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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Kensington Expert Mouse Hanging Up

Lately, my Kensington ExpertMouse has started to hang up when I restart (or start-up) my iMac. It seems to have happened after the latest Big Sur update; 11.1. Normally I can get it to work if I unplug it once or twice from the USB port from the back of my iMac.


This happens if I do, or do not, have the KensingtonWorks software installed.


Once I get it unfrozen, the trackball works like it always had in the past. I have been using these products since they first came available for Macs and have been happy with them.


I have reported the concern to Kensington also.


Given that it works normally after I get it unfrozen, I do not 'think' that there is a problem with the trackball, and I have uninstalled the Kensington software, I can't blame it on that.


Has anyone else had difficulty with the trackball and Big Sur, have any suggestions as to other trouble shooting that I can do?



iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 11.1

Posted on Jan 10, 2021 5:27 AM

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12 replies
User profile for user: HCraigF
HCraigF
User level: Level 1
23 points

Feb 4, 2021 6:29 AM in response to danuke

I've had the same problem ever since Big Sur came out. I've used Kensington Expert mouse trackball for decades now and never had a problem. Since my trackball was several years old I felt maybe something was just wearing out so I bought a new one. Hooked it up to my iMac (27 inch 2019 build) and the same thing is happening. The fact that it's happening on two expert mouse trackballs leads me to believe it has something to do with either Kensington software or Big Sur compatibility.

I keep my Bluetooth mouse close at hand just so that when it does freeze I can do a restart. I found that restarting my iMac once or twice gets the trackball working again. Unfortunately I'm a quadriplegic and I can't just unplug the trackball from a USB port and then plug it back in again so I had to do the restarts. For me anyway, I also have to use mouse keys to allow me to use the keyboard to move the mouse pointer to do a restart. My only saving grace is that after doing one or two restarts my trackball works again.

I keep looking for newer versions of Kensington works in hopes that it will solve the problem but so far no luck. I'm almost tempted to buy a Bluetooth expert mouse as this is really getting frustrating,

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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Jan 14, 2021 6:34 AM in response to danuke

Well, I installed the software as they recommended. I got a warning as it was installing, and the trackball froze when I restarted after installation. After I had removed all the Kensington files that I could, I got one freeze when I was doing multiple restarts and that was when I tried a pram zap.


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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Jan 12, 2021 1:49 PM in response to danuke

Part of the Kensington trouble shooting process was to remove their software. So now I am wondering where the root cause is hidden. My suspicions lead me to feel that it is with Big Sur. If so, will Apple just blow it off, it being third party hardware and all?

I do not like mices. For me trackballs are the way to go.

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User profile for user: bazookaman
bazookaman
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jan 13, 2021 5:14 AM in response to danuke

I've used a Kensignton Turbo/Expert mouse since like 1995. They've always been rock solid until now. 


Suddenly they don't work on my 16" MBP running Catalina. 


It USED to work. Now it doesn't. I have tried: 


Rebooting. 

Running Cocktail. 

Running Disk Utility. 

Uninstalling and reinstalling the KensingtonWorks software 

Installing Steermouse, a third party mouse controller 

Uninstalled Wacom software just in case there was a conflict 

Using Bluetooth 

Using the wireless dongle 

Using an entirely different Expert mouse 

Using an entirely different dongle 

Plugging the dongle into my OWC TB dock. 

Plugging the dongle into my Anker 7 port powered hub 

Plugging the dongle directly into the MB 


I'm out of ideas. 


There are two weird things too. 

1. When I switch the mouse to bluetooth, it connects! So the computer "sees" it. It just doesn't move the cursor. 


2. After around 5 minutes, the mouse starts working!

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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Jan 13, 2021 2:38 PM in response to bazookaman

Kensington closed my initial ticket when I was still waiting for their answer.

I told them I don't have another computer to mess with.

Their latest answer is:

We would like to inform you that the ticket was closed following 14 days business rule from the first date of your contact and it is an auto generated system message.


It also seems like the issue is with Big Sur customers. Hence, we request you to try on different computer to isolate the issue so that we can take further course of action.


You can also try KensingtonWorks 2.1.18 version.


1. Go to System Preferences > right click on TrackballWorks > remove and also remove KensingtonWorks software.


2. Open Finder in the computer


3. Click on “Go” in the menu bar on the top


4. Select “Go to Folder” and search for “~/Library” and return


5. Open “preferences” folder and please look for “com.kensington.Kensingtonworks.settings.plist”, tbwsettings.json and delete it


6. Also look for “com.kensington.kensingtonworks2.app.plist” and delete it


7. Restart the computer


8. Download the KensingtonWorks software from the below link


https://www.kensington.com/siteassets/software-support/kensingtonworks/new-kensingtonworks-download/kensingtonworks_2.1.18.pkg


9. Install the software from the downloaded file


10. Restart the computer


11. Go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy > General


12. Check if the software is blocked in the general tab, if so allow it


13. Go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility > check KensingtonWorks Helper


14. Unplug the Trackball and plug it back in


15. Open KensingtonWorks and check the functionality


I am not all that sure I thought that their latest software version was 2.2? Perhaps it was buggy?


Also, I found a ton of Kensington files that they did not list, some of which, I can't touch.


Now I am waiting for another answer.

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User profile for user: bazookaman
bazookaman
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jan 13, 2021 3:36 PM in response to danuke

I've gone through the same rigmarole but they never told me to try an earlier version. They were less than helpful. Today I also went through and RE-uninstalled the Kensington software. And I did a manual search for anything Kensington and anything tbw. I also found some stuff they didn't mention and deleted it all. We'll see how it goes when I get back to work tomorrow.


I just find it strange that if it is in fact the software causing the problem, why does the problem persist after the software is gone. An Expert Mouse normally still works w/o the software. It just doesn't have any of the functionality. But it's still usable as a mouse. NORMALLY.

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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Jan 14, 2021 5:23 AM in response to bazookaman

I went back to the Kensington website and looked. Their latest software version is 2.2.5. and they have me installing version 2.1.18. Prior to that, I used the terminal locate command to find any Kensington files and deleted them, however, some are root/wheel which I can't delete (I guess that I could if I log in as root, but are they apple system files?) I rebuilt the locate database files and searched again until I was sure that I got anything that was Kensington. Except those in the downloads folder. Then I restarted my iMac as per their instructions. No hang up for one restart; so I will try a few more restarts and shutdowns. Perhaps there was a corrupted file lurking around?

It was interesting to also see that with the final removal of all the other Kensington files, just like you reported, all the remaining Kensington functionality had been lost.

I am waiting for them to explain why they want me to install an older version of their software.


Please note that part of THEIR ANSWER IS: "It also seems like the issue is with Big Sur customers".


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User profile for user: danuke
danuke Author
User level: Level 3
871 points

Feb 4, 2021 6:50 AM in response to HCraigF

They updated their software while we were exchanging messages, but failed to mention that. As of now, I am using software version 2.2.6.

So I went through the process of using their uninstaller AND hunting down all their other software, including any

.plist kind of things.

There are some files that are root / wheel that can not be removed that Kensington said not to worry about.

After all that then I installed the new software and again had to have system preferences > Security and Privacy General Tab selected and went through the Gatekeeper security routine. To get the software "blessed" and running.

It has been running for a couple of weeks with no direct issues, but I do see a lot of things in Console such as:

Feb 4 08:37:11 Mr-Woof KensingtonWorks Helper[1162]: getattrlist failed for /Library/GPUBundles/AMDRadeonX4000GLDriver.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ATIRadeonX4000SCLib.dylib: #2: No such file or directory

Feb 4 08:37:11 Mr-Woof KensingtonWorks Helper[1162]: getattrlist failed for /System/Library/Extensions/AMDRadeonX4000GLDriver.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ATIRadeonX4000SCLib.dylib: #2: No such file or directory

Feb 4 08:37:11 Mr-Woof KensingtonWorks Helper[1162]: getattrlist failed for /System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/Resources//GLRendererFloat.bundle/GLRendererFloat: #2: No such file or directory


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Kensington Expert Mouse Hanging Up

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