Mac Mini Crashes with USB Mouse

This problem just happened all of the sudden--I came into my office and there was the multi-lingual screen of death telling me I needed to restart my computer. Tried numerous times, no success.

Took Mac Mini to Genius Bar--they said it was fine.

Brought it home--same problem.

Started eliminating items that I was connecting to it. Narrowed it down to my Verbatim USB wireless mouse. When I disconnected it, the computer booted fine. However, can't navigate anywhere w/o a mouse, so I figured my solution was to just go buy a wired USB mouse.

Bought wired USB mouse. Same crashes. My computer will not boot with any USB mouse connected and when I connect a mouse after it is booted (w/o mouse connected) it crashes the moment the mouse is connected.

Even if there's something I could install or uninstall, I can't do it because I have no navigation w/o a mouse!

Please help!!!

Thanks,

Phil

(Mac Mini 2.0, Snow Leopard, 8gb Ram)

Do you have any 3rd party mouse software or drivers installed? If so, you definitely need to look into getting them off. Try booting in safe mode to try and get use of the mouse back.
Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode

I have exactly the same problem. Multiple trips to the genius bar, only to come home with problem unresolved. The above suggestion did not work either. Any other thoughts?

Ditto, Mac Mini won't run my USB mouse

At first the mouse light would cut off till I shook it, now it glows dimy, the scroll wheel works somewhat, but the pointer will not move.
I switched mice with an XP notebook and the problem is NOT the mouse. Earlier I had disconnected a keyboard thinkin I was disconnecting a microphone, and the system has been cranky since I plugged the keyboard back in. I tried a genuine Apple keyboard and plugged the mouse into it but still the thing fails, though the keys work as well as can be expected with no mouse.

I read somewhere else that these new Macs--mine is a few months old--don't even run mice anymore, and that I'm supposed to find a bluetooth thingie. I have no idea if that was a joke or not.

The mini is absolutely useless without some sort of pointing device and if fixit instructions called for anything more specific than ON/OFF, scowling or cursing, I doubt I could put them to work. Has anyone tried a powered external USB bus as a work-around for mouse paralysis?

Not sure what the issue is but anyone that told a USB mouse will not work any longer on New Macs is pulling your leg! I will do some research and get back to you. I have never seen that happen.

Is yours the exact issue above?

Try this, it can not hurt.

With the machine powered off, power it on and right after you hear the Mac startup bong/sound, hold down Command+Option+P+R and keep all 4 keys down till it reboots 2 times and gives 2 startup sounds then release the key and let it boot. Plug in the mouse.

Did that fix it? It did for 2 people I have ran into so far.

If it still does it let us know.

If that does not solve it, sounds OS related.

Thanks all... Applecare recommended the same keyboard tricks, and fail city. This morning my wife attached her Logitech bad-sixties-scifi-movie-flying-saucer-trackball and the thing had a miraculous recovery. The mini hated BOTH Dell mice (which the XP notebook loves as only a mother can love) but worked with Logitech and Evil Empire, I mean, Microsoft. Go figure.

This is a joke BTW but maybe your Mac is telling you it hates Microsoft!