I can do a few things with the keyboard, but not enough to make using the machine easy. I might have to snag Sluggo's wired mouse and plug it in to this machine, but I don't know how that will work. The wireless mouse and keyboard are a set, and I don't know if the keyboard will get along with the wired mouse. I might have to use Sluggo's keyboard as well. I also don't remember if I need some sort of software with the wired mouse. It's been so long since I installed it on Sluggo. Oh. tECHnology!
Edit: I managed to install Sluggo's mouse on this computer, though it wasn't easy. I found the floppy disc with the driver on it, and Windows has accepted the device. I'm not so sure that I'll be able to accept it, though. It's a huge hassle to use. How did people ever put up with wired mice (mouses?) But I'll have to endure it until I can get the wireless mouse either fixed or replaced by another wireless mouse. But I'm doubtful that repair is possible, and there's nothing in the budget for a replacement until after the property tax has been paid. That will happen in January, and, with luck, a bit of spare cash will be available in February. I'd be better off if I could just replace the whole seven-year-old computer, since it is woefully short of RAM and the RAM it uses is terribly expensive. It only has slots for a bit over a gigabyte in any case, and that just isn't enough these days.
At least I won't have to be recharging batteries all the time as long as I'm using the wired mouse. But that's not so much a silver lining as it is a straw to grasp at. I feel like Mitt Romney. Feh.