Help! Laptop Mouse Broken

Hi,

I'm really stuck!
On my ~1 year old Win XP Pro laptop, the inbuilt synaptics mouse and any external mice, PS2 or USB fail to work.

I'm having to use it via keystrokes only, so even typing this is hard to get to it. I've had this problem since this morning.

I brought it downstairs (its kept upstairs) and turned it on, and when it booted to the welcome screen, the pointer was in the center and my PS2 optical mouse (Chic) wasn't responding, although the actual LED bit was on.

I tried my touchpad (Synaptics model) and that also doesn't work. The animated icon in my SysTray didn't respond to my touches. I have since tried 2 other mice, one PS2 and 1 USB, and I have had no luck.

The only way to control my mouse is using mousekeys (ugh) or using a mouse via VNC.

I have no hardware devices listed in my mouse hardware list in the control panel.
I am not sure if it is a hardware or a software problem, but if I fear the worst, and it's hardware, perhaps my PS2 controller thingy busted? Although it shouldn't take out USB or Touchpad either. I hope its more of a software problem, but after rolling back system restore point from last friday (when it definately worked), I have had no luck. I have also reinstalled the drivers for my USB mouse and the driver CD that came with my laptop.

I am really stuck, and I won't be able to take it into technical support until monday. I really hope to have this fixed asap.

Any help you can give me would be great, and as I use my laptop a lot, I'm really stuffed

Everything else seems to be working okay, and I have not noticed any other problems, although there was a process in Task manager using about 92% of CPU called SyPad or something similar.

Help appreciated, and I'll try to help you any way possible,

computer

ohhh update update!

I borrowed a Microsoft Intellimouse from a friend (USB Optical) and it works!

So, that must narrow it down to either: a) PS/2 controller problem and my other USB mouse just a bit borked or b) driver/software problems with PS/2 and USB mice, but the MS mouse works with default XP....

computer

There may be something wrong with your synaptics drivers (which I'll bet control your built-in mouse and touchpad). They may be reading that you have an external mouse plugged in and are disabling your built-in's (at least that's what mine does). But I'm not sure why that would stop your other mouse from working...

Hi computer!

I don't know if this helps or not, but my older Thinkpad had a similar problem (unresponsive) and I just reinstalled the Synaptics drivers off IBM's site.

Tom

hmm well I tried installing the synaptics ones that came off my CD that I got with it, no luck. rolled back again, and installed new ones of internet from october time... again no luck...

I know it normally works, I've had this laptop almost a year and this is the first problem. I usually use an external PS2 optical Chic mouse when I'm 'on the road' and a Logitech optical PS2 when in my office.

Still, the microsoft USB mouse seems to work for now... perhpas the evil monopoly have taken over mice drivers now?

computer