USB Microsoft Basic Optical Mice no longer working on laptops, but do work on desktops

Question

We have a few HP laptops with Microsoft Basic Optical mice, the mice for some reason no longer work on the laptops but do work on desktops, this has only occurred this week. When I plug in the mice the optical light underneath do not light up and I receive the error:

'USB Device Not Recognized: One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message.'

When I click on it the USB Root Hub lists Unknown Device, any ideas? I'm running Windows XP SP3 with latest updates applied.

Answer 1

The fact that it happened to several laptops at once would seem to indicate that a software patch might have been installed across the group recently that is interfering with the driver for the mice. If there was a recent software or security patch, try rolling it back on one of the machines as a test. You might also try downloading and reinstalling the Microsoft Intellipoint mouse driver software

Answer 2

I don't know if this is your problem, but I had a similar problem. I took my laptop to my specialist and was informed that, even though I had a powered hub, the fact that I had so many devices plugged in reduced the power available. I still get this message occasionally, but it does not disrupt my use. Good luck