Why don't you use the original driver?

http://help.fdos.org/en/hhstndrd/base/ctmouse.htm
As you can see you can force PS/2 mode with /P command line parameter...

The mouse is a logitech M-SBF96 optical, don't think there is an actual DOS driver. However I did download an logitech driver from 1997, will try it an see.

Thanks for the cutemouse /P tip, will give it a go.

They probably meant MOUSE.COM supplied by Microsoft.

Tried the /P option for cutemouse and got an error. Also tried a couple of bootdisks on floppy and both do the same thing, route the ps/2 mouse to com1 serial port.

Perhaps taking the battery out to reset the bios would help? Grasping at straws here.

buckeye wrote:

The mouse is a logitech M-SBF96 optical.

Wait, is this thing MS Mouse compatible ? Back in the day, there used to be several protocols, Mouse Systems, Genius, Logitech, HP Mouse..
So perhaps there's a compatibility issue, despite the readme is saying "CTMOUSE supports standard Mouse Systems, Microsoft and Logitech serial and PS/2 protocols."
Another reason: You're using a mechanical PS/2-serial adapter. Perhaps one that wasn't part of the mouse package.
So perhaps either the mouse is not a dual-protocol type (Serial and PS/2) or the pinout is incompatible.
Or the mouse can only do USB and PS/2 protocols, but not the old serial one.

Jo22 wrote:

Wait, is this thing MS Mouse compatible ? Back in the day, there used to be several protocols, Mouse Systems, Genius, Logitech, […]
Show full quote

buckeye wrote:

The mouse is a logitech M-SBF96 optical.

Wait, is this thing MS Mouse compatible ? Back in the day, there used to be several protocols, Mouse Systems, Genius, Logitech, HP Mouse..
So perhaps there's a compatibility issue, despite the readme is saying "CTMOUSE supports standard Mouse Systems, Microsoft and Logitech serial and PS/2 protocols."
Another reason: You're using a mechanical PS/2-serial adapter. Perhaps one that wasn't part of the mouse package.
So perhaps either the mouse is not a dual-protocol type (Serial and PS/2) or the pinout is incompatible.
Or the mouse can only do USB and PS/2 protocols, but not the old serial one.

Not using an adapter, mouse is ps/2 plugged into ps/2 port. Can't verify if it's MS Mouse compatible, however it works fine in DOS on my ASUS P3B-F mobo based rig.

Forgot to mention that when I booted from win98 to dos mode via the exit menu, I typed in the cute mouse driver and
lo and behold the mouse was shown on the correct ps/2 port. The catch is none of the sb stuff was loaded, is this relevant?

The ps/2 port is shown on IRQ 12. For the sake of argument that the sound card settings is causing this in DOS (again in windows
it's fine) what parameters do I need to be using? A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6 ok?

What model sound blaster? If its an early one try SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4. This page has a guide for various ISA SBs https://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2010/06/ … d-blasters.html On that page the IRQ is set to 7 which is usually the 1st lpt port for sound cards 5 is normally used. Also some games have a *.cfg file, just delete it.

SET BLASTER guide:

For PORT ADDRESS, it's almost always 220. That seems to be the default for most sound cards out there, and unless you know you've switched it away from 220, it's a safe bet it's still there.

The INTERRUPT is something that varies from system to system.

The DMA CHANNEL sometimes causes problems if it isn't set to 1, which is the usual default. If it is not set correctly, some games may lock up when the sound is turned on.

The TYPE OF CARD should be 1 if you have an older Soundblaster, or a Sound Blaster emulating card. Use 3 if you have a newer plain Soundblaster. Use 2 for an older Soundblaster Pro. Use 4 for a newer Soundblaster Pro.

The MIDI PORT parameter will only be needed if you are using a card that has MIDI capabilities. If so, this is where you define what MIDI port you are using. 330 seems to be the default, so if you have a MIDI card, and you haven't changed anything from factory defaults, this is probably where it still is.

The HIGH DMA CHANNEL is something that is used primarily on Soundblaster 16 cards. This is not the same as the standard DMA channel, this is a different one. This is only used if you're using a 16 bit sound card capable of playing 16 bit Soundblaster sounds. By default, this is usually 5, so unless you know that it's something else, it's probably still 5.

The E620 parameter is something that is needed _only_ if you have a Creative Labs AWE 32 sound card. If you have one of these, this parameter will have been set up properly assuming you've installed the software that came with the card. Check your AWE 32 documentation for a more thorough explanation of what this parameter is used for.

IRQ Quick Reference »

Description
IRQ 0 System timer This interrupt is reserved for the internal system timer. It is never available to peripherals or other devices.
IRQ 1 Keyboard This interrupt is reserved for the keyboard controller. Even on devices without a keyboard, this interrupt is exclusively for keyboard input.
IRQ 2 Cascade interrupt for IRQs 8-15 This interrupt cascades the second interrupt controller to the first.
IRQ 3 Second serial port (COM2) The interrupt for the second serial port and often the default interrupt for the fourth serial port (COM4).
IRQ 4 First serial port (COM1) This interrupt is normally used for the first serial port. On devices that do not use a PS/2 mouse, this interrupt is almost always used by the serial mouse. This is also the default interrupt for the third serial port (COM3).
IRQ 5 Sound card This interrupt is the first choice that most sound cards make when looking for an IRQ setting.
IRQ 6 Floppy disk controller This interrupt is reserved for the floppy disk controller.
IRQ 7 First parallel port This interrupt is normally reserved for the use of the printer. If a printer is not being used, this interrupt can be used for other devices that use parallel ports.
IRQ 8 Real-time clock This interrupt is reserved for the system's real-time clock timer and can not be used for any other purpose.
IRQ 9 Open interrupt This interrupt is typically left open on devices for the use of peripherals.
IRQ 10 Open interrupt This interrupt is typically left open on devices for the use of peripherals.
IRQ 11 Open interrupt This interrupt is typically left open on devices for the use of peripherals.
IRQ 12 PS/2 mouse This interrupt is reserved for the PS/2 mouse on machines that use one. If a PS/2 mouse is not used, the interrupt can be used for other peripherals, such as network card.
IRQ 13 Floating point unit/coprocessor This interrupt is reserved for the integrated floating point unit. It is never available to peripherals or other devices as it is used exclusively for internal signaling.
IRQ 14 Primary IDE channel This interrupt is reserved for use by the primary IDE controller. On systems that do not use IDE devices, the IRQ can be used for another purpose.
IRQ 15 Secondary IDE channel This interrupt is reserved for use by the secondary IDE controller.

I've got this True-Touch Windows 98 and DOS compatible optical scroll mouse (PS/2) - transparent to the driver, eerily similar to this:

https://www.staples.ca/en/true-touch-ps-2-scr … 23_1-CA_1_20001

It comes with a driver disk, do you want to have a shot at trying it out?

Caluser2000, thanks for all the info, the soundcard (CT3670 32pnp model) may not be the problem as I booted w/o loading the
autoexec stuff and still have the mouse issue. As stated before, I've booted into dos using the windows "exit menu" and the
mouse is correctly activated on the ps/2 port, can anyone explain why that is so?

I've tried a different "ball" type mouse but nets same result.

Why don't you try a different mouse driver.Like maybe try the Logitech one with cloaking to load it high. Why dont you try disabling the sthe serial port in the bios. https://www.uwe-sieber.de/util_e.html

Warlord wrote:

Why don't you try a different mouse driver.Like maybe try the Logitech one with cloaking to load it high. Why dont you try disabling the sthe serial port in the bios. https://www.uwe-sieber.de/util_e.html

Tried different mouse drivers, same result. Have all serial/parallel ports disabled, which gives me an error message during booting because it can't find the serial port.

Would the bios setting for pnp os have any effect? Currently have it set as "no".

set it to yes that may make a difference.

Finally solved the riddle!!! I ended up removing the sound card and using the on-board audio and lo and behold upon booting into DOS got the
"legacy mouse detected" message. That told me it's an IRQ conflict so I reinstalled the sound card in the other ISA slot and now all is fine.

Many thanks to all who gave me some input on this, much appreciated!