# Microsoft wireless keyboard & mouse combo at Costco



## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

Costco is selling a combo pack with a Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard for $99. The keyboard and mouse are white with chrome trim. It says it supports Mac.

It looks like a nice unit. I've been thinking about getting a Logitech combo but they only support OSX for Mac. I'm using OS 9 so this won't do me much good.

There were some older threads here where people had good things to say about the Microsoft keyboards. Has anyone got an opinion on this combo pack with regards to price and performance?


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## Britnell (Jan 4, 2002)

Its a MicroShaft product. Why support them??


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## PunchMonkey (Jun 13, 2003)

Because their hardware division makes good products. 

Every hardware item I've bought with a Microsoft name on it (keyboards, mice, trackballs, gamepads, joysticks) have been sturdy, comfortable, and just good quality. 

I've got my eye on the bluetooth mouse, but hear that there's some driver bugs that have to be worked out still :-(


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

O.K. I held my nose and decided to buy this thing.
So far the results have been mixed.

I use OS 9.1 most of the time, so I loaded up the software for this version first. The mouse works great. I was really impressed with the keyboard software. There is a whole whack of programable keys that are already set up. The multimedia switch also allows you to change volume etc. It was very easy to set up. Next I tried to do some typing, Oh, Oh, the main keys on the keyboard do not work. All the function keys and multimedia keys work fine but I get nothing when I try all the normal keys. This was a very bad sign.

I rebooted several times and tried to move the receiver to other USB ports with no success. I was afraid that the keyboard might be defective.

Next I tried OSX (10.2.3). Everything works fine in OSX so it isn't a hardware problem.

My guess is that I have an extension conflict in OS 9. I'll be trying to find out what is causing the problem. 

I'm typing this on the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop now using OSX. If I can get it to work in OS9 then I think this is a reasonable package. I'll keep you posted.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

Rob,

You're probably right on the money thinking it's an extension conflict. USB extensions are notoriously difficult in OS 9. I discovered many are unnecessary. You'll likely nail it in no time. You might also check for duplicate "sprocket" extensions. Looking forward to your next report.


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

What a mess this thing is in OS9.1
I've spent hours with Extension Manager to try and locate a conflict without success.
I finally resorted to installing a clean version of OS9.1 on another partition. I only installed the keyboard and mouse software but got the same problem (function keys work but not regular keys). If it won't work with the basic OS extensions then I guess I've been had.

To add insult to injury, if I disable the Microsoft keyboard extension, then the regular keys will work but not any of the function keys. And Oh Ya, the mouse stops working. I think the Microsoft mouse software conflicts with their own keyboard software.

I checked on Versiontracker to see if I could find an older version of the software. There were some reports there of others having exactly the same problem. One guy said he got it working with version 1.0 of the software but Microsoft only has the latest version for download (2.3). 

A search on the Microsoft site brought up a FAQ for this problem. The response is "a problem with third party USB hardware", "no solution is available". Wow, amazing tech advice!

I guess Britnell has a right to gloat now.


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## taco taco burrito (Jun 6, 2003)

i think i read somewhere that wireless keyboards and mice might also interfere with 2.4 ghz phones...


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

I gave up on the OS9 version and am using it on another machine that I have set up for OSX only. I also have a USB switch so I can use it with my PC too. Everything works fine in OSX and on the PC.

This isn't really what I had in mind though. The X box and PC rarely ever get used, so a wireless keyboard and mouse are overkill.


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