How to disable Synaptics Touchpad on Toshiba Satellite? - Page 2

skysmurf · 07-20-2008, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by resetreset

Interesting.... I'd like to know how to remove the support for your pad if you had a PS/2 mouse....

I'm not sure whether you'd really like to know or you're just being a smartass, but here goes anyway:

As far as I can tell the kernel doesn't know about touchpads. It just sees pointing devices, no matter whether they're pads or "normal" mice.

So if your touchpad and your "normal" mouse are of the same type, then I guess you'll have to either:

disable the pad in the BIOS if this is possible;
open the case and physically disconnect the pad if you dare/can;
cover the pad somehow;
always start X (provided you have X in the first place) and use the xorg.conf "trick" described by tredegar.

And perhaps there are even more options (for example, maybe gpm can somehow be configured to only listen to the "normal" mouse and ignore the touchpad) but I haven't looked at those yet because the kernel config method works for me.

Alphons

gsilvestro · 10-05-2008, 04:45 PM

Prolbem not not really sorted!

I have the same (not really) prolem: disable the touchpad
for a different reason: I think I have an hardware prolem
and I would like to isolate it.

The target is the same: exclude the touchpad!
In first instance the /etc/X11/xorg.conf
has this lines:

Code:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Synaptics"
        Driver      "synaptics"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
        Option      "Protocol" "auto-dev"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
EndSection

So no apparent psaux stuff. Indeed my USB mouse is
what I use right now. (No other input stuff in
that file [beside keyoard and the like..].)

Also BIOS is of no help.

Shall I trust

Quote:

In fact, even if I remove the "Mice" section alltogether, a USB mouse will still work - provided that USB support is still compiled in, of course.

In my case I have an hardware prolem:
It looks like if the touchpad is keeping moving on the
right all the time. Depending on temperature and stage.
I guess it is a pretty personal prolem, but excluding
the touchpad at kernel/modules level might help me
to isolate the prolem and also to keep using the machine.

cheers
S

gsilvestro · 10-05-2008, 04:53 PM

Sorry...

I forgot to mention a detail.
It is much more easier if I can load and unload modules.
Recompiling the kernel might be an option but
it will bring me too far away from an easy hardware
debug. I'll better change the hardware!

Soon
S

gsilvestro · 10-05-2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skysmurf

I'm not sure whether you'd really like to know or you're just being a smartass, but here goes anyway:

As far as I can tell the kernel doesn't know about touchpads. It just sees pointing devices, no matter whether they're pads or "normal" mice.

So if your touchpad and your "normal" mouse are of the same type, then I guess you'll have to either:

disable the pad in the BIOS if this is possible;
open the case and physically disconnect the pad if you dare/can;
cover the pad somehow;
always start X (provided you have X in the first place) and use the xorg.conf "trick" described by tredegar.

And perhaps there are even more options (for example, maybe gpm can somehow be configured to only listen to the "normal" mouse and ignore the touchpad) but I haven't looked at those yet because the kernel config method works for me.

Alphons

I do allow myself (not expert) to agree and disagree
in the same time. The kernel is the OS and soon or later
it will have to know about the devices it handles.
One side is due to security and an other side is due to
the hardware it runs on.

I guess that on X servers/clients the kernel is not
going to play a role as soon as the hardware is not
on its own machine.

Indeed the access to a simple mouse device is handled
by the kernel. At least as an hardware device.

You will not even see a mouse if the kernel doesn't
allow it. Here are the modules: Make available to
the kernel as a device: via modules (drivers). Also
my shiny one.

Yep, indeed:

Now the 4 points you made are simply off.

1 - this might be a solution: if you can. (nobody can)
2 - Do not open the case. Unless like me you have
an harware prolem do not ever open the case for
software prolems!
3&4 - seek a solution.

Unless you have a buggy problem there is always
a standard normal easy solution.

4 - No. You do not need to start X.

best
S