On 16 Feb 98 at 11:11, John Farrow wrote:

>    Am attempting to install a second mouse, actually a CIRQUE "Power
> Cat" touch pad on an old ZEOS 90MHZ Pentium.
>
>     I have the modem on Com2 and the exsisting mouse on Com1.  There is
> a larger serial port connection on the back of the computer and I tried
> connect the CIRQUE there but it wont work.
>
>     Do I need to buy an additional card to have more com ports?
>
> I have a usr 33.6 voice INTERNAL modem.

  That non-working port is almost certainly the original COM2
supplied by the motherboard, disabled in order to install the modem
as COM2.

  The problem with a second pointing device is that such devices need
a dedicated IRQ.  There are only two IRQs normally reserved for COM
ports (IRQs 3 and 4), and to put a pointing device on each of them
means your modem must go somewhere else.
  A good place to look is IRQ 12.  This is often used for a PS/2
style mouse, and so may be available.

  So my suggestions:

1) Move modem to COM3, and re-enable COM2 in CMOS setup.  Map modem
to IRQ 12 to avoid conflict with mouse.  Install touch pad on COM2.

OR

2) Install touch pad on COM1.  Replace serial mouse with PS/2 mouse.

David G