XP Pro install problem with USB mouse

Good evening

I have just rebuilt my PC after it ground to a halt and wouldn't even play
MP3's in Media Player. It had been getting slower for a while and I'd been
intending to rebuild the recalcitrant beast for some weeks now. I bit the
bullet this morning and had a particularly awe-less time with my mouse. As
per the subject line, it's the USB variety and I hadn't previously had a
problem with it. The problem is outlined below...

After progressing past the initial clobbering of my Windows partition, plus
the recreation of, and complete and utter reformatting of same, I merrily
commenced installing Win XP Pro from its CD (SP1 I believe). When the PC
rebooted and fired up Windows to continue the installation, I was mouseless.
I figured it was a glitch of some non-permanent description and I just
proceeded using the keyboard, which seemed highly successful (despite the
obvious difficulty). Alas, the mouse still wouldn't budge after the install
was completed and the *** had been rebooted. It continued to defy my
commands despite reseating of non-associated cards (I was clutching at
straws at this point) and significant blowing-off of dust from various
componentry within my almost-stock-standard Compaq pile of ***.

After several reboots (purely speculative), it still wouldn't come good and
I was left with the dilemma of starting again or proceeding with the upgrade
to SP2. Figuring that the SP2 part of my rebuild may, perchance, correct
the problem, I proceeded with the subsequent upgrade and everything went
fine as far as the upgrade was concerned. The mouse, however, was still
conspicuous by its constant placement at a somewhat central set of
co-ordinates.

I eventually found out how to get it working. It required rebooting 16
times, accompanied by profanities bellowed at around 140dB between and
during each reboot, and also required all nearby physical objects (excluding
the PC and peripherals) being tossed around my abode with
not-so-gay-abandon.

Fearing a thorough beating around the cranial region if I didn't conduct
proper research prior to seeking an explanation, I have researched the best
Windows XP help site that I could find. kadaitcha.cx didn't have anything
specific to my problem however, nor did Microsoft for that matter.

In the event that I need to install XP Pro from a CD in a quiet environment
sometime in future, such as a public library or similar, is there a quieter
method of getting a USB mouse to work during an installation of XP Pro?

Note: A response promoting an operating system other than Windows XP
Professional will be irrelavent, and indicate a complete lack of
comprehension from the respondant.

Thank you

--
George
"If you lose the big game, that little boy is gonna die faster than Steve
Irwin in a tank full of stingrays" - Cancer Doctor - 14 November 2006


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