On Saturday, July 7, 2012 12:27:57 PM UTC-4, Robert Macy wrote:
Got a scroll mouse with thumb button, which calls up magnifier.

from constant flexing, the cable is getting verrrry thin and causes
the Win98 system to hang as the keyboard and mouse lock up.

Solution replace mouse with good one, or replace [means rewire] with
good mouse cable. Sadly, I've gone through the box of mice I have and
now need some more.

Where to get PS2 mice? URL?


note someone recommended doing this in software with any type mouse,
but am not allowed to touch the system, only replace the hardware.

If you can figure out the exact spot where the break in the cable is, find someone who is good at cable splicing and has the proper tools. He can splice out the bad section. Also, if You can find some high quality 6 conductor cable of a similar type, you can have the technician splice in a new piece..

Using PS2 with Win98 is very old unsupported systems. There are no updates for security or performance improvements. You are at the time where a new system is required.