MICROSOFT MOUSE RELEASE NOTES (Software version 9.01) Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1993 This document contains information that supplements the "Microsoft Mouse User's Guide" and accompanying software. The Microsoft Mouse software is designed and tested for the Microsoft Mouse. To view best on-screen in Windows Notepad, maximize the Notepad window and turn on Word Wrap (if it's not already on). To activate Word Wrap, select the Edit menu and choose Word Wrap. For best printed results, open this document in Windows Write, Microsoft Word, or another word processing application, select the entire document and format the text in 10 point Courier before printing. Tip: To quickly find any section of this README, use your word processing application's Search command. CONTENTS I. Important Ergonomic Safety Information II. The Microsoft Mouse Setup Program 1. Modifications Made by Setup 2. Returning Your System to Pre-Setup Condition 3. Setting up to a Floppy Disk System 4. Loading MOUSE.EXE into Upper Memory 5. The SHARE.EXE File and Multidisk Setup 6. Reinstalling Your Virtual Keyboard Driver III. The MOUSEPWR Feature IV. Microsoft Windows NT Support for Your Mouse V. Meet the Mouse VI. Notes on Mouse Manager Features 1. Windows and MS-DOS Features 2. Magnify 3. Screen Wrap 4. Snap-to 5. Mouse Trails VII. Other Issues 1. MS-DOS Support for the IBM XGA Video Card 2. Hot Keys on LCD Screens 3. Large and Medium Pointers 4. Windows 3.0 Support 5. Exiting from Microsoft Windows with a Serial Mouse VIII. More Ergonomic Information _________________________________________________________________ I. IMPORTANT ERGONOMIC SAFETY INFORMATION ******************************************************************* * Some studies suggest that long periods of repetitive motion, * * coupled with an improper work environment and incorrect work * * habits, may be linked to certain types of physical discomfort * * or injury. These include carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), * * tendinitis, and tenosynovitis. It is important to follow all * * instructions carefully. Failure to do so may result in CTS, * * tendinitis, or tenosynovitis. These instructions may not only * * help minimize your chances of experiencing one of these * * conditions, but will also help you to work more comfortably * * and effectively. Ensuring that your chair, work surface, and * * the placement of the mouse are in the correct positions is * * important. In addition, you should take frequent breaks to * * avoid sitting in the same position for extended periods of * * time. See the end of this README for more important ergonomic * * information. * ******************************************************************* _________________________________________________________________ II. THE MOUSE SETUP PROGRAM 1. Modifications to Your System The following changes are made to your system if you set up the software using all the default conditions during the mouse Setup program (default directory is c:\mouse). For the mouse driver in MS-DOS, Setup makes the following changes: a. Installs or modifies lines similar to the following in AUTOEXEC.BAT: set mouse=c:\mouse c:\mouse\mouse.exe /q b. Adds mouse to the PATH statement. NOTE: Setup adds mouse to the beginning of your PATH statement. However, the end of your PATH statement may be truncated if it contains too many elements. c. Deletes the following line (if it exists) from CONFIG.SYS: device=c:\mouse.sys For the mouse driver in Windows, Setup makes the following changes: a. Adds the following line to the load line in WIN.INI: [windows] section c:\mouse\pointer.exe b. Modifies the following lines in SYSTEM.INI: [boot] section mouse.drv=c:\mouse\mouse.drv [boot.description] section mouse.drv=Microsoft Mouse version 9.01 [386enh] section keyboard=c:\mouse\mousevkd.386 c. Adds a group to PROGMAN.INI: groupn=c:\mouse\mouse.grp (where n = group number and \mouse=mouse directory) d. Setup updates to the latest CTL3D.DLL file to the Windows System directory (if it's not already there). e. If you have Microsoft Windows version 3.0, Setup installs WINHELP.EXE. 2. Returning Your System to Pre-Setup Condition To return your system to its previous condition before you ran the mouse Setup program, make the following modifications: a. Remove the following line from WIN.INI: c:\mouse\pointer.exe b. Change the following lines in SYSTEM.INI to read: [boot] section mouse.drv=mouse.drv [boot.description] section mouse.drv=Microsoft, or IBM PS/2 [386enh] section keyboard=*vkd 3. Setting up with a Floppy Disk System Setup supports only hard disk systems and floppy disk systems with two drives. If you are installing files onto a floppy disk system that has only one drive, you must decompress and copy the files manually. EXPAND.EXE, a file-decompression program, is provided on the Setup disk for this purpose. To install using a single-drive floppy disk system: a. Insert the Setup disk into drive A and type: expand mouse.ex$ b:mouse.exe b. When prompted by MS-DOS, remove the Setup disk and insert your destination disk. c. Reinsert the Setup disk in the drive and type: expand mousemgr.ex$ b:mousemgr.exe d. When prompted by MS-DOS, remove the Setup disk and insert your destination disk. To load your mouse driver, type: mouse Run Mouse Manager to set pointer options, if desired. To run Mouse Manager, type: mousemgr If you install the software using a dual floppy disk system, set up the mouse software from drive b to drive a. 4. Loading MOUSE.EXE into Upper Memory The MS-DOS mouse driver automatically loads itself into upper memory, if available. Using the MS-DOS loadhigh command may cause your mouse software to load into low memory. 5. The SHARE.EXE File and Multidisk Setup For multidisk Setup (360 KB or 720 KB disks) only: Do not load the SHARE.EXE file (included with MS-DOS) before you run the mouse Setup program. If SHARE.EXE exists in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, it must be removed before running the mouse Setup program. After mouse Setup is complete, you can reinstall SHARE.EXE. 6. Reinstalling Your Virtual Keyboard Driver If you received a message at the end of Setup similar to the one below: Setup replaced your Virtual Keyboard Driver you may wish to reinstall your Virtual Keyboard Driver if you are experiencing problems with your mouse. To do this, change the following line in the SYSTEM.INI file to read: [386enh] section keyboard = c:\N.VKD Where N is the path and name of your VKD. The location and name of your former VKD is displayed in the message box at the end of Setup. _________________________________________________________________ III. THE MOUSEPWR FEATURE Some laptop computers have the capability to go into a sleep mode to conserve power when not being used. Load the MOUSEPWR feature if your mouse becomes erratic after you resume from sleep mode. MOUSEPWR restores pre-sleep mode settings of the mouse when you resume work on the laptop. It's not necessary to use MOUSEPWR if your system has Advanced Power Management (APM). However, this feature requires very little memory (592 bytes) and won't conflict with APM if both are loaded on your system. The MOUSEPWR feature is not automatically copied during the mouse Setup program. Use the MS-DOS copy command to load MOUSEPWR.COM to your system. The MOUSEPWR feature must be loaded at the MS-DOS prompt only (not in Windows). If you need to load MOUSEPWR to your system, add it to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it loads each time you turn your system on. For example, if MOUSEPWR is in the root directory, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: c:\mousepwr.com Otherwise, you'll need to load MOUSEPWR manually each time you want to use it. Type the following line at the MS-DOS prompt to load the MOUSEPWR feature manually: \mouse\mousepwr.com where 'mouse' is the directory containing the MOUSEPWR.COM file. ____________________________________________________________________ IV. MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT SUPPORT FOR YOUR MOUSE Microsoft Windows NT will have Microsoft mouse drivers included. For additional mouse support for Microsoft Windows NT, contact Microsoft Customer Service upon release of Microsoft Windows NT. Inside the U.S.A., call 1-800-426-9400. Outside the U.S.A., please contact your subsidiary. ____________________________________________________________________ V. MEET THE MOUSE Meet the Mouse is a short, animated demonstration that is available for viewing when you run the mouse Setup program. You can also watch Meet the Mouse from Mouse Manager. Meet the Mouse takes approximately two minutes to run if you have the minimum required configuration set up for Microsoft Windows. Meet the Mouse may run slower if you have less than the required configuration, or if you have a 24-bit graphics card. To save disk space, you can remove this demonstration by deleting the ERGODEMO.DLL file from the directory that contains your mouse software. ____________________________________________________________________ VI. NOTES ON MOUSE MANAGER FEATURES 1. MS-DOS and Windows Features When you choose Set Buttons, Overall Pointer Speed, Acceleration, and Orientation from Mouse Manager in Windows, the changes do not affect the MS-DOS driver until you reboot your computer. However, if you set these features from the Mouse Manager in MS-DOS, the changes affect both MS-DOS and Windows. 2. Magnify Once you activate Magnify with the keyboard key and mouse, release the key and mouse button. Click any mouse button to return your pointer to normal. If you move the magnified pointer quickly in highly graphical applications, it may take a few seconds for the screen to fully redraw. You cannot use the Magnify feature on pull-down menus because the activating keystroke causes the pull-down menu to close. This also applies to other items that are deactivated by a single keystroke. 3. Screen Wrap Screen Wrap cannot move off the edge of the screen while Microsoft Windows is busy (for example, while the pointer is an hour glass). 4. Snap-to If Snap-to does not work in some dialog boxes, it is because the default buttons in these dialog boxes do not adhere to the standard Microsoft Windows user interface specifications. 5. Mouse Trails You can not adjust the length of Mouse Trails for Paletized video drivers through Mouse Manager. _____________________________________________________________________ VIII. OTHER ISSUES 1. MS-DOS Support for the IBM XGA Video Card A file called XGA.VDM is on your Mouse Setup disk, but is not automatically copied during Setup. You need to copy this file to your mouse directory only if you have an IBM XGA card in your system. This file will give you MS-DOS support for your XGA card. 2. Hot Keys on LCD Screens On some LCD screens some of the hot keys do not show up or are not highlighted. 3. Large and Medium Pointers When using a large or medium sized pointer, some MS-DOS applications may not redraw the pointer correctly, resulting in "mouse droppings." When using a large or medium sized pointer, some applications for Windows may not enlarge the pointer correctly. 4. Windows 3.0 Support Setup does not update Mouse Manager in the Windows Control Panel, version 3.0. But Setup still creates a mouse program group which contains Mouse Manager. There is no support for the mouse driver in an MS-DOS windowed application within Windows 3.0. To get mouse support, run your MS-DOS application full screen within Windows (ALT + ENTER switches between a window and full screen). 5. Exiting from Microsoft Windows with a Serial Mouse If you find that exiting from Microsoft Windows is slow with your serial mouse, try modifying the following line in the SYSTEM.INI file to read: [386enh] section keyboard = *VKD ___________________________________________________________________ VIII. MORE ERGONOMIC INFORMATION Personalizing your environment so that it is comfortable for your work situation promotes a healthy physical and mental lifestyle. Studies show that a carefully planned work environment can actually increase productivity. Of course, only you can judge what’s best for you, so we encourage you to adapt these tips to your own needs. Exercises Exercise and frequent breaks play an important part in staying alert and comfortable on the job. Take periodic breaks to rest your eyes, move your body, and get your circulation flowing. Try some of the following exercises several times during the day. Gently press your hands against a table, stretch, and hold for five seconds. Stretch and massage your fingers, hands, wrists, and forearms throughout the day. Gently shake your hands and fingers to relieve tension and help blood flow. Rotate your shoulders in a full forward circle four times. Then roll them backward four times. Then rotate each shoulder separately four times. Do this at least twice daily. Organize your work so that you alternate using your computer with other activities. Try to use different muscle groups throughout the day. Get up and walk around several times a day. Note: If you experience pain while using your computer, consult a qualified health professional. Chair and Desk A chair that is adjustable in height is a good place to start. It should be comfortable and provide firm support to the lower back (lumbar region). Adjust the chair so that your forearms form approximate right angles with your upper arms and so that your feet rest flat on the floor. If your feet don’t rest flat on the floor, use a footrest that is high enough so that your thighs are about parallel to the floor while you’re seated. If at all possible, place your system on a desk designed for a computer. Traditional writing desks are sometimes too high for computer use. A proper height between your chair and your desk is essential. And don’t forget good posture -- slouching puts unnecessary strain on your back and weakens muscles. Display and Lighting Place the display screen directly in front of you at a comfortable viewing distance. Sit in your chair and make sure that the top of the display is no higher than eye level. Make sure you can’t see glare and bright reflections on the screen (anti-glare filters help) or on your mouse, and keep your screen clean and dust free. It’s important to look away from your display frequently. Several times every hour, focus on an object about 20 feet away and slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Keyboard and Mouse Position the keyboard directly in front of you on the desk. While you’re typing and using the mouse, keep your shoulders relaxed and let your upper arms hang freely at your sides. Let your elbows hang loosely near your body and allow enough room on your desk for unhindered movement of the mouse. Your forearms should be nearly parallel and at approximate right angles to the floor as you type and use the mouse. Position the mouse at the same height as your keyboard. If you can, try to avoid light sources that can reflect on the surfaces of your mouse and keyboard. Use your entire arm to move the mouse around on your desktop whenever possible. The Microsoft Mouse is designed so that you can rest your hand on it whenever possible, and so that you don’t have to grip it unusually hard when using it. Avoid excessive tension in your hand by relaxing -- don’t pinch the mouse too hard. The high-performance level of the Microsoft Mouse makes it unnecessary to use a mouse pad. However, if you do use a mouse pad, make sure it is not so thick that it raises your arm and the mouse. Your arm should maintain an approximate right angle to the horizontal table top. The mouse pad should provide smooth friction for ease of use -- it should not be too slippery. It should also be lint free so the mouse ball doesn’t get dirty. The design of the Microsoft Mouse accommodates a wide variety of grips and lets you use the mouse in either hand. The mouse allows for several possible work positions, which can help you avoid unnecessary strain on your arms and hands. By periodically varying the way you hold the mouse, you don’t repeat the same motion over a long period of time. The software that comes with the Microsoft Mouse (Mouse Manager) supports the mouse design by letting you customize the software for variable work positions. It’s a good idea to periodically readjust your software as you get better acquainted with your mouse. _________________________________________________________________