figured out!
looking at the deskop, I pressed the combination keys in this order:
(got them from here...
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/l...shortcuts.html)
1. Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Backspace] = kill X. Kills your current X session and returns you to the login screen. Use this if the normal exit procedure does not work
2. [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [F1]. This takes you to a text console screen.
From there (text console screen), I typed "setup." This brought up a menu of options, one of which was to setup the mouse. I chose "no mouse". It asked me to save the configuration and I chose "yes." This I thought deleted any previous mouse configuration. I once more typed "setup," this time it probed for a mouse on its own. Found the mouse, saved configuration and walla! ti works! thanks for you help people!! I hope this works for other people as well.
Penguinlover