AARGH!! My external keyboard and wireless mouse stopped working!

[SeattleGirl]

I have a laptop, but my cat messed up the keyboard (I'm using it right now, and am typing at a snail's pace) so I got an external one to use. I also have a wireless mouse. Neither are working.

I tried hooking up an external USB port, so I could plug in both the mouse and keyboard, and an iPod Nano. Well, I plugged the external USB into the port where the keyboard was plugged in, and plugged in the keyboard to the external port. Didn't work. So, I tried the port where the wireless mouse was connected. That didn't work, so I plugged both the keyboard and wireless mouse back into where they were on the laptop, AND NOW NEITHER OF THEM WILL WORK!

Anyone have any idea what happened, and more importantly, how I can get them to work again? This is driving me nuts.

[flvegan]

1. Software problem?

Most of the laptop addons have some type of software.

You might try rebooting with the direct wires.

[SeattleGirl]

4. I don't think the keyboard had software; the mouse, I can't remember

because I've had a for awhile. I do keep all software in the same place and didn't find any there for it.

Grrr. This is frustrating.

[Kutjara]

6. If you can't find the software disks, try...

...the website of the company that made the keyboard and mouse. They usually have the latest version of the necessary software available for download in the support section of the site.

[SeattleGirl]

8. Hey, thanks.

I'll try that.

[SPKrazy]

2. maybe if you read more

and watched fewer youtube videos

you wouldn't be having this problem now

:P

[SeattleGirl]

5. Nice post, Hitler!

:P

[Kutjara]

3. Have you tried restarting your machine?

Sometimes the PC will lose track of where the keyboard and mouse are plugged in if you move them around without restarting.

Failing that, you may have to go through the setup routine again. My old Logitech wireless keyboard had a button on the bottom and another on the wireless dongle that connected to my computer. You had to press both buttons to get them to recognize eachother.

[SeattleGirl]

7. Yep, tried that, and also tried pressing the buttons on the wireless

mouse and the part that plugs into the USB port on the laptop.

I am sure it was plugging in the external USB port that screwed things up, but I don't know exactly what happened.

[Kutjara]

9. You're probably right.

Some peripherals don't like external USB hubs. The hubs (particularly if they don't have their own power adapter) can't draw enough power from PC to work properly. I can't work out, however, why the keyboard and mouse don't work when you just plug them back in the way they originally were.

It may be worth having a look in Device Manager (assuming you're using Windows) to see if there's any kind of hardware conflict. Your PC may have been fooled into looking at the hub for the keyboard and mouse, so it isn't seeing them where they're actually plugged in.

[SeattleGirl]

10. I'll check the Device Manager.

This is just nuts.

[Kutjara]

11. Just to state the bleedin' obvious...

...you didn't accidently hit the power button on the keyboard and turn it off, did you? I did that once, and it took me hours to figure out why the damned thing wouldn't work. Also, I suppose you could check to make sure the batteries are all properly seated and such.

Just grasping at straws here.

[SeattleGirl]

12. I have overlooked the bleedin' obvious before.

Not this time, though.

I almost wish I had. It would be ultimately less frustrating.

[SPKrazy]

13. did you get it fixed yet?