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Two mouse pointers? | Revive this... any new tools to aquire two independently controlled mice?

realiser — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 22:39:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: realiser
Post title: Revive this... any new tools to aquire two independently controlled mice?

Hi

I am trying to revive this discussion. I have been looking for a way to have two independently controlled mice on one workstation (with dual monitors) for some time now. I have tried out/tried to find the following:

pluralinput - I do get two mice, but doesn't work well. Can only click on a few things, most clicks are ignored
teamplayer - Works quite well, only that when you click and slide, the slider speeds away
cpnmouse (not compatible with >win7)
dualmouse (seems like it is not active or available anymore)
multimouse - needs another computer to add the pointer

and a couple of others that I don't remember. None of these work very well, I suspect some of the reason is that I have 64 bit windows.

Anyhow, it seems like people get outraged over the idea of having two independent mice (not only in this discussion, but as a general trend over internet forums), so therefore I will explain why I need two mice on the same computer:

When working with music, you are often more then one person in the process. With several monitors you can split the program into f.x. sequencer+miditrack and mixer view. With two mice, one person could do arrangements in the sequencer, and at the same time another person could add effects and adjust the mixing properties of the project. Very practical.

So in that context two different mice are needed. It seems from how windows is built that it might be easier to allow two mice inside a program then globaly over the OS. This is acceptable in this context, that one mouse is confined within the program, and the master mouse is available all over the OS.

Any suggestion or updates for how to do it and what to use? I think dual mose and keyboard looks promising, but it is not available anywhere. Is there a legacy version that might work in win7?

Two mouse pointers? | Exactly

FarkasAndras — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:57:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: FarkasAndras
Post title: Exactly

[quote]Rolf Keller wrote:

[quote]seero wrote:

to run 2 mice from the same wireless or Bluetooth module[/quote]

This might be difficult, because with Bluetooth there is a "Inital Pairing Procedure", that marries a Bluetooth device to "its" PC. Otherwise this Bluetooth device could unintentionally communicate with any other PC in the neighbourhood. Regarding this pairing: User Manual? Windows Help?

But you can easily connect 2 USB mice. If you don't have 2 free USB sockets, just buy a so-called "USB hub". [/quote]

If you just want to move the mouse with your right hand and click with your left, you don't need or want two mouse pointers on the screen, you simply need two mice controlling the same mouse pointer. That's exactly what you get when you connect two mice via bluetooth, USB or PS/2. Just buy a second mouse for 3 EUR/GBP/USD and you're done.

Two mouse pointers? | Two mice for one screen

Rolf Keller — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:13:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Rolf Keller
Post title: Two mice for one screen

[quote]seero wrote:

to run 2 mice from the same wireless or Bluetooth module[/quote]

This might be difficult, because with Bluetooth there is a "Inital Pairing Procedure", that marries a Bluetooth device to "its" PC. Otherwise this Bluetooth device could unintentionally communicate with any other PC in the neighbourhood. Regarding this pairing: User Manual? Windows Help?

But you can easily connect 2 USB mice. If you don't have 2 free USB sockets, just buy a so-called "USB hub".

Two mouse pointers? | Left Mouse M1 & M2 - right mouse movements

seero — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: seero
Post title: Left Mouse M1 & M2 - right mouse movements

Hi Just to add in a new direction. I have used 2 mice on one PC. One was wireless and the other USB - it was by accident when switching over to my docking station.

I am however now looking to run 2 mice from the same wireless or Bluetooth module. I am 72 and have Arthritis in my Mouse finger! I need to be able to 'steer' with my right hand but use the left hand for M1/M2.

Any additionaladvice to the above would be useful. I have XP Home on my laptop and W7 64bit on my Desktop. Any alternative ideas would also be appreciated.

Thanks - newbee to the forum.

Two mouse pointers? | Settlers II can do it even in DosBox

kooswillem — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: kooswillem
Post title: Settlers II can do it even in DosBox

A game for DOS, Settlers II used supported two mouses, so it is possible, but maybe not under Windows?

It's seems to work in DosBOx:
[url removed]

Two mouse pointers? | 2 mouse pointers. I 've always had two on this machine

dmaycillo — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:04:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: dmaycillo
Post title: 2 mouse pointers. I 've always had two on this machine

[quote]Kevin Fulton wrote:

I recently upgraded my computer and since the video card has dual outputs, I decided to keep my old monitor in addition to the new LCD device in order to take advantage of the "extended desktop" available under Windows XP Pro. It's certainly convenient having my work on one monitor and reference docs on the other, but having only one mouse pointer for scrolling / working is less than optimal. Plugging in a second mouse doesn't solve the problem.

Does anyone know of a utility/hack that will allow me to use 2 mice at the same time? Elsewhere someone suggested networking 2 computers, but space is very limited, and I'd rather not do that if possible.

All suggestions welcome.
Thanks, Kevin [/quote]

Two mouse pointers? | I have 4 mouse pointers

Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)
Post title: I have 4 mouse pointers

My PC has 4 monitors and I see 4 mouse pointers at the same time. The problem is that I has only one active finger at a time and cannot move many mice to different locations. My PC has only one active window at one time. This is why many pointers are useless in a PC. But for a mainframe computers, many mice and many monitors are allowable since many workstations do multi-tasking in multi-processor machine. This is rather redundant for one translator.

Soonthon Lupkitaro

Two mouse pointers? | 2 mice

mooktie — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:09:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: mooktie
Post title: 2 mice

thinking of a possible solution but i have yet to try it.

what if you used vmware to run another instance of windows and asigned a differnt hardware device to that mouse pointer?

Two mouse pointers? | GlovePIE

Jaroslaw Michalak — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Jaroslaw Michalak
Post title: GlovePIE

GlovePIE lets you have several mouse pointers (which might be controlled by several mice). However, there are serious limits imposed by the operating system itself (which was not created with multiple pointers in mind).

Two mouse pointers? | M$ Multimouse

gamer 4 l1f3 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:46:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: gamer 4 l1f3
Post title: M$ Multimouse

Microsoft Multimouse is sort of a solution for this, its an SDK for educational tools but free so go for it! Anybody come up with a good solution for this tho let me know!

Two mouse pointers? | Complex analog commands

novatronix — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:47:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: novatronix
Post title: Complex analog commands

For simple point and click operation the practical use of having two mouse pointers is doubtful (having a single user), but what about commands for drawing/editing? with two mouse one can think of very sophisticaded commands and tools that would allow complex operations in a second. This could enhace productivity a lot.

Two mouse pointers? | Another Important Use

Gellykat (X) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Gellykat (X)
Post title: Another Important Use

I didn't see it mentioned here, so I'll add it.

I am a game developer. Since the release of the Wii console, multi-player games featuring multiple cursors on screen at once have gained popularity. I am currently focusing on homebrew flash game and applications that can be played on Wii via the Internet Channel (Wii uses the Opera Browser).

But creating 2-player games without an official software development kit limits development to play-testing with one mouse. Software that supports at LEAST 2 mice would be appreciated. Alot.

Two mouse pointers? | try this when it is ready at sourcefourge.net

worldview — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: worldview
Post title: try this when it is ready at sourcefourge.net

[url removed]

they say it is gonna be a mouse and a keyboard that are dual.

I recall there were other sites that provided a working application too.

Two mouse pointers? | I didn't try yet but they say it works

tirengarfio — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: tirengarfio
Post title: I didn't try yet but they say it works

[url removed]

[Edited at 2008-03-26 14:35]

Two mouse pointers? | One mouse Two monitors Two pointers

Templar — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:58:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Templar
Post title: One mouse Two monitors Two pointers

Im having a bit of a different problem actually. I use a program called UltraMon to manage my dual LCD monitors. The problem im having now is when i run a full screen application in one of the monitors it actually captures my mouse and doesnt let me move it back to the other screen. This happens mostly with games. The mouse gets limited to stay within the game's screen size. I understand that this has to happen otherwise it would make no sense to move your mouse outside the boundary and i know the game actually sets your resolution and it doesnt KNOW that another monitor exists.

UltraMon allows you to set a shortcut that lets you switch the mouse to the other monitor. Unfortunately that is still considered a moving action and the game will stop the mouse from leaving the monitor. In one game i was actually able to move the mouse from the one monitor to the desktop of the second monitor and the game didnt stop me from doing so. BUT as soon as i clicked somewhere outside the game, the game would minimize because it lost focus. U know how you press ALT-TAB or CTRL-ESC to force the game to minimize, well thats what happens when you move the mouse outside the boundary and click on something. The game loses focus and minimizes itself.

My idea was to trick the operating system into thinking that each monitor has its own pointer while such an application is running. This would allow the game to keep its pointer and another virtual pointer could run on the second monitor and click on things without causing the game to minimize. The problem is i have no idea if thats even possible. Once the game is quit i would like to be able to disable the "virtual" second pointer again so that i can use just the one pointer again across both desktops. It should be something like a shortcut button to enable the second pointer.

Oh well I guess Ill have to keep searching for a solution to that one!!

Two mouse pointers? | You're missing the pointers!

voltage (X) — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 04:23:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: voltage (X)
Post title: You're missing the pointers!

You're all missing the point about two pointers. With dual monitors I could be surfing the web while my wife checks her email or my son does his homework (right!)all on the same computer. It should be a no brainer for the techies. It's just another input device like keyboard or joystick. I would be first in line to buy!

voltage

[/quote]

Two mouse pointers? | I'd rather be able to decide for myself.

The Grendel — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 23:49:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: The Grendel
Post title: I'd rather be able to decide for myself.

[quote]tlmurray wrote:

Years ago I worked with IBM on human interface, and for a while ... a short while ... the idea of two monitors + two mice was toyed with. We found even those users who were comfortable with it lost considerable productivity time over single-mouse users and FAR greater time over keyboard users.[/quote]

Having used two computers Simultaneously on several occasions, I found no difficulty using two mice, even if it was on two different computers.

Having multiple mice on the same computer might not be feasible for some people, but I would prefer being able to make that choice on my own.
It is not necessary to have both mice active at all times.
I agree that for most everyday use, such as navigating windows or browsing websites, the second mouse would be fairly redundant.
But for applications such as Graphic design or Technical design the ability to use two pointing devices would more closely simulate true drawing.
I know that on the occasions that I have used AutoCAD versus using a Drafting table, I have missed the ability of using two hands to manipulate various tools.

Professional Drafters might find that Dual Mice greatly increase productivity over a single mouse.

[quote]tlmurray wrote:

Second, we found that by the time the brain has time to figure out which mouse to use, the single-mouse user had already navigated across the two monitors. (And the keyboard user beat the single-mouse user, too.)[/quote]

While single tests can give an initial Idea of how users would react to new techniques. The human mind in general needs time to fully adapt to new methods in order to take full advantage of them. I'm sure that long term use of dual mice would show an increase in productivity over the single mouse in a majority of tasks. It's simply a matter of know how to use the second mouse.

When the first GUI interfaces came out and gave full use to the first Mice, many people were not sure how to use them either.
Now, most users couldn't get along without a mouse.
Should Dual mice become a reality the day will come when the new generation of computer users won't know what to do with a single mouse and will feel lost.

As for the Keyboard use beating single and dual mice. I agree with you there, With full knowledge of keyboard use and shortcuts, anyone could beat a mouse user at several tasks. However, the same percentage of users who have full command of the Keyboard make this fact mostly irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.
For practical purposes, in everyday use with normal users (Not IT professionals) the mouse will be and is a far greater tool than the keyboard, Due to it's ease of use and short learning curve for new users. But that is off point.

While Dual Mice may not be feasible for general use, They could prove very useful for specialized use. Personally I dont think they should be rejected without a working model that can be tested more widely. While IBM may not have thought it worth while, I hope some other company does.

-Grendel

Two mouse pointers? | Even if you could, it would not be a good idea

tlmurray (X) — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 18:59:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: tlmurray (X)
Post title: Even if you could, it would not be a good idea

Years ago I worked with IBM on human interface, and for a while ... a short while ... the idea of two monitors + two mice was toyed with. We found even those users who were comfortable with it lost considerable productivity time over single-mouse users and FAR greater time over keyboard users.

First of all, the keyboard simply blows away the mouse. If you want to crank out more work in less time, stay away from the mouse and practice practice practice using the keyboard.

Second, we found that by the time the brain has time to figure out which mouse to use, the single-mouse user had already navigated across the two monitors. (And the keyboard user beat the single-mouse user, too.)

Two mouse pointers? | It is not possible to have two active pointing devices

gianfranco — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 16:20:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: gianfranco
Post title: It is not possible to have two active pointing devices

[quote]Kevin Fulton wrote:
...having only one mouse pointer for scrolling / working is less than optimal. Plugging in a second mouse doesn't solve the problem.
...
[/quote]

Dear Kevin,
I use a dual monitor configuration for years now (could not work any more with a single monitor), but never had any problem using a single mouse.

I don't think it is possible to have two active and independent pointing devices at the same time. The second cursor in my opinion would only be confusing, as we only have one brain and one set of eyes to follow the cursor movement...

bye
Gianfranco

[Edited at 2005-11-03 16:26]

Two mouse pointers?

Siobhán Fulton — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 13:30:00 +0000

Forum: Windows operating systems
Topic: Two mouse pointers?
Poster: Siobhán Fulton

I recently upgraded my computer and since the video card has dual outputs, I decided to keep my old monitor in addition to the new LCD device in order to take advantage of the "extended desktop" available under Windows XP Pro. It's certainly convenient having my work on one monitor and reference docs on the other, but having only one mouse pointer for scrolling / working is less than optimal. Plugging in a second mouse doesn't solve the problem.

Does anyone know of a utility/hack that will allow me to use 2 mice at the same time? Elsewhere someone suggested networking 2 computers, but space is very limited, and I'd rather not do that if possible.

All suggestions welcome.
Thanks, Kevin