I am running slackware 8.1 with a win XP partition. I had a running PS/2 mouse at gpm as well as gnome for about a month since I first install my slackware.

My cordless mouse went caput 3 days ago. I wanted to try out an optical mouse and purchase a 2 button with a wheel optical mouse (Orion to be specific compatible with Microsoft Intellimouse) It comes as a usb mouse with a ps/2 adapter.

When I plugged it into my ps/2 slot it just run fine without the need to make any changes.

Yesterday I had a nightmare. My Keyboard and mouse both refuse to function. It lagged and not all keys got picked up. And this problem was not confined to the Linux OS but with winXP as well.

I removed the ps/2 adapter and changed into its USB slot. With winXP in was autodetected and is running perfect. The keyboard problem was resolved.

However I could not get my mouse to run in linux both as gpm in console as well as X-window.

This was what I have done:
Uncomment in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
/sbin/modprobe usb-uhci
/sbin/modprobe hid
/sbin/modprobe usbmouse
/sbin/modprobe mousedev

In XF86Config I had made the following changes
"input device'
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"

In my /dev directory
my /dev/mouse is linked -> to psaux
but my /dev/input/mice has no such link

At boot, it says gpm loaded
but my mouse does not light up. And gpm not functioning
Neither is in X-window. I guess without the former, this is expected.

Question:
What else do I have to do?
Do I have to make the link at /dev/input/mice -> psaux?
Do I have to uncomment for /sbin/modprobe usbkb and
/sbin/modprobe keybdev as well ?
The lingering question was what went wrong anyway. Why did my keyboard got effected. Any idea?
I have read on one of the post that something need to be done at mouseconfig. Is this the place that I had to go.

Thanks

There were certain things that I have found out since my last posting.

When I have my intellimouse connected to PS/2 I would intially at login get both the mouse as well as keyboard function. Eventually after a few keypress I find that the keypress lags and unresponsive. This problem extends even into X-windows.

I could overcome this when I kill gpm.

Once gpm is killed, the mouse works fine including wheel scroll but and I have no problem typing in console as well as X-windows

I would still like to get back mouse in console.

Thanks

Hmm,

I'm running gpm for the console mode and using IMPS/2 + /dev/mouse in XF86Config for X mode. I have an MS Intellimouse Explorer Optical connected thru PS/2 port. I also have the ZAxisMapping option in there.

Hey, all. Glad to have finally found a Slack playground. Can I play?

Here is a contrib I sent-in to LNO. I Hope you get some use out of it:
(oh, and btw, yes, Slackware does rule...)


"Fed-up with all the RedHat USB mice HowTos, I finally discovered the correct way to get this and almost any USB mouse working under Slackware 8.1-

1.) Load the USB modules. Edit /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and uncomment-out (or just add) the following lines:

/sbin/modprobe usb-uhci (for Intel and VIA chips)
/sbin/modprobe usbmouse
/sbin/modprobe mousedev

2.) Plug in your USB mouse and reboot

3.) Check to see if your mouse was recognized:

$ dmesg |grep usb

note: if all went well, you should see reference to your USB mouse being assigned to "input0" or "input1". If so, congratulations...if not, well, then I can't help you...

4.) Test it.
$ cat /dev/input/mouse0 (if your usb mouse was assigned to "input1", then change to "mouse1")

Move the mouse around....you should see some garble displayed on your terminal.

Got it? Good. Now reconfig your XFree86 file:

5.) Here's my config. It works with both my Intellimouse and my Logitech USB trackball (input0):

Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 "5

6.) Restart X and enjoy!"

jymbo...does that allow your scroll, forward + back buttons to work also? without installing that imwheel software?

If you add:

Option "Buttons" "5"

the back button on the Intellimouse will work, but the forward doesn't (go figure).

Thank you Lawhd!.

I've been dying like a mofo to get my friggin mouse from doing it's heroin crack dance ever since I installed Slack.

The Mandrake & RH Distro's really spoiled me.....

but hte IMPS/2 and dev/psaux saved my life.

I can use KDE with the Mouse now. Cuz dear god, using keys only was about to drive me insane.

TYVM.

xset m 0 0 (turns off accleration and so on)

And everything you do with the X settings will have an effect on the how the mouse works in q3..

Thankyou! This saved me! Ahh, it's nice to have control over the mouse again!

The best way to set up the wheel on your mouse and find out more mouse info is with a program call IMWheel. My friend wrote it and supports it. You can find it on freshmeat or on his web site jonatkins.org.

It will alow you to use the wheel under console and X.

Just thought I would add in my 2 cents.

Zarnce

Ok, so I'm having the same prob with Slack9. (Regular install from ISO)

PS/2 mouse works, center wheel "click" works, but not scroll.
I changed the XF86Config file to read:

Then, the X server will not start because it says "4 5" isn't a valid word.

Any ideas?
I removed the "4 5" protion (and kept the remainder of the config) and X started up just fine. No wheel, but everything else still worked.

L8rz

P.S. I tried the /dev/psaux as well

You're missing this:

Option "Buttons" "5"

before the ZAxisMapping line.

Nope. It says "5" is not a valid keyword in this section

Thats what it keeps saying anytime there is a numerical value used for Buttons or ZAxisMapping.

Ideas?

L8rz n tnx

Sorry, I assumed it was not there by looking at what you posted.

Ok, so how about this:

Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"