Question : Problem: Getting KVM switch to work with laptop and desktop

Hi there,

I need some help getting a KVM switch to work with my laptop and desktop.  I had it working for one brief, euphoric session, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out what I did to get it to work.

THE SETUP: an IBM Thinkpad running Win2K, a desktop running Win98, and a KVM Switch from Iogear (Miniview, G-CS12).  The laptop has a single PS/2 port in the back for hooking up external devices.  I have a PS/2 Y-splitter designed specifically for this laptop to enable plugging in both an external keyboard and mouse.  I have tried plugging the keyboard and mouse directly (w/o the KVM switch) into the splitter and it works fine.

I have a monitor, a keyboard and a Logitech Mouseman plugged into the KVM switch, and then cables from the KVM switch plugged into the desktop and the laptop.

THE SITUATION: Everything works fine on the desktop.  By that I mean I can boot in any configuration and switch the KVM switch between the laptop and the desktop, and the desktop always responds to the keyboard and mouse perfectly.  However, I'm having a problem with the laptop.  When I first boot it up, while Win2K is booting, the external mouse, going through the KVM switch, works fine.  I go through the login screen and it still works.  However, at some point while the machine is loading drivers and starting up (I can see the desktop and the "volume" icon in the taskbar, but it is still loading), the mouse freezes and no longer works.  The keyboard works fine the entire time.

SOME RELEVANT FACTS: The laptop has a trackpoint as a mouse device.  I have tried all the settings for it in the BIOS (enable, disable, and auto-disable), to no avail.  I tried installing the Logitech driver for the mouse, to no avail.  I am certain that at one point in the past, I DID have it working.  I could switch between the desktop and the laptop via a hotkey for the KVM switch, and the keyboard and mosue would work for both machines.

What am I missing here???  I will be much indebted to anyone who can help!

Thanks in advance,

-Dave

P.S. I'll increase the point total of this question to 200, as soon as I have 200 points (right now I have 165).

Answer : Problem: Getting KVM switch to work with laptop and desktop

My setup is similar to yours with "more or less" the same problem. My TP240 runs on Win98 and stalled just after it started to boot. I tried unplugging the mouse and keyboard from the Y splitter in different sequences and got it to work a few times this way. Today I tried the following which has worked perfectly every time so far:
Connect the external monitor to the TP and the KVM but leave the Y splitter disconnected from the TP mouse port. Press the TP start button and allow the boot process to begin. Wait about 10 seconds, then plug in the Y splitter to the TP mouse port. My TP continues the boot process and picks up the external mouse and keyboard without any problems. Everything works fine after that.  
I have a 4 port Cybex SwitchView (hot plugable) and LongView KVM extender with 2 desktops and one Thinkpad on the system.
Note: If this does not work automatically press the Return key on th TP keyboard after you connect the Y splitter to the TP.
Hope this helps out.
Regards, MM.