Mouse Technologiesand Information

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2 Mouse Technologies and Information

Running Windows Without a MouseMany people do not know they can dramatically enhance the use of Windows by using the keyboardas an adjunct to or even instead of the mouse for system control. Many keyboard shortcuts and otherkey commands are available that can greatly increase the speed and efficiency with which you operateWindows, especially if you are an accomplished touch typist. Because I use my PC mainly for writing,I find that taking my hand off the keyboard to use a mouse noticeably slows me down (which is onereason I use laptop systems or desktop keyboards with a more efficient TrackPoint pointing device).By augmenting Windows operations with the keyboard, you can control Windows more efficientlyand accurately than with just a mouse.

In some cases, it is not only desirable but necessary to use the keyboard instead of a mouse, such aswhen your mouse is not functioning properly or is missing altogether. Because technicians often findthemselves operating or testing equipment that is not fully functional, it is even more important forthem to know how to operate Windows with the keyboard.

The following are the general keyboard-only commands for Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP:

Key Combination Resulting Action

F1 Starts Windows Help.

F10 Activates menu bar options.

Shift+F10 Opens a context menu (shortcut menu) for the selected item.

Ctrl+Esc Opens the Start menu. You use the arrow keys to select an item.

Ctrl+Esc, Esc Selects the Start button. Press Tab to select the taskbar, or press Shift+F10 for a context menu.

Alt+Tab Switches to another running application. Hold down the Alt key and then press the Tab key to view the task-switching window.

Shift Press down and hold the Shift key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the AutoPlay feature.

Alt+spacebar Displays the main window’s System menu. From the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window.

Alt+- (Alt+hyphen) Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window’s System menu. From the MDIchild window’s System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window.

Ctrl+Tab Switches to the next child window of an MDI application.

Alt+<underlined Opens the corresponding menu.letter in menu>

Alt+F4 Closes the current window.

Ctrl+F4 Closes the current MDI window.

Alt+F6 Switches between multiple windows in the same program. For example, when Notepad’s Find dialog box is displayed, Alt+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window.

Here are the Windows dialog box keyboard commands:

Key Combination Resulting Action

Tab Moves to the next control in the dialog box.

Shift+Tab Moves to the previous control in the dialog box.

Spacebar If the current control is a button, this keyboard command clicks the button. If the currentcontrol is a check box, it toggles the check box. If the current control is an option button, itselects the option button.

Enter Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline).

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Running Windows Without a Mouse 3

Key Combination Resulting Action

Esc Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button.

Alt+<underlined letter in Moves to the corresponding item.dialog box item>

Ctrl+Tab/Ctrl+Shift+Tab Moves through the property tabs.

These are the keyboard combinations for Windows Explorer tree controls:

Key Combination Resulting Action

Numeric keypad * Expands everything under the current selection.

Numeric keypad + Expands the current selection.

Numeric keypad - Collapses the current selection.

Right arrow Expands the current selection if it is not expanded. Otherwise, it goes to the first child.

Left arrow Collapses the current selection if it is expanded; otherwise, it goes to the parent.

Here are the general Windows folder/shortcut controls:

Key Combination Resulting Action

F4 Selects the Go To a Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if thetoolbar is active in Windows Explorer).

F5 Refreshes the current window.

F6 Moves among panes in Windows Explorer.

Ctrl+G Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only).

Ctrl+Z Undoes the last command.

Ctrl+A Selects all the items in the current window.

Backspace Switches to the parent folder.

Shift+click Selects the close button. (For folders, it closes the current folder plus all parent folders.)

These are the general folder and Windows Explorer shortcuts for a selected object:

Key Combination Resulting Action

F2 Renames the object.

F3 Finds all files.

Ctrl+X Cuts.

Ctrl+C Copies.

Ctrl+V Pastes.

Shift+Del Deletes the selection immediately without moving the item to the Recycle Bin.

Alt+Enter Opens the property sheet for the selected object.

Ctrl To copy a file, press down and hold the Ctrl key while you drag the file to another folder.

Ctrl+Shift To create a shortcut, press down and hold Ctrl+Shift while you drag a file to the desktopor a folder.

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4 Mouse Technologies and Information

Mouse Driver SoftwareTo function properly, the mouse requires the installation of a device driver. In DOS, you must loadthe driver manually through your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, but the driver is automaticallyloaded in all versions of Windows. For maximum utility in both Windows and command-prompt ses-sions run under Windows, use the latest version of the manufacturer’s mouse driver for the version ofWindows you are using. You need to use a driver such as MOUSE.COM only if you are using a DOSapplication you run by booting the system directly to a DOS prompt in Windows 9x. Windows dri-vers support the use of the mouse in DOS applications running under Windows by default.

If you need to use a mouse driver when you boot to a command prompt in Windows 9x/Me, the easi-est way to enable the driver is to add it to your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file; I recommend addingthe driver that runs from a command prompt (often called MOUSE.COM) to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.For example, if the mouse driver is installed in a folder called \MOUSE on your C: drive, you would addthis line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM

This loads the DOS mouse driver into RAM when you boot the computer. One long-time problemwith mouse drivers has been the amount of conventional memory (memory below 640KB) used bythe mouse driver.

One of the biggest problems with the separate mouse driver is getting it loaded into an upper memoryblock (UMB) to free up conventional memory. The older Microsoft mouse drivers—versions 9.0 andearlier—require a large block of 40KB–56KB UMB to load; upon loading, they shrink down to lessthan 20KB. Even though they take only 20KB or less after loading, you still need a very large area toget them “in the door.”

The best tip I can give you for these separate drivers is to use the newest drivers available fromMicrosoft or Logitech because they use less conventional memory than earlier versions. If you needjust the MS-DOS mouse drivers, you can download version 11.00 or above from the Microsoft Website. The IntelliPoint driver for 32-bit versions of Windows also includes MS-DOS driver support.

Logitech’s MOUSE.EXE MS-DOS mouse driver also can be loaded into UMBs, and all current versionsof MouseWare (6.43 and above) include the CLOAKING.EXE device driver to enable the Logitechmouse driver to be loaded into extended memory to save even more conventional/UMB space. Seethe Readme.txt file included in the Windows 3.1 folder of the MouseWare CD-ROM for details.

Keep in mind that you can use only serial or PS/2 port mice with MS-DOS; USB mice will not work.Also, all mice are treated as two-button mice by the MS-DOS drivers unless you install Logitech menusoftware to activate the middle button. (For more information, see the section “Taking Advantage ofUnused Upper Memory,” in Chapter 6, “Memory.”)

After placing the proper driver load command in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, reboot thesystem with the mouse connected and ensure the driver loads properly. If the proper command is inplace and the driver is not loading, watch your video screen as your system boots. At some point, youshould see a message from the mouse driver indicating that it is loaded. If you see a message indicat-ing that the driver failed to load, you must determine why. For example, the driver might not becapable of loading because not enough memory is available. After you determine why the driver isnot loading, you need to rectify the situation and make sure the driver loads.

DOS Application SoftwareIf your mouse does not work with a specific piece of DOS application software, check the setup infor-mation or configuration section of the program. Be sure to indicated to the program (if necessary)that you are using a mouse. If it still does not work and the mouse works with other software you areusing, contact the technical support department of the application software company.

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