 1 of the Gateway System Restoration Kit.

    To perform the following procedure, your system must be configured with the CD or DVD drive set as the first boot device in the BIOS Setup utility. For more information about your BIOS Setup utility, see the documentation that came with your computer.

To Identify the device type and driver location:

    1. Place the red Drivers CD or Disc 1 of the System Restoration Kit into the CD or DVD drive, then restart your computer. The Gateway Boot Menu opens.

    2. Select 2 Boot from CD-ROM. The Main Menu opens.

    3. Select Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator Utility, select Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator Utility, then press Enter. The Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator utility opens and detects the hardware drivers.
      - OR -
      Select 3. Other Options, select 3. Other Options, then select Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator Utility. The Windows NT 4.0 Driver Locator utility opens and detects the hardware drivers.
    1. When prompted, press any key to continue. The Windows NT 4.0 Drivers List screen appears. The list shows the devices in your computer with the name and location of each driver.
    1. If you want to print the Windows NT 4.0 Drivers List (parallel port printers only), press P. Make sure that your printer is connected and turned on.
      - OR -
      If you do not want to print the Windows NT 4.0 Drivers List, write down the contents of the keyboard or mouse Name and Location fields.

    1. Press Esc. The Main Menu opens.

    2. Select Exit program, then press Enter. The message "Insert disk with batch files. Press any key to continue" appears.

    3. Press any key.

    4. Remove the CD from the CD or DVD drive, then restart your computer.

    5. Go to "To install the device driver:".

To install the device driver:

    1. If the driver location information for your device driver ends with a file name (for example, Setup.exe), go to the next step.
      - OR -
      If the driver location information for your device driver ends with a backslash ( \ ), go to Step 6.

    1. Click Start, then click Run. The Run dialog box opens.

    2. In the Open text box, type d: (where d is the drive letter of the CD or DVD drive), then type the driver location information you gathered in the procedure "To Identify the device type and driver location:".

    3. Insert the red Drivers CD or Disc 1 of the System Restoration Kit into the CD or DVD drive, then click OK. The setup program starts.

    4. Follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

    5. Click Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

    6. Double-click the Mouse or Keyboard icon.

    7. Click the General tab, then click Change.

    8. Click Have Disk.

    9. In the Copy manufacturer's files from text box, type d: (where d is the drive letter of the CD or DVD drive), then type the driver location information you gathered in "To Identify the device type and driver location:".

    10. Click OK, then follow the on-screen instructions. Installation is complete. If your keyboard or mouse does not function correctly, see "Troubleshooting".

Troubleshooting

Mouse

The mouse does not work

Make sure that the mouse cable is plugged in correctly.
Shut down and restart your computer.
Remove all extension cables and switchboxes
Try a mouse you know is working to make sure that the mouse port works.
Reinstall the device driver. For more information, see Installing the device driver.

The optical mouse works erratically

Optical mice do not work well on shiny or metallic surfaces.
If the mouse pointer begins moving erratically across the screen or becomes difficult to control precisely, cleaning the mouse will likely improve its accuracy.

To clean your optical mouse:

Wipe the bottom of the mouse with a damp lint-free cloth.

The trackball mouse works erratically

    If the mouse pointer begins moving erratically across the screen or becomes difficult to control precisely, cleaning the mouse will likely improve its accuracy.

    For information on cleaning your trackball mouse, see To clean your trackball mouse:.

Help and Support

For a video tutorial about cleaning the mouse in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Type the keyword Video tutorials in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.

Click Cleaning the mouse.

To clean your trackball mouse:

    1. Turn the mouse upside down.

    2. Rotate the retaining ring on the bottom of the mouse counter-clockwise, then remove the retaining ring and mouse ball.

    1. Remove any dust, lint, or dirt from the mouse ball with a soft cloth.

    2. Clean the mouse rollers with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol.
    1. Replace the mouse ball and lock the retaining ring into place.

Keyboard

The keyboard does not work

Make sure that the keyboard cable is plugged in correctly.
Remove all extension cables and switchboxes
Try a keyboard that you know works to make sure that the keyboard port works.
Clean the keyboard by using an aerosol can of air with a narrow, straw-like extension to remove dust and lint trapped under the keys.
Try a keyboard that you know works to make sure that the keyboard port works.
Reinstall the keyboard device driver. For more information, see Installing the device driver.

A keyboard character keeps repeating

Make sure that nothing is resting on the keyboard.
Make sure that a key is not stuck. Press each key to loosen a key that might be stuck, then restart your computer.

Liquid spilled in the keyboard

If you spill liquid on the keyboard, turn off your computer and turn the keyboard upside down. Let the liquid drain, then let the keyboard dry before trying to use it again. If the keyboard does not work after it dries, you may need to replace it.