Does DOS with legacy USB mouse and keyboard work via USB hub?
I was thinking of getting a KVM switch with audio/usb/vga, but it strikes me that all the KVM switches i can find only supports a single usb connection from each computer, and the KVM is instead working as a USB hub (both mouse and keyboard connected to the same USB port).
wrote:Does DOS with legacy USB mouse and keyboard work via USB hub?
I was thinking of getting a KVM switch with audio/usb/vga, but it strikes me that all the KVM switches i can find only supports a single usb connection from each computer, and the KVM is instead working as a USB hub (both mouse and keyboard connected to the same USB port).
I would suggest you have a look on eBay and see if you can get hold of a PS/2 KVM switch for a reasonable price (I have a 4 port and a 2 port one that works great with my PC's).
Most of my current PC's still have PS/2 ports for the mouse and keyboard (with my AT cases I use a 5-pin DIN to PS/2 adaptor for the keyboard), but some of my input devices (like my mouse) are USB (in which case I use a USB to PS/2 adaptor).
I have, however, tried to use a COM1 to PS/2 adaptor on one my older PC's (since they don't have PS/2 ports), but this only works if I connect a "standard" (non optical) PS/2 mouse to my KVM switch. For some reason, it doesn't "detect" the optical mouse (which most likely has to do with whether my adaptor is passive or active).
I think i found one that can use both usb and PS2 cables but its expensive. As you suggest its probably better to experiment with some older and cheaper stuff from ebay. Or perhaps a 2 port USB model that i need for another room anyway, then i can test if it works or not with legacy 😀
I got a really good price for an Aten CS1734A KVM switch, that can use both USB and PS/2 cables. The USB cable does not work with bios legacy USB, but the PS/2 cable does. The KVM emulates a keyboard and mouse, and then map the inputs from the actual keyboard and mouse through two dedicated USB ports. It works fine with the keyboard, but the mouse emulation is pretty bad. Without the emulation, the mouse works perfectly, but only in operating systems that support USB HIDs like for instance windows 98 (has anyone tried using the win98 usb hid driver in dos 6 to see if it works?). I only have one dos 6 pc that relies solely on legacy USB, so for me its ok to have an extra mouse just for that one computer.
I have noticed that not all USB mice connected to the KVM work equally bad with emulation enabled. I have an older optical mouse with a red diode that is completely useless, and a newer laser mouse that works somewhat better, and i started thinking it could be because of the older mouse drawing more power from the USB port than the newer mouse. I tried powering the KVM with a 2A USB charger (the KVM is powered by the USB and PS/2 ports of the host computers) but it didnt help. I will try connect a powered USB hub in between the emulation port an the mouse, so that the power draw from the KVM becomes minimal, to see if it works better.
wrote:has anyone tried using the win98 usb hid driver in dos 6 to see if it works?
How would you propose to use a Windows 98 driver in DOS 6?
wrote:wrote:has anyone tried using the win98 usb hid driver in dos 6 to see if it works?
How would you propose to use a Windows 98 driver in DOS 6?
Adding hidclass.sys to config.sys
Anyway, I updated the KVM firmware and bam, now my mouse work perfectly with the usb mouse emulation!
