Hey:
i'm installing debian 3.0r3 on an ibm thinkpad 390. i get through the whole thing (btw, debian is painfull to install if you're not sure what yer doing), and then finally i'm at a prompt. i log in and type startx. kde starts up, but fails on "initializing peripherals, with the following printout:"

...
(**)Configured Mouse: Protocol: "PS/2"
(**) Configured Mouse: Core Pointer
(==) Configured Mouse: Buttons : 3
(**) Configured Mouse : Emulate3Buttons, Emulate3Timeout: 50
(**)Configured Mouse: ZAxisMapping: buttons 4 and 5
(**) Generic Mouse: Protocol: "ImPS/2"
(**) Generic Mouse: always reports core events
(EE) xf86OpenSerial: Cannot open device /dev/input/mice
No such device.
(EE) Generic Mouse: cannot open input device
(EE) PreInit Failed for input device "Generic Mouse"
(II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Configured Mouse" (type: MOUSE)
Cound not init font path element unix/:7100, removing from list!

then i get some "fatal server error messages..."

the funny thing is that when kde starts up, the cursor shows up and moves if i touch the mouse.
let me think how i set it up... on the install i selected (obviously) a ps/2 mouse, which i guess is the right thing for a laptop integrated touchpoint mouse.
anyone have any idea what i can do to fix this? i almost want to give up and go back to fedora (which i have on my desktop and is easy to install, but fc3 seems to kinda suck...)
thanks
spencer

oh i should say that i checked out the article at http://octavia.zoology.washington.ed...DebianX20.html and i don't have gpm installed, whatever that is.

You might get some useful information from here.

For laptop I'd recommend installing Sarge instead of Woody. Besides, the new Sarge installer is much easier than the old Woody installer. Boot it with "linux26" (without quotes) to get the 2.6 kernel. http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

You may try adding "psmouse" (without quotes) to /etc/modules -- sometimes this helps with PS/2 mouse problems. You'll also need to reboot before you can see if this does any good in your case.

thanks for the help.
ok, so here's my scoop:
rbochan, i've looked at the site a bunch and can't see what i'm doing wrong still. but the site is fantastic, i love it.
dead parrot: i tried the /etc/modules thing, no dice. it boots into x, i login, kde starts up, kde & x crash and go back to the login screen. as for the sarge installer, i'll try: i had a bunch of trouble burning an iso on the only computer that i have a burner on: a windows xp machine. but what you say echoes what i've heard everywhere: use the sarge net install cd.
i'll try. thanks for the help. aside from doing the install all over again (although it won't kill me, i've already gone through it like a dozen times), does anyone have any smart ideas that might help?
thanks
spencer

OK, I'm still assuming your main problem is mouse configuration. The /etc/modules thing is actually for 2.6 kernels (check with "uname -r" your kernel version). For 2.4 kernels the PS/2 mouse device should be "/dev/psaux". (I don't know how it goes with 2.2 kernels.) Make sure you don't have two mice configured in /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.