Data Hacking

160 Part II — Software Hacks
2. Disconnect the GPS. The computer will quickly return to normal.
3. Click Start ➔ Control Panel. If your mouse pointer isn’t working, you can use the
Windows button on the keyboard to bring up the Start menu. Navigate using the cursor
keys and press Enter for a mouse click. If you are running Windows XP, you will need to
click Performance and Maintenance before clicking System, followed by the Hardware
tab and then Device Manager. If you are running Windows 2000, you won’t see
Performance and Maintenance and will proceed straight to System.
4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Mice and Other Pointing Devices (or navigate to it using
the cursor keys and press Enter), as shown in Figure 7-12.
FIGURE 7-12: Pointing devices
5. Click Microsoft Serial Ball Point. This is what Windows XP thinks that your GPS
receiver is.
6. Select Actions ➔ Disable.
7. Click OK to close each window.
8. Reboot the computer with the GPS attached. The problem should now be fixed!
Microsoft MapPoint Troubleshooting
Microsoft’s popular MapPoint application is used to plot GPS positions in real time on maps.
Three common problems with this software can be easily fixed as follows.