Connecting the keyboard and mouse
There are a range of different types of keyboards mice, using different technologies available today. Lets take a little look at how you connect them to your PC and how to use them. Firstly, lets look at the connectors on the end of the lead.
The PS/2 connector
The most common types of connector for mice and keyboards are the ps/2 and USB interface ("interface=connectors"). The ps/2 connector is round, (mostly purple or green) and has pins surrounded by a metal sheath (male connector).
There is a square plastic pin or key that has to be aligned in order for it to fit into the female connection on the back of the PC.
Note that there are two ports on the back of a PC that are exactly the same, one for the keyboard and one for the mouse. They are both "ps/2" connections, but remember that the green one is for the mouse and the purple one is for the keyboard. If you have them the wrong way round, neither will work.
Note that in these pictures, you would want to rotate the ps/2 connector in the left hand picture by 180 degrees to fit into the female connection for the keyboard in the right-hand picture
Do not try to put this type of connection into your PC when it is switched on, allways shut down your PC when connecting and disconnecting ps/2 type devices. There is a small but real risk that you can damage your PC, the ps/2 connection was not designed for "hot-swapping" - plugging and unplugging while the power is on. The ps/2 port is powered.
The USB connector
The USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface has a rectangular connector, with a hole in it. It only goes in one way round, and unlike ps/2 can be connected or disconnected when the PC is on. USB connectors come in a variety of colours and for a variety of uses. The one pictured here connects the wireless mouse at the top of this page to the computer.
USB devices are designed to "hot-swap" therefore you can plug in or un-plug your USB keyboard or mouse while the power is on. Note that the operating system may take a little while to catch up with the action, so be patient and follow the on-screen instructions and read the notification boxes that occur. There is no real performance difference between ps/2 and USB connectors for devices such as keyboards and mice.
Connecting wireless Devices and Non-standard Keyboards
The vast majority of standard wired keyboards and mice will need no additional installation save plugging them in. Standard wireless devices may also need a further step to installation. The majority use radio-frequency and will need to be "tuned" to each other on a specific wavelength. In order to do this you will usually need a pencil to depress a small button on both the sending unit (keyboard or mouse), and on the receiving unit (on the USB or ps/2 stick, or on a periferal attached to it). Bluetooth is a radio-frequency used by computers, handhelds and mobile phones. Bluetooth receivers usually plug into the USB port. Mice can also connect to your PC via infra-red (less common, some laptops), or via a serial connection (pre-1998). Wireless devices can be connected to either the USB port or the ps/2 port but do check that you have a free port before buying!
Driver disks may be required for non-standard mice (more than 3 button+scroll) and keyboards (ones with "hotkeys" or "multimedia" keyboards). They come supplied with the hardware and you will need to check that the software will run on your operating system. Usually it will say on the box "designed for Windows XP" or "Windows XP compatable". You will need to run the CD and follow the on-screen instructions.
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