Why don't you borrow another mouse and give it a try?

no you can not have 2 hooked up to the pc at one time. What I would suggest is to get an extension usb cable that goes from the usb port on the pc and have it laying on your desk, have 2 mice and just unplug and plug the one you want to use when at the pc. You could also put a little usb hub on the extension cable to have more usb ports easily available. I have that set up on my desktop, that way when I want to plug in my memory card reader or any other usb item the hub is right there on my desk in easy reach.
This is the mouse we use here at my house and we both love them, much better for the hand and wrist, totally helped the carpel tunnel I had developed from using a small regular mouse.
WOW-PEN

once my husband started using mine he had me order one for him for his laptop and also for him to take to work.

I just tried it with two USB (wired) mice. They both work perfectly fine.

I would think it would end up causing conflicts it is not meant to have 2 connected at the same time.
with two input devices, only one on-screen pointer shows up. the device being used controlled the pointer.

I guess you can try it and if it works ok if you start having problems and conflicts then you know you need another solution.

When I tried it, the worst that happened was a "tug of war" with the pointer if both are moved at the same time. No big deal.

One limitation might be that the button settings would have to operate the same on both.

Thank you, homebound and ravencajun, for your comments !

As it happens, I do already have a 3-button mouse that someone gave me about 6 years ago. I don't even know if it works and, if it does, for all I know it's not going to be compatible with my computer. It has an odd connection on it, not the regular kind you see on a mouse, but one more like this. (I found that pic on someone's MyOpera page while doing a search.) I don't even know how that's supposed to be hooked up on a PC. And I didn't want to spend money on an adapter for it until I knew whether a two-mouse/one-cursor set-up would work at all. From what homebound said, it just might (as long as the other mouse is safely put aside so there is no 'tug of war').

homebound -- I have no other mouse in my limited stockpile of computer accessories except the old, weird one I mentioned above, which is why I haven't experimented with this myself yet.

ravencajun -- Thanks for the link to that wowpen mouse. Interesting. :-) Of course, if I would get something like that, there will still be the matter of my being able to have two hooked up in case the other (novice) user doesn't like it.
Also, thank you for the suggestion regarding the usb cable & hub.

I don't think I would try that old mouse that thing is really ancient it is an old Nine pin D connectors, try going to salvation army or goodwill they have tons of that kind of stuff for extremely cheap. I get nice ones at Big Lots for $3-4 bucks new. Mice are cheap. The newer ones will be usb port others will have the round PS/2 type connectors.
PS/2 connector

Okay. Thanks ! :-)

Maybe this will help?

Here is a link that might be useful: TWO MICE

I'm not sure if this will help but .. maybe?

Here is a link that might be useful: Multi-User

Thanks for the link, justme4now.

At the moment I'm investigating whether I can have the multiple mouse set-up while avoiding the multiple cursor aspect of it (IOW, I would like both mice to operate the same cursor). But if I can't get things to work well that way, I may eventually look into using the multiple user type information as mentioned in your link (where multiple mice operate multiple cursors). :-)

Here's a discovery I made earlier this week about using two mice for one cursor. I have a wireless mouse and keyboard and needed to uninstall and reinstall them. To do so, I plugged in a corded PS2 mouse and did the job. To my surprise, both mice were still working, and both controlled the same cursor. I could move or use either one to control the cursor. Since I had no use for two mice, I just unplugged the corded one and use my cordless mouse.

not2bright-
You may be making this more complicated than it needs to be. There are many mice with all the features you both want, but, if one of you is insisting that the mouse be just a certain way, then the two simplest option seems to be that each person has his/her own mouse. My computer has a mousepad and wireless mouse and just one cursor. I just plugged in a wired mouse as an experiment, and there is still only one cursor and all three work fine: whichever I use controls the cursor. If your computer doesn't work that way, just have only one plugged in at a time depending on which one the user prefers. Just play around with this and I bet it will take care of itself.

justme4now -- I just noticed the ehow.com link. (I must have missed it yesterday.) Thanks ! At least it verifies again that this set-up is possible if done correctly and carefully.

kudzu9 -- At the moment, it's the "each person has his/her own mouse" option that I'm looking into. :-) At the same time, it's only going to be practical if we don't have to keep plugging/unplugging. Having one in the regular mouse slot at the back of the computer and one in a usb port is probably the way I will go.

Re: your comment about "many mice with all the features you both want," I have been perusing sites to see what kinds of mice are out there, but so far the only mice that have 3 buttons and a scroll wheel are like the one ravencajun mentioned: vertical and/or ergonomic mice. These are appealing but a little out of my price range for a mouse at the moment. It's going to be cheaper for me (and probably more practical all the way around) to just get another mouse -- if I can find any plain ol' 3 button mice out there that don't have a scroll wheel. (I don't know if any other scroll wheel mice can take my excessive middle-clicking.) :-)

Anyway, thanks to all for all the input !! I'll be off to check out some computer accessory stores in the next day or so and take it from there. :-)

I always use the middle click on my mice and also use the scroll wheel a lot and have never had one fail due to my use.

My experience is microsoft brand mice last forever even after bouncing off the floor too many times. Other mice seem to have limited life or break when they bounce.

Thanks, ravencajun and mikie, for comments about your experience.

In my case, the mouse I'm using (Compaq optical, corded) still works great for its other functions (left and right clicking, scrolling, precisely moving the cursor). It's just the clicking function associated with the scroll wheel that's going. Though it still scrolls very easily, it's getting harder and harder to press the wheel. So when I left or right click it's a natual, easy pressing of the buttons, but then I have to remember to press down a lot harder (even several times) to get the middle-click to 'register.' I just figured that trying to find a 3-button mouse (w/o scroll wheel) for myself would be easier than buying another scroll wheel mouse where its middle-clicking function might be the first thing to go. :-/

I replaced my failing corded HP traditional ball mouse with a cordless Logitech M205 two-button scroll wheel a year and a half ago. It's smaller as it is designed for laptop use. I am still on the first battery due to the built in power saver and it has survived my 3/4 year old granddaughter. I absolutely love it. $20.00 at Walmart. I recommend it all the time to laptop and desktop users alike.

DA

fwiw... Microsoft will have a new scroll mouse soon, if not out already, with a touch pad type scroll 'strip' in the center and little vibrator to let you have the feeling of the click click wheel when you use that scroll strip.

Just be careful using one of the small notebook sized mice for daily use that is how I ended up with severe carpal tunnel in my right hand. The size actually does matter in this case. It is also why I moved to the vertical mouse to have a more natural posture for my hand.

Thank you for the continued input. :-)

DA -- I'll definitely keep your recommendation in mind for some of my friends & relatives, but I'm afraid that, like ravencajun, the smaller sized mouse isn't quite as comfortable for me as the 'standard' size. My aunt has one and I have used once or twice with her laptop when I was visiting her house, but I had to keep stopping to massage/stretch my hand because of the cramping. I imagine the same company makes 'normal' size mice as well. I'll look into it.

mikie -- Thanks for the heads up about the new mouse. :-) I'm not sure I understand, though. If there is a strip instead of a scroll wheel, what about a middle-click function ? Will there be a button and a scroll 'strip' in the middle ? Or will the strip itself have some sort of middle-click capability to it (like tapping on it) ?