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
    2011-04-24T02:30:31+00:00

    Well i havent found a reliable solution in the couple of months. Sadly microsoft's idea of "is there data over the serial port? must me a mouse." means i'll likely buy a new gps, or get linux up and running as my in vehicle system...but that has bad support for my wlan/bluetooth combo :) either way it's probably worth buying a new piece of hardware. Thanks Mark and microsoft for not responding to the thread :P

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-05-04T04:35:12+00:00

    Still waiting too, in my case its for the "real" RS232 com ports.

    I am on a sail boat, USB-stuff is ok as these have their own drivers, but dataflow (NMEA0183) is a plain text string, endless.

    I use a software multiplexer and everything went fine for years after disabling serial mouse checking in XPpro, until I installed windows7.

    On the com ports are: com1=ICOM Radio, com2=Airmar weather sensor PB200, com3=Raymarine AIS500, COM4=Raymarine Autopilot. Soon there will be 2 more serial ports for weather fax demodulator and another ICOM SSB Radio

    Can it be rally true that a problem solved ages ago for win98, winME, winXP now pops up in win7 again and is UNSOLVEABLE????

    I do not seem to be the only one who does not find a maybe obious solution, but why the heck is there no help from the company that had no problems asking for my money? A little customer service would help a lot, gain more goodwill on customer side  than Mr. Gates money for welfare.

    It only needs that command line again to stop windows installing an obsolete serial ballmouse whenever there is any data flow at a serial port.

    Yes, starting windows first and then switching on other devices helps. But, bad habit, from time to time windows thinks it must check ports again and in middle of nowhere, usually at inconvenient times, it installs it again. Not funny to switch off all navigation electronics in the middle of the night in close quarters and make a reboot. Btw. in those cases shut down takes a long time too, only work around: the old electric off-switch. Welcome in the 21 century

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-05-27T16:29:55+00:00

    Per all of you who are having trouble with this in XP, open up the boot.ini in c:\ and add  /NoSerialMouse right after (no space) the /fastdetect command.  This should do it.  It is a huge nuisance but solvable.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-05-28T10:39:51+00:00

    Yes, for XP exists even a command, Windows 7 users have nothing. How crazy to produce a new OS with a 20 year old, formerly resolved problem!!

    Sorry may mistake, this is not crazy but clever, we will all hopefully and immideately upgrade to WIN8 to find out if this is solved then....

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  5. Anonymous
    2011-06-29T00:55:16+00:00

    Hi, Microsoft has a fix for XP, 2000 etc the

    COMDisable Tool

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;819036

    I've used it with XP and it works OK.

    BUT it will not work with W7 (Bugger)

    Peter

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