Mouse, laptop and running XP for the first time

  • Thread starter Thread starter Observer3
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Observer3

Hello. I have a rather trivial question about XP, mice and new
laptops.

I may get a new laptop later this year, running XP Home Edition.
Among the extras I would purchase is a USB optical mouse. Question: before
I turn on the computer for the very FIRST time, is it okay to plug in the
mouse? Or should I let the computer boot up first, answer XP's
configuration questions, and then plug it in?

If this was a desktop, the mouse would have to be plugged in
beforehand, but I don't know about laptops.
 
You can just go ahead and plug you mouse in from the
beginning. Most laptops have the built in mouse or
touchpad as I call it. It will bypass that option and
detect the USB mouse. If at another time you don't have
your USB mouse attached, it will automatically use the
built in one. Windows checks what hardware is connected
each time and automatically configures to what it finds.
Good luck.
 
If you purchase the laptop make sure they install all hardware prior to
pickup or delivery. Unless you are going to buy from 2 different sources.
 
I don't really know the "right" answer, but I would do the latter ...
let the machine startup, get it working, it. No real reason to confuse
it. *Then* install add-in's, one at a time.

The USB optical mouse should work out of the box with not additional
software, but it will have additional software on a CD which makes all
the "bells and whistles" work which are not provided automatically by XP.
 
Thanks for the responses. One last question on this subject, if I
may. When I plug in a USB mouse, or any USB device, is it necessary to turn
the laptop off first, or is it safe to do it while the computer is running?
I seem to remember plugging in a USB device on a relative's computer once
while it was running and seeing a small spark.
 
USB is hot-pluggable (and unpluggable). If you are
using an external storage device (portable disk drive,
or even a digital camera) it will tell you if you
have any files open, and it can be a PITA sometimes
trying to find and close everything.
 
Observer3 said:
Thanks for the responses. One last question on this subject, if I
may. When I plug in a USB mouse, or any USB device, is it necessary to turn
the laptop off first, or is it safe to do it while the computer is running?
I seem to remember plugging in a USB device on a relative's computer once
while it was running and seeing a small spark.
Click to expand...
*snip*

Yes, you can plug and unplug while computer is running. Designed to do
this from the data perspective.

Re the "spark". This is alarming. I wouldn't have thought the voltages
on the USB connection would be high enough to generate a visible spark.
It might have been static electricity? A flaw with your relative's
computer?

I've never seen sparks with my USB devices and my Toshiba laptop.
Doesn't mean they aren't there. Just haven't seen.

That being said, I don't think I would be plugging and unplugging USB
devices in a hazardous environment with flamable materials around ...
wouldn't run a laptop there either, for that matter.
 
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