Screen save mode on Toshiba Tecra 8100 with serial mouse
 

Is there a way to make the serial port able to bring the computer out of hard encoded screen save mode?

I have installed Mandrake 10.1 on my Toshiba Tecra 8100, and have entirely remvoed the win 2k system that it originally came with.

The laptop has only one PS/2 plug and that can take either the mouse or the keyboard (I have tried with a split cable, but that recognise only either of them, something wich is consistent with what the manual says). I then plugged the keyboard to PS/2 and the mouse to serial (used a converter from PS/2 to serial - a converter that was part of the equipment originally delivered with the computer).

The keyboard worked well right from start and after som fumbling I found a serial mouse driver that worked and I was happy.

However, the computer seems to have some BIOS or similarily hard encoded setting that turns the terminal off (some kind of power save mode I guess) after a couple of minutes. The keyboard brings the screen back to life, but not the mouse.

This is of course not a big issue but it is a bit irritating to have to hit the shift key every now and then while I am moving around using only the mouse.

Question is if anyone has had a similar "problem" and knows how to get the serial port to take the laptop out of its power save mode.

I have tried KDE's tools for screensaver and power saving, but they only seems to lay on top of something deeper inside the PC. I have also tried to switch the ports for the mouse and the keyboard, but that only gives me problems getting MDK to find the keyboard, and if it had worked I would still only be half way since then the keyboard probably would no longer revive the screen.

I have tried with a USB mouse and that works, but I need that mouse for another computer and also (and this is important!) that sort of takes the challenge away from getting my computer to work exactly the way I want it to, something I am confident Linux is able to do for me.

According to the manual the computer have som kind of interface with the BIOS, but that requires it to be able to run in DOS mode under win 2k, something it is very happy of no longer being capable of. I have not been able to find any way to invoke the BIOS interface through use of F-keys.

I am aware that reconfiguring the kernel might solve my problem, but would like to explore if there is another way around before I dive into the kernel.

Maybe I should add that I use a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse. Also that I have a Fujitsu Siemens C992 screen plugged in.