serial mouse help
 

I can't get my serial mouse to work on Mandrake 10 in startx. I've tried the x86freeconfig with no luck any other suggestions?

Follow the yellowbrick road.
 

Start here: http://www.xfree86.org/4.4.0/mouse.4.html
Post relevent parts of XF86Config-4 file. (sometimes under /etc/X11/ directory)
Serial or PS-2 mouse, make/model? (Look at bottom of mouse)

It's an old pc-concepts trackball.. It's actually ps/2 but I have to run it with an adapter because the system is so old so serial only.

I've tried with both Auto and Microsoft.

device is at /dev/mouse

I'm not sure whatelse you need.. I'm pretty new to this.

Thanks for the help.

and does the mouse work in console? i've also tried to use ps/2 with adapter to serial and it didn't work. then i've found out that it's not Linux issue, but my mouse was unable to manage the serial connecting.

i also tried a usb to ps/2 adapter to serial :) That didn't work either. Last I know the serial port works. I got the computer hand-me-down style from my dad and it had WinME on it with a working serial mouse.

Hmm, try this link: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/3-Button-Mouse.html . Did I hear you right, that you were using the 'same' mouse with the 'same' ps2/com-port adapter and it was working under winme?
In any case, the link ref above has some excellent info to track down what might be your problem. If it helps, please come back and tell us.

It's not the same mouse that was being used before.. but a serial mouse was working before under WinME. This current mouse with the adapter does work, just not on this machine.

The only info I found that seems like it might help is the setserial stuff.. and setserial has no man page and is not a valid command.

Damnit.. pain in my ass.

When you do a 'ls -al /dev/mouse' what shows up?
and
What flavor of linux are you using?

ls -al /dev/mouse

gives /dev/tts/1

so I did -s /dev/tty/1 /dev/mouse12

I then changed the XF86Config-4 file to say that is where the mouse is /dev/mouse12

Still no luck.. this is in Mandrake 10

Repost that last post
 

Could you repeat that last post, as it just doesn't look right.

the output of

'ls -al /dev/mouse' is '/dev/mouse -> tts/1

so from the link above I tried 'ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/mouse'

but mouse already exsisted so I tried mouse12

that worked, so in the XF86Config-4 I changed the mouse to /dev/mouse12

I'm not sure if that means anything or nothing, but it still doesn't work either way :(

Try this
 

1. 'rm /dev/mouse'
2. Then do your 'ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/mouse'
restore your xconfig file to point to '/dev/mouse'
logout and login again.
and see what happens.

still no worky.

Boot into console mode (no X-windows), and do a 'man gpm' and see if that will help.

I don't understand most of it. On top of man gpm doesn't exsist on my machine, I found in on the web.