Microsoft IntelliPoint

By | 2 Feb 2009

Download: microsoft.com

Use with other mice

After installation, find the file point32.inf in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint\ folder. Copy one of the HID_Filtr_Inst-lines and change the PnP-ID to that of your mouse. E.g. my Logitech V400 has Vid_046D&Pid_C518 and with its 2 additional buttons and the 4-way-scrollwheel it’s comparable with the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000.

If you take a look at the point32.inf, you’ll find this line near the end:

HID\Vid_045E&Pid_00F0.DeviceDesc="Microsoft USB Laser Mouse 6000 (IntelliPoint)"

so go back to the top and find the line:

%HID\Vid_045E&Pid_00F0.DeviceDesc%=HID_Filtr_Inst, HID\Vid_045E&Pid_00F0

Since the part before the equals sign is only the variable of the description from the end, you only need to change the part after the equals sign. So just copy this line and change the ID. For me it had to look like this:

%HID\Vid_045E&Pid_00F0.DeviceDesc%=HID_Filtr_Inst, HID\Vid_046D&Pid_C518

Now go to the Device ManagerMice, right-click your mouse and choose Update driverChose driver manually. Select the IntelliPoint directory and you should see an entry “Microsoft USB Laser Mouse 6000 (IntelliPoint)”. Install it and reboot. Done.

The most interesting feature is the “Instant View” (aka. Exposé) and maybe the zoom feature. Logitech’s SetPoint doesn’t offer these features. But I watched the screen flickering every few seconds which might be because of IntelliPoint updating the thumbnails for “Instant View”.

Compared to SetPoint, the ipoint.exe only consumes 2,5 MiB RAM whereas SetPoint needs around 12,5 MiB. Also it brings the KHALMNPR.exe which consumes additional 6 MiB.

Only problem for now: Horizontal scrolling doesn’t work since it seems to be handled through SetPoint and IntelliPoint doesn’t understand the signals of the Logitech mouse. Also you have to scroll the wheel 2-3 ticks before the object on screen starts the actual scrolling. OTOH the “Precision Enhancer” seems really useful for editing pictures.

btw: For Exposé-feature, you can use iEx (contained in the iEx Settings-download). Or if you want to spend money, TopDesk is a better alternative.

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