Computer keyboard and mouse question

The "castrated" mouse is one of the best computer inventions of the last 25 years or so.

They use a version of "bluetooth" technology - very effective.

Dells have color coded cables. Do the other brands also?

etc that show how =

HP does too. I would expect most do. It's in the supplier's own interest to reduce costs and have happy customers.

I'm still waiting to hear what new system has a MB that uses a PS2 MB connector. It doesn't. She's likely looking at an audio jack. And what system does Best Buy sell that doesn't have a one page, quick start guide that shows you with pics how to plug the few pieces together?

Note that these are plug adapters not protocol converters. PS/2 and USB computers have little in common other than both provide +5V. The keyboard or mouse has to support both protocols. The only adapters I've ever had came with micw / keyboards that would work.

It is unlikely you got a computer without USB.

I'd say she also didn't get a new PC with a PS2 connector either. She's likely looking at an audio jack.

I have a few older machines (including the one marked "Y2K compliant") that have PS/2 ports. The only one that doesn't also have USB is a Dell from 1996 (166MHz Pentium CPU, 128MB RAM). That one belongs to a friend who doesn't use it much except to play "Spider Solitaire". The current OS is W2K, which is too slow for almost anything else.

I didn't like cleaning them either. Alcohol and cotton swabs might work for an obsessive cleaner, but if it actually NEEDS cleaning they're completely inadequate.

I didn't know you could buy a ball mouse now.

I did save one of the balls for use as a cat toy.

I was glad when the only use I had for a ball mouse was for a cat toy.

One reason for continuing to use PS/2 keyboard is BIOS. The first ones didn't support USB, although that's been a long tome too.

The motherboard I bought 5 years ago came with one. Just one. The color around it was purple on one side and green on the other, indicating it could be used for either mouse or keyboard. Adapters are available to allow both. However I chose USB since I had USB peripherals and USB connectors don't fall out as easily.

BTW, that system has no floppy controller and no parallel ATA (SATA only). It does have RS232 and parallel.

I wonder if new mice & keyboards work with PS/2, which uses a completely different protocol.

Cheri posted for all of us...

The round type are called DIN connectors. The flat type are called USB connectors. USB is most common these days. They sent the wrong k/b and mouse. Are there adapters in the box?

Do we know this is a new machine? The MS requirements to run W/10 are exactly the same as W/7 and I have a (shipped with) W/7 machine with PS/2 connectors. (Intel dual core MB).

No, they sent USB. You are thinking backwards on this. There will not be a labeled plug though, that is the confusion.

..

When's the last time you saw a new PC that uses a PS2 connector for the keyboard? Fifteen, twenty years? They didn't send anything wrong, she's just confused or trolling.

She said:

"I ordered a desktop computer with Win10 that came with mouse and keyboard. "

So, it's something just purchased. Even if it's a refurbished something, you'd think it's unlikely you'd be finding ones with PS/2 connectors worth screwing with. Plus they sent USB mouse and keyboard, I'm betting she's just confused. But if it's some refurbished system, maybe that would explain why there is no one page quick start with pics so you can connect it in two minutes.

Maybe 8-10 years. As I said my dual core Intel board has PS/2 connectors and it shipped with Windoze 7.

Hundreds of brand new motherboards for sale on Newegg have PS/2. I have one on my Asus Hero VII which I built 3 years ago.

On Sun 16 Sep 2018 06:29:14p, micky told us...

FWIW, the batteries in my wireless keyboard and mouse seem to last forever. I rarely have to change them more than once a year. If I wanted to conserve battery life even further, each unit has it's own off/on switch.

I often move my keyboard to a sideboard when I'm not using it and want more desktop work space. The wire is a hindrance for me.

On Mon 17 Sep 2018 11:30:27a, Mark Lloyd told us...

My current Dell Precision 3620 has 3 USB sockets on the front and 5 on the rear. It also has the PS/2 sockets but I have nothing to plug into them.