Extra buttons don't work on my mac

[talz13]

Ok, let me explain my setup first. I recently got a mac mini, which only has USB ports for the keyboard and mouse. I had been using 2 PCs with my KVM switch perfectly well before (no loss of button use or anything).

Since the mini has no PS/2 ports, I bought a PS/2 to USB converter. My KVM goes into that and plugs into the USB port on the mini. On the other end, the KVM connections just plug directly into my PC.

For some reason, I cannot get the side buttons on my mx700 mouse to work when plugged in through all that. I plugged the USB connection into the mini directly, and the buttons perform just how they should.

Is there an easy (and cheap, around $15-30 hopefully) way to get both machines working correctly? I consistently find my browsing experience to be more satisfactory on windows because I can use the navigation buttons...

 

[grapes911]

Try a program called USB Overdrive. It allows you to map mice buttons and much more.
http://www.usboverdrive.com/

 

[talz13]

Will that program work in this case? The buttons are recognized and function correctly when plugged directly into the USB port, but don't work when going through the KVM and PS/2->USB converter. Possibly the USB converter only recognizes the main 2 buttons and the scroll wheel?

 

[grapes911]

Will that program work in this case? The buttons are recognized and function correctly when plugged directly into the USB port, but don't work when going through the KVM and PS/2->USB converter. Possibly the USB converter only recognizes the main 2 buttons and the scroll wheel?

I can't be sure. It can't hurt to try.

 

[talz13]

Ok, tried it out, when I ran it and clicked the main buttons and wheel on my mouse, the names would highlight, so I assume that those buttons work. However, the side buttons didn't highlight, so can I assume that somewhere along the way only the main 2 buttons (left and right click) and wheel are getting passed along?