Expert: Bob - 11/8/2010

Question
I'm using:
Windows 7 (if that's of any help)
Autocad 2011 (the full version, not the architectural or
whatever)
My work is drawing architectural blueprints
I learned Autocad on my own and been using it for several
years now..
I am tech savvy to the point that I fix my own computer
(hardware and software)
Ok, hope that's enough data, now I'd like to ask the
following:
I bought a kensington slimblade media mouse... unfortunatly
this mouse doesn't have a middle button, but it does have a
sort of sphere - which works as a wheel for all the rest of
windows programs- the difference with the rest of the mice
is that you cannot press this sphere as a button (identical
to mac mighty mouse). The thing is that on Autocad this
wheel worked (for like two minutes)as scroll, moving up and
down screen... and pressing ctrl it worked as zoom. But then  
I went into the options panel and change where it says
Current System Pointing Device... this disabled the
previouse functionality.. when I tried to change it didn't
work, now the mouse sphere function is only zoom. Nothing
happens when I press ctrl. Any ideas on what may have
happened?
I read somewhere that kensington drivers aren't fully
compatible with windows 7, but if it worked a while ago, I
don't think that that should be the problem.
Well, thank you in advance, and please ask me anything you
need to know.

Answer
Hi-- Sorry, your question seemed a bit hard to answer well, and I apologize for putting off replying.

First -- I can say nothing about Windows 7, or Kensington drivers --
I am here for questions on how to use AutoCAD.
You might go to the Autodesk Discussion Forum for pointing devices and see if someone has posted a similar question.
(I just went there, and found the groups have changed, and all hardware is one group -- probably hardware questions are less common than a few years ago)
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Hardware/bd-p/116

Second-- the question of the drivers is a Kensington question, not an AutoCAD question, so I would start with Kensington

Third -- since AutoCAD 2000, the wheel, for me, is zoom, press down for pan, I do not use the Control key -- and that is how I teach it.

Fourth -- after trying to read it 5 times, I give up. I have no idea why you chose that mouse, or how it works, no idea what you did that made it work for 2 minutes, no idea why you changed the setting in Options. You lost me. "Tech savvy" is cool, but I got lost in the English, not the electrons.

If you want my advice -- it is, in general, for many years---
"When using AutoCAD, have an AutoCAD-friendly pointing device, even if that means having 2, do not mess with odd ones for AutoCAD".

So go to Kensington for the driver thing, go to the Discussion Group for the "how to make this Kensington do X" thing, maybe go to the store for a more normal mouse (mine has a wheel and 2 extra buttons)
--- and come back to me, if you like, once the mouse driver thing is settled with a question that is a bit more plainly written, and sticks to what I advertise.

I can only do my best.

BOB