Disabling I8042PRT.SYS Mouse Driver Also Disables the Keyboard

SUMMARY

If the PS/2 Mouse Port driver, I8042PRT.SYS, is either disabled with Control Panel or removed from the WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS subdirectory, the keyboard becomes inoperative.

The PS/2 Mouse Port mouse is supported on both x86-based and RISC-based computers. It connects to a round, 6-pin connector that is built into the computer as the Intel 8042 (or Intel 8742) auxiliary device. The keyboard is also connected to the Intel 8042, and is supported by the same driver.

The PS/2 mouse driver is normally set as System in the Devices portion of Control Panel. If it is disabled and the keyboard is inoperative, use the Last Known Good Configuration menu on startup of Windows NT to restore the driver and the keyboard.