Microsoft Trackball Explorer - Help

I'm running Windows 7 (64) with 12Gb of RAM: Everything is working great - except the MS Trackball Explorer. It works in it's standard button configuration but when I try to customize the buttons for different functions - It accepts the changes in the MS IntellIpoint software - but the hardware doesn't respond to the remapped buttons.

Running the Mouseinfo Utility shows the buttons are working correctly, and I have taken this same trackball to my XP system - and the remapping works fine.

This leads me to assume that the IntellIpoint software that Microsoft has released for Windows 7 is flawed.

Anyone have any experience or solutions? I have sent MS a trouble report but I'm not holding out a lot of hope.

Thanks.

Bump for attention!

Anyone else have this trackball / problem?

I am running Win 7 on an IMac with Snow Leopard (through VMFusion3). The Intellipoint 7 (latest version) of the trackball software works great on the IMac in that I can reassign functions to any of the buttons and scroll wheel.
However, with the latest Intellipoint driver for Win 7 I can reassign functions other than the default functions to the buttons and scroll wheel. The problem is that Win 7 does not seem to recognize the new functions for the mouse buttons.
In the windows utility for the mouse, everything seems to be working as it is supposed to when new functions are assigned. Windows 7 just does not recognize the new functions. Buttons 1 and 2 work if they are assigned left-click and right-click respectively. The track ball works and the scroll wheel scrolls in the default mode. Buttons 3 and 4 (regardless of the functions assigned to them) only flip the active window around the screen.
Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with Windows 7 and the Intellipoint driver that is supposed to work with it?

I "solved" my problem by unplugging the PS2 connector from the trackball and plugging it in as a USB mouse. Resolved all my problems. It appears to be a problem with Windows 7, Intellipoint 7 and the implementation of both software platforms with the PS2 adapter.

First Microsoft Tech Support told me the Trackball Explorer device isn't supported as a PS2 device, so I sent them a copy of the documentation. Their next response was "it's defective" - which I countered with the fact that I have 2 identical Trackballs: they both work on XP but not on Windows 7 with the PS2 adapter.

I gave up on dealing with their Tech Support without ever getting an acknowledgment that their software drivers were at fault. How many times would I hit my head against a brick wall to get that confession: Too damn many!

I solved my problem by disconnecting the trackball mouse completely and putting it back on my old Dell. Not a solution to the original problem but it made me feel better.
On the serious side, how did you disconnect the PS2 connector on the trackball? I really like the trackball explorer and would like to use it if I could. In the meantime, I did find out that the IMac "magic mouse" works perfectly with Windows 7 running as I have it with VMFusion3. I did not have to download any drivers from Microsoft or Apple to get the magic mouse working. Didn't think I would ever say this but I like the IMac much more than any PC that I have ever had. I'm hooked.

The device is natively USB, but is supplied with a PS/2 adapter. You can use the PS/2 adapter and then change the sampling rate, but for most purposes I would recommend using the USB
port, for its higher default sampling rate. USB devices do use some CPU cycles, but with any CPU over 300Mhz this should not be a concern. I was able to plug the Explorer into my root USB ports without any grief. I just prefer to use the native PS/2 port on my motherboard.

With all the internet interest - and the prices people are asking for used Trackball Explorer - Microsoft might be missing an incremental income opportunity by not re-issuing this popular product.