As you know, a mouse (pointing device, pointing device) is an integral attribute of any desktop computer and is often used when working with laptops, despite the touchpads on them. For some time now there are so-called HID-compatible devices, including mice. Next, we will consider what a HID-compatible mouse is, how to connect it to any computer or laptop, install the necessary set of drivers and eliminate possible problems in operation.
What are HID compatible devices?
And, perhaps, it is worth starting with the very definition of what such devices are. The abbreviation is formed by abbreviation of the English term Human Interface Device, which literally means "device with a human interface." In the general understanding of such devices, it is customary to characterize them as devices designed to work with a person. Initially, this class mainly consisted of devices designed for connection via USB ports, but today their range has expanded quite significantly. Despite such an abstruse name, all these peripherals support the Plug & Play standard, which corresponds to a term like “plug and play”. In other words, the same HID-compatible mouse can simply be connected to a computer or laptop, and further user actions may consist only in a personalized manipulator setup.
Standard connection and definition of a HID-compatible mouse
If we consider this issue from a practical point of view, today any control device connected via USB, Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi is recognized as the HID standard. As already clear, this does not apply to removable drives.
As for connecting a HID-compatible mouse, just use the desired type of connection with a computer or laptop, and you can use both wired and wireless devices. Usually, immediately after the system reports that a new device has been detected, the search and installation of the driver, which is necessary to ensure the operation of the device, will begin (however, as with any other equipment).
Do I need to install the HID-compatible mouse driver in Windows 7 and above?
In the latest generation of Windows systems, there are quite extensive proprietary driver databases, including online storages, from which the most suitable control software is selected. Thus, after the driver of the HID-compatible mouse is found and installed, a pop-up notification will appear in the system tray that the device is connected and ready to work. If a message is displayed that the driver was not found during the installation of the control software, or if there were problems installing it, you will have to integrate it into the system yourself. However, for the most part this applies to specialized multi-button gaming mice, since conventional manipulators with a wheel, two or three buttons are determined by Windows-systems without problems.
But even despite the problems encountered, anyway, some kind of primary driver can be installed. Another thing is that the device under its control does not work correctly or does not work at all.
Installing native device drivers
If we consider precisely modern game controllers with much broader capabilities than standard models, as a rule, when they are purchased, the carrier with the drivers is supplied in the necessary order. You can install the necessary software yourself directly from the media or, using the “Device Manager” with the driver update item, specify the path to the software disk or enable the system to independently search for drivers on the local computer. The first option looks preferable if there are special installers in the form of executable EXE files on the media with the drivers, and the second is suitable for cases when the drivers are presented in the form of INF, SYS, and other files.
Note: if the driver of the HID-compatible mouse in Windows 10 is not installed for some reason, or various types of errors occur during the installation, you can try to start the installer from the very beginning (if one is available) in compatibility mode with the operating system version below.
In addition, the manipulator can be configured after installing the driver both through the classic “Control Panel” and through the “Options” menu, selecting the appropriate sections (“Mouse” or “Devices”).
Unfortunately, sometimes when connecting such mice to laptops, conflicts may occur, and one of the easiest ways out of this situation is to turn off the touchpad, for which you can use the most common “Device Manager”. You can do even easier by simply changing the USB port from 2.0 to 3.0 and vice versa.
Automated databases and programs for installing and updating drivers
Using a much simpler search or update technique for using the driver manipulator can be called using automated programs. For example, the universal DriverPack Solution package is very popular, which is suitable even for offline driver search, since its database is much larger than that found on Windows, given Microsoft's official resources on the Internet.
No less easy can be used and utilities designed exclusively for updating control software like Driver Booster, which, however, look for and install drivers for absolutely all the equipment that will be found during the initial scan, and not just for any one device, but they refer exclusively to the websites of manufacturers and software developers, which eliminates viruses or equipment malfunctioning on computers after installing the necessary driver packages. In addition, the use of such programs is also relevant if the mouse is connected via Bluetooth, when it may be necessary to update the driver of the corresponding wireless adapter.
Manual search for a specific driver
Finally, if in the same Windows 10 the HID-compatible mouse does not work precisely because of the lack of a driver, you can find it yourself by contacting the manufacturer's resource.
To search for the most appropriate software, in the “Device Manager” on the information tab, select the item for displaying the equipment ID and search for the driver on the longest line, which contains the VID and PID, taking into account both the version of the system and its capacity.