I successfully installed slackware on an HP notebook computer. Here is the issue: when it boots up, I have to hold a key down during the hardware detection phase. If I don't hold a key down, when it boots up, my keyboard does not work. Is there any way to avoid this? Or is this something that I am going to have to just live with?

What version of Slack are you running?

What did you select in X when you installed?

What model of HP notebook is it? I've got a Compaq EVO N115, and have never seen that problem.

Also, what kernel are you running? Have you tried updating the kernel?

It is an HP Pavilion ze4145. It has an AMD processor and ATI graphics card. The same thing has happened with slack 9,10, and 10.1.

I just selected fluxbox as my WM. I don't think this has much to do with X- I can't even get past the log-in prompt. Lilo works fine, and my keyboard works then, but after slack boots up, it won't respond. I don't even get a system beep if I really lay on the keys, then again I think it is disabled by default in slackware.

But the keyboard functions just fine if I hold down any key while slack starts.

Does this help any?

If I'm reading it right, you're always using the 2.4 kernel. Have you tried downloading and installing a 2.6 kernel?

Yes, I have tried it with 2.6.10, and the keyboard still didn't come up. This confuses me pretty bad.

Here is how I think hardware detection works. The computer says- do we have a keyboard?
The keyboard (usually) says - yes, here I am. Then the computer says - great, now we can get some work done.
With my laptop, the keyboard isn't recognized unless I hold a key down during the start process.

Is there a way where I could not scan for a new keyboard, and just use the same one every time? It is a notebook computer, and I am not likely to swap out keyboards.

I have the same problem with a Compaq R3240US laptop. The keyboard just stops working. I have however, found that pressing left shift seems to clear the problem. Might work for you too (HP/Compaq all one happy family now).

The problem comes from the /etc/rc.d/rc.hotplug script. If you don't hold a button down, it doesn't find your keyboard. When I disabled the script with chmod -x, keyboard works fine, but obviously the benefits of hotplug are absent. Please respond if anyone can track down the problem. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

you can try editing the hotplug blacklist at /etc/hotplug/blacklist. There is already an example there, looking at the file list.

Thank you for responding so quickly. I've looked at the blacklist, and considered it, but I don't know what module is getting loaded that shouldn't, or vice versa. I booted up the laptop while holding ctrl to gain keyboard support, did an lsmod, modified the /etc/rc.d/rc.hotplug script to do an lsmod at the end of it, rebooted, didn't hold down ctrl to lose keyboard control, and looked at the output from each, and they were identical. So in other words, there is no difference in module loading between when I do and when I don't gain keyboard control... I'm at another dead end.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...t=usb+keyboard

you can check out this thread about disabling the legacy usb support in the bios. it seems some notebook manufacturers connect the keyboard via the usb port.

Thank's everyone for your posts! We disabled legacy usb support in the bios, and the keyboard problem is gone! I wish I knew more about the cause of the problem, but it's fixed, and that's the main thing.