I just installed Slackware 8.1 and have a logictech optical wheel mouse. I tried to load it using the standard PS/2 settings for X and the mouse pointer will show in the top left corner but it won't move around anywhere. How can I get this configured to work correctly?? I've tired to get into the config file and take a look at the pointer but I don't know how to get in there and take a look. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

First make sure you don't have gpm running as it's been known to slap the mouse around in X servers.

Second - have a look at your XF86Config file in the Input devices section and post what it says about your mouse.

Thats what I don't know how to do. I've been trying to do that since last night. I have tried to use Edit but that doesn't work. How do I look at the file?? Thanks

Open a terminal, su to root and do "mcedit /etc/X11/XF86Config"

Settings are as followed...

Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"

When in X I can actually move around the pointer but the arrow doesn't move out of the top left corner of the screen but I can point and click using what changes as a normal mouse over would do.

I'm thinking one thing may be the graphics card but I haven't been able to get SuperProbe to work to get my settings exact. Whenever I try to it gives me an error saying the file doesn't exist. Either of these sound like good reasons for it not to be working?? Thanks

Try the following.
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

Still moving but can't see the arrow moving. Same problem as before...

Have you checked for gpm?

Ok, this is going to sound stupid.... gpm??? i have no clue.

I just found out that gpm is running

kill it. You can use the shotgun approach - 'killall gpm'; or do a 'ps -e' and see what process id gpm is and kill it that way 'kill NN'' (NN is the process id or PID in more commmon terms)

Then you need to stop it from running when you boot up. In slack you can comment out the gpm loader in /etc/rc.d/rc.M

Tried it. The pointer is still stuck in the upper left corner. I'm beginning to wonder if its my video card.

Double check that gpm really has stopped. Your video card might have an option to use a software cursor but will not be causing this problem, if it was your video card your cursor would be a square instead of a pointer.

gpm is really stopped. When I type the kill command again it gives an error saying it can't kill.

Is your mouse connected to the ps/2 port with an adaptor of any kind?
The command "ps -aux" will show the running apps/services and give you their pid.