I installed SuSE 9.0 on my PC and my 2-button PS/2 mouse does not work with X/KDE.

It's a dual-boot machine. The mouse has been working under Windows for the last 6 years. On the Linux partition I had Red Hat 8 for over 1 year where the mouse was also working fine.

When I do:
cat /dev/psaux
under KDE I get a message: 'Device or resource busy.' Modules input.o and mousedev.o are loaded at that time. When I boot in runlevel 3, the above command produces some characters when I move mouse, which is the desired behavior.

I tried to tweak the mouse config in my XF86Config but it didn't help. Again, this is the simplest 2-button, no-wheel, PS/2 mouse.

One other thing - the mouse works during the entire installation of SuSE . I guess YaST uses its own GUI library. The problem occurs when I boot for normal use.

There is a moment when X is started but KDE is not yet - when the background is shaded and the cursor is "X" - I think the mose is frozen then.

SuSE 9.0 distributes kernel 2.4.21.

I hope this is enough information to get us started.

Thanks,
ZM

you cant "cat" a device. besides ps2 mice are usually connected to the device /dev/misc/psaux.

why dont you show us the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file you have? just the mouse bits though.

Frustin:

You can cat a device. He did not expect to get user readable information out of it, but wanted to know if the device (/dev/psaux) was reading data from the mouse.

There may be some distro out there that uses /dev/misc/psaux, but SuSE uses /dev/psaux. I just switched to tty2 and did a cat on the device, and received data when, and only when, I move the mouse. Again, this is expected behavior.

zmichailov:

I also just tried opening a konsole, suing to root, and catting the device. It worked just the same (characters to the screen, mostly 8's and parenthesis).

You should probably check your log files in /var/log. My system has two logs that start XFree86. I would start by looking at these. You may also want to check /var/log/messages and the command "dmesg".

I'm not too familiar with the XFree86 config file, but you should probably post the segment that relates to your mouse here (as recommended by Frustin). If the problem is there, then whoever figures it out will probably need to read it.

Sorry, i stand corrected. Quite embarressing actually, as my new place of work uses Suse linux. Although hardware setup isnt in the remit of the job.

Understandable. Upon rereading my post, I think I may have sounded a little hot under the collar. I think it's just the tone that comes across when I post. No offense intended (though you don't sound as though you took any).

See you here again after zmichailov responds.

Please give me another day to post the XF86Config snippet. I need to re-install SuSE... Terrible installer. It has 3 preset configurations: 1) minimal system, 2) minimal graphics system, and 3) default system with KDE. I went for a custom package selection twice and I had no mouse both times. The third time I did the following:
- Install preset minimal system. cat /dev/psaux works fine.
- Install preset minimal graphics system. cat /dev/psaux still works but SuSE still boots in runlevel 3. Switching to runlevel 5 does not change anything.
- Install preset default system with KDE. Same as the above - cat /dev/psaux works but SuSE still boots in runlevel 3.

I plan to wipe out everything again and go directly for option 3 - default system with KDE. Then I'll post the XF86Config. Bare with me.

If I understand you right, are you trying to say that you're mouse has started working, but your system just won't boot to run level 5? I admit that I could easily be misunderstanding you. If I'm right though, and you just need to get it to boot to runlevel 5, then just edit your /etc/inittab file and look for the line that says:

id:3:initdefault:

Change the 3 to a 5. That's it. Then the system will boot to run level 5 by default.

Otherwise, just post back when you feel like it. No rush here.

I reassert that
cat /dev/psaux
has always worked when I boot in runlevel 3. I have no other evidence that the mouse has worked since there is no GUI in run level 3. (I will modify /etc/inittab to see what happens.)

The mouse has always been frozen when I boot in runlevel 5 (KDE).

The mouse also works when I boot from CD 1 of the distribution. I think that's runlevel 3 and YaST has its own GUI.

Most of the run levels only do what they are defined to do. I thought that you had done a repair or something, and ended up with a runlevel 3 boot by default.

Try this: boot to run level 3, and try "startx". X windows should start, but you will still be in runlevel 3. If the problem is caused by something at the run level, you will probably have the mouse. Chances are, though, that there is something else wrong.

SuSE has the most bizarre installer I have ever seen!

I modified the /etc/inittab file to boot in runlevel 5. However, there was no difference. I tried "startkde" but KDE didn't start. I'll try "startx" before I completely wipe out and re-install "Default System".

The most interesting thing was that /etc/X11/XF86Config does not exist any more. I found another file - /etc/XF86Config that contains only 1 line - "#3x".

I will re-install everything tonight and will post the mouse section from the /etc/X11/XF86Config file.

Sorry for the delay.

I resolved the problem. It had nothing to do with the XF86Config. It was an interrupt collision with the sound card (UART). The sound card modules were getting loaded before the mose and were taking available interrupts. I had to hardcode something else.

Thank y'all for the support!
ZM

"I had to hardcode something else."

well, what did you do then? dont just say "i fixed it" what about those of us that have this problem in the future and need to do a search? they are going to hit this thread and find zippo.

We took the time to try and help you, so help us. Tell us exactly what you did.