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January 13, 2009

Windows Updates Gone Bad

Just got off the phone with my father, who has basically bricked his mouse on his computer thanks to Windows Update.

If you're an XP user and you have a mouse that plugs into the PS/2 port (this may be true for Vista users as well)  Do not install the following update:

Ideacom Technology Inc. - Input - IdeaCom HID Touch Screen (PS/2)  

My dad installed that thinking it was something his computer needed because it was listed on the Windows Update list of updates, and now he can't use his mouse.  System restore is useless as it continually reports to him he can't roll it back.  We've even tried uninstalling the driver from the device manager to no effect either.

So unless you like major headaches, do not install this, it's bad, and it shouldn't even be there if you don't own a touchscreen.  I'm actually staring at the listing for it on my Windows Update right now, and I am willing to bet other XP users are in the same boat as well.

Pass it on...

Edited to Add: It looks like a few folks have located a solution, I am reposting part of their comments below.  Thank you to Anonymous and Steve!

Further News: My dad just reported back that he tried this solution and it worked.  Thanks to those who were able to solve it, since there's only so much one can do when he's across the country and on the phone ;-)

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The file should be in C:\windows\system32\drivers\idcphid.sys (it will say under driver info for the ideacom touch screen driver, but leave the other i8042prt.sys driver alone) once you have uninstalled the driver from your windows folder delete or rename the file then restart.
Renaming/Deleting the "idcphid.sys" file under C:\windows\system32\drivers worked apparently.

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What I did was rename that file to "idcphidMODIFIED" then uninstall the driver under "Human Interface Devices" in "Device Manager".

After uninstalling the drivers the computer is going to require a restart. Once the restart completes it will find your PS2 mouse again and (in my case) required a second restart after reinstalling a few components (ps2 mouse I'm assuming).

15 comments:

  1. I read this post only too late.

    I am wondering as well how this came to be listed as a relevant driver update when I have no association with anything touch screen that comes near my computer.

    And of course, the help from microsoft if vague and not helpful. (remove from add-remove programs) NOT THERE!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Same here, mouse does not work after this update. I was wondering too why I should need this update. Then I figured it is one of the drivers that lay dormant until a touch screen is plugged in. That was not the case.
    Now how do I get it out of WinXP pro?

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  3. Well....I see I'm not alone then. Just a note for those that read this. System Restore (restoring windows to a point before you installed IdeaCom HID Touch Screen PS/2) will not work. Uninstalling it from the Device Manager (Both under Human Interface Devices and Mouse) will not work as a permanent fix since it reinstalls after a reboot.

    Nobody seems to have a fix for this yet. This is frustrating. I'm still trying.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's not limited to XP...I just did the same thing to a 64-bit Vista SP1 system with a Synaptics touch pad (which I just figured out isn't a "touch SCREEN"). Vista told me the update FAILED so there's nothing to roll back. I'll play around some more and see what I can do. Oh, well...I wanted to beta Windows 7 anyway!

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  5. Same as you folks, found this listed in My Windows Optional Updates, thought it was something I needed!! THIS IS A BIG TRAP TO FALL INTO!! Now my mouse is completely disabled. It just sits stuck in the middle of the screen. . Tried rebooting with a USB mouse in lieu of the PS2. . STILL STUCK Now what do we all do?

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  6. I think I found a fix. If you delete the the driver file for the touch screen, it will reinstall your mouse after you uninstall the touch screen from the driver manager (I renamed mine because I wasn't sure what I was doing, but you should be able to delete it)

    The file should be in C:\windows\system32\drivers\idcphid.sys (it will say under driver info for the ideacom touch screen driver, but leave the other i8042prt.sys driver alone) once you have uninstalled the driver from your windows folder delete or rename the file then restart.

    Good luck!

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  7. I believe that worked (whoever answered above).

    Renaming/Deleting the "idcphid.sys" file under C:\windows\system32\drivers worked apparently.

    What I did was rename that file to "idcphidMODIFIED" then uninstall the driver under "Human Interface Devices" in "Device Manager".

    After uninstalling the drivers the computer is going to require a restart. Once the restart completes it will find your PS2 mouse again and (in my case) required a second restart after reinstalling a few components (ps2 mouse I'm assuming).

    Hopes it goes well for everybody else too.

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  8. I hope this helps you... XP users

    I too fell to the IdeaCom Technology Inc. driver problem. I got rid of it by going to the Device Manager and seeing the Driver Details of this driver (Properties, then under Driver tab). It gave the path of the driver which has been causing all the problems. Well, it gave a Microsoft driver and the Ideacom driver. Highlight one or the other driver in the Driver File Details list and you will know which one to delete. Delete the file while keeping the Details window open. After deleting the file, click the Uninstall button at the bottom of the Driver Details window. Your computer will want to reboot... let it. They were in the path...

    c:\windows\system32\drivers

    Now, I am sorry for not being able to pass on to you the exact file name because I just got through deleting it and rebooting my computer (I didn't think to keep track). You will see the name if you follow the above steps and will be able to delete the right one. By the way, I deleted both... It did not come back... My original mouse driver returned and re-installed itself after a reboot which restored my mouse control.

    Restoring or rolling back the driver is the wrong thing to do because there wasn't a driver like it previously.

    Also, to check to make sure it was removed I went back to Microsoft update. It gave the option again to install it... which of course I didn't.

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  9. Now there is one solution to resolve this:
    Go to Device Manager -> Human Interface Devices, uninstall IdeaCom HID Touch Screen device will be ok.
    after that your mouse can work fine as before.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for all of the info, i had the same problem with my desktop, i just installed it without looking.

    Oddly enough the update didn't or hasn't shown up for my laptop yet which is a touchscreen tablet pc. Go figure.

    The renaming and uninstalling the driver from device manager worked for both of my vistas.

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  11. OK, in Vista SP1 I rebooted in Safe Mode (F8 during boot) and went to Device Manager. I deleted the Human Interface device and answered "yes" to the "delete driver" prompt. Rebooted, and voila!

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  12. Thanks. This worked. I right clicked on My computer, Properties, Hardware (tab) Device Manager, Human Interface Devices, deleted the IdeaCom HID Touch Screen device, restarted, then had to go to Toshiba to load new driver for my touchpad. I have a Toshiba Satellite Notebook. Restarted after unzipping files.

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  13. There is a very easy fix for that...

    Vista

    As your mouse is not working,
    1. press Windows button on keyboard,
    2. Search for device manager.
    3. Open Device Manager
    4. Using arrow keys, go to Human Interface Devices, expand the list using Right Arrow Keys.
    5. Go to that Idea *rap and press the Menu key on Keyboard (key before the right Ctrl).
    6. Uninstall it and when asked confirmations, be sure that you have selected the "Uninstall software/drivers for this device.
    7. Select Uninstall. and that's it

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  14. Here is the solution for Win XP if you do not have a good restore point:
    My Mouse quit working after windows update on 1-13-08
    I did all available windows updates including the
    "IdeaCom Technology Inc. - Input - IdeaCom HID Touch Screen (PS/2)"
    optional hardware update.

    Here is how to fix this on XP if you can get ahold of a USB mouse.

    Connect your USB mouse.

    Start Windows Explorer: Click "Start / Programs / Accessories / Windows Explorer"

    Enable viewing of hidden files and folders if you havn't previously done so: (here is exactly how)
    click: Tools / Folder options / View tab : Put a check beside: "Display the contents of system folders"
    and "Show Hidden files and folders", Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types".

    Move the "INF" file to the desktop: (here is exactly how)
    In the left pane click on "My Computer".
    In the right pane under "Hard Disk Drives" double click the entry that ends in "(C:)".
    Double click the "Windows" folder in the right pane.
    Double click the "inf" folder in the right pane.
    At the top of the right pane you will see the colum headers "Name, Size, Type, Date Modified".
    Click on "Date Modified" then click on it a second time so that the arrow beside it is pointing down.
    The latest dates should now be at the top of the list.
    Look toward the top of the list for an entry like "oem7.PNF" or "oem8.PNF" or "oem9.PNF" or "oem12.PNF".
    The one you are looking for will probibly be the highest one in the list that starts with "oem" and ends in ".PNF".
    Make sure Windows Explorer is windowed and Not full screen, so that you can see your desktop at the same time.
    Right click, Hold the right mouse button down, and drag that entry to the desktop, then select "Move Here".

    Uninstall the Ideacom HID device with Device Manager: (here is exactly how)
    In the left pane, Right click on "My Computer".
    Select "Properties".
    Select the "Hardware" Tab.
    Click the "Device Manager" Button.
    Click the plus beside "Human Interface Devices".
    Right Click "IdeaCom HID Touch Screen (PS/2)" and Select "Uninstall".
    It Will say:
    "Confirm Device Removal
    IdeaCom HID Touch Screen (PS/2)
    Warning you are about to uninstall this device from your system".
    Select "OK".
    It will say:
    "System Settings Change
    To finish removing your hardware, you must restart your computer.
    Do you want to restart your computer now?"
    Click "Yes".

    After rebooting, the PS2 mouse should work fine and you will get a message saying that you need to reboot your
    computer for the new hardware changes to take effect, and asking if you would like to reboot now. Select "Yes".

    After rebooting a second time go to windows update at http://update.microsoft.com/
    (the place where this whole mess started)
    Select the "Custom" button.
    In the left pane select "Hardware, Optional"
    Click the plus beside "IdeaCom Technology Inc. - Input - IdeaCom HID Touch Screen (PS/2)".
    Put a check beside "Don't show this update again" at the bottom.
    (So that you don't have to ever go through all this again!!!)
    Click "Review and install updates".
    You can now close Internet Explorer if there are no other updates in the list.
    You can delete the "oemXX.PNF" file from the desktop if all is working OK.
    Done.... I hope this is useful.
    Marc M. Tec186@hotmail.com

    Note: "Click", "Select", and "Left Click", are all 3 the same action.

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  15. This is so sad. How can Microsoft be so careless as to let a rogue application into Microsoft Update. Seems Microsoft dumps this on us regardless of whether we have a touchscreen or not.

    ReplyDelete