Windows detects USB GPS as Serial Ballpoint - please suggest permanent modification to prevent any serial mouse detection

Anonymous
2010-02-23T15:33:38+00:00

Using Win7 ultimate on a variety of machines, when I plug in a 'USB' GPS the system does two things: it installs the support for the USB-Serial device, and then it (using 'serenum' apparently) begins mistaking the GPS for a serial mouse, and 'detects' and installs the microsoft serial ballpoint.  I have editted /windows/inf/msmouse.inf, adding a line after line 28 (guessing at the syntax, copying from the alpha excludes)

ExcludeFromSelect.NTx86 = *PNP0F0C,*PNP0F08,*PNP0F09*PNP0F01,*PNP0F0A,*PNP0F1E

This does *NOT* do the trick.  The GPS is consistently being enumerated by the system as a "serial ballpoint mouse".

This has been reported by numerous people in numerous forums on numerous configurations over multiple windows versions.

When is Microsoft going to fix this?  This is not a GPS issue.  This is not a serial device issue.  This is not a USB issue.  This is, pure and simple, a Microsoft issue.

Removing the 'upperdrivers' entry for serenum might do the trick, but the registry keys are not writeable now in Win7.  Sweet.  Thanks, Microsoft.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-04-24T17:01:09+00:00

    We're connected now with Linked In.  Good thought - thanks.

    We're now using Ethernet / Serial converters whenever we can.  Expensive and needless, but really it does seem to put the beast at bay - I'll send you a bit more detail on Linked in.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-11-01T14:40:37+00:00

    I had the same problem, however it was not with a GPS but with a NI DAQ card :(

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-04-25T14:07:40+00:00

    I haven't done extensive testing for rates over 9600 baud, so I can't answer your question.  I would actually think that higher speeds would be as bad or maybe worse, since as I recollect Serial Mice usually run at fairly high speeds.

    The speeds actually dont really matter for the "legacy mouse detection": Windows sees that there is some activity on the port and when the PNP Enumeration (www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/pnpcom.rtf) fails, with a high probability Windows assumes that the device might be a serial mouse ;D

    Easiest way to prevent this behaviour:

    a) Switch to USB* and use a native USB Device Class (eg HID or WinUSB)

    b) Switch to USB and use a SerialPort/CDC converter chip.

     E.g. ft232r (http://www.ftdichip.com/):

     - the .inf can easily be modified to exclude serenum.sys which prevents the mouse detection.

       (changing the .inf requires a digital signature for newer Windows version - the driver supplied by ftdi includes serenum.sys by default ;/)

     - adapters and adapter-cables (rs232<->usb) with this chips are available from various manufacturers.

     - For the hardware manufacturer there is also a very simple solution for upgrading to usb:   http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/AppNotes/AN\_149\_Upgrading%20a%20DB9%20RS232%20Interface%20to%20USB%20Using%20an%20FTDI%20DB9-USB-RS232%20Module.pdf

      (I dont work for ftdi, just have used those chips a lot ;D)

    c) Modify the scale that it wont output data all the time and only on request.

    The software could send something like "STARTMEASURE\r\n" and only after receiving this string the scale outputs some data.

    => If the scale stays quiet during enumeration windows should not be able to detect a mouse.

    (*at least as an additional option for "current" computers ;D)

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-04-25T15:40:33+00:00

    There is a simple program to solve this problem.

    http://www.stentec.com/anonftp/pub/wingps/pnpblockersetup.exe ( freeware)

    Download, install, run and select available comport(s), restart and finished.

    So simple and great easy tool to solve this very old Windows problem, a must have for everybody using GPS or other NMEA sources, to start-up Windows without disconnecting NMEA data source at start up to avoid a jumping mouse.

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-04-26T07:26:26+00:00

    But not on Win8. Since 20 years I use PCs on my sailboat and since the very old days of Win4Workgroup, 89 etc this problem exists, the old MS-mice no more... Up to win7 pnpblocker performed well. Back to Win8, it is like pnpblocker loads to late, the mouse jumps already when booting. The only way out is a properly designed Multiplexer with its own driver or plug the serial connecter after win8 is properly booted.

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