I use SuSE 8.2 Pro, and my Microsoft Intellimouse optical connected through USB just stops working after a few minutes. This has been happening since I started using SuSE. The mouse never shuts off at the same time after I start up KDE. Sometimes it takes about 3 hours for it to stop working, sometimes it takes only 5 minutes. I have my mouse driver set to intellimouse USB. I'm not sure if it is a problem with SuSE just shutting down usb after a while, since I don't have any other USB devices that I could test. I know it isn't a problem with my USB ports, because my friend had the exact same problem with his mouse.

TIA
Dr. Landluver

Please go to a console and type (after the mouse stops working):
cat /proc/bus/usb/devices and see if the mouse is considered to still be connected. I have 2 of these mice (both the 5btn silver/grey and the 3btn blue, both wireless) and they have yet to exhibit this behavior in linux.

Another thing to try in the way of testing is after the mouse stops working, hit ctrl+alt+F2 which will take you to a login terminal, then hit ctrl-alt-F7 to go back to your GUI, does the mouse still not work?

I'm not sure how to read the cat /proc/bus/usb/devices, but if it helps, the light on my mouse just goes out when it shuts off, and it normally is on. When I tried the ctrl+alt+F2 and then ctrl-alt-F7, the mouse still didn't work.
Thanks so far
Dr. Landluver

Sorry for not detailing the cat /proc/bus/usb/devices business more thoroughly, what we're looking for in the output is actual text that say's "Microsoft" or "Intellimouse", or some similar identifying string that says the usb system believes your mouse is connected.

Here's the output of that command on one of my notebooks:
/* without the mouse in the usb port */
# cat /proc/bus/usb/devices
T: Bus=01 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#= 1 Spd=12 MxCh= 2
B: Alloc= 0/900 us ( 0%), #Int= 0, #Iso= 0
D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=0000 ProdID=0000 Rev= 0.00
S: Product=USB UHCI Root Hub
S: SerialNumber=8400
C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=40 MxPwr= 0mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 8 Ivl=255ms

/* with the mouse plugged in */
# cat /proc/bus/usb/devices
T: Bus=01 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#= 1 Spd=12 MxCh= 2
B: Alloc= 0/900 us ( 0%), #Int= 0, #Iso= 0
D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=0000 ProdID=0000 Rev= 0.00
S: Product=USB UHCI Root Hub
S: SerialNumber=8400
C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=40 MxPwr= 0mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 8 Ivl=255ms
T: Bus=01 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 5 Spd=1.5 MxCh= 0
D: Ver= 2.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=045e ProdID=006a Rev= 0.17
S: Manufacturer=Microsoft
S: Product=Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse® 1.0A
C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr= 50mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=hid
E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 5 Ivl=10ms

note the identifying string "Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse...", that's the kind of thing we're looking for. I'd also be curious what happens when you remove the mouse from the usb port and re-plug it (after it stops working), does it come back?

I'm having practically the exact same issue, so I figured I should post here as well. When my mouse freezes, the cat /proc/bus/usb/devices thing doesn't show anything about Microsoft mouse anymore. In fact, it gets past my USB webcam, stalls for a bit, and then continues. There's no stall when it's working properly. If I unplug the mouse, I get nothing when I plug it back in. The light doesn't even come on.

Oh, I'm using Mandrake 9.1

Gregg