i am trying to load slackware 9.1

it keeps detecting ps2 mouse. this is impossible as NO ps2 mouse, only serial. I get as far startx but the cursor does not work. any help would be greatly appreciated. i am loading this on an old 166 pentium.

thanks in advance

try xf86config to fix it you can choose from an option which mouse to use or learn to edit your /etc/X11/XF86config manually

thanks you just lost me. i am doing a fresh load now. when that is done would you be so kind as to help me edit the XF86config?

much appreciated

if you use the command xf86config from the command line it will give you questions and prompt for answers all you need is a little knowledge about your hardware, you video card, mouse, and monitor refresh rates, if you dont know one or all of these then you can use a generic option, using an older computer i would suggest the most conservative of these in each case, also on a 166 you might be better off using an older version of slackware and upgrading only the things you want the latest and greatest functionality out of, older versions were made to suit the needs of the time newer does the same, but you likely have very limited hdd space and processing power meaning you dont necessarily want all the brand new kde/gnome eyecandy and the numerous larger slower (though more feature rich) programs

if i can just get my mouse to work i will suffer through the slow bit. i just want to evaluate this before i decide to buy a machine for it.

any and all help will be greatly appreciated once i get this reloaded

Hello pacoonejr.
Watashiwaotaku said this, but I think you misunderstood him.

Add the command prompt type xf86config
that will generate the config file automatically by asking you questions about your setup (you need to run this as root).

If that doesn't work for some reason, or you would rather not bother, you can manually edit the file XF86Config or XF86Config-4, depending on which one you have. This file is usually in /etc/X11 or /usr/X11R6/etc/X11.
Find the line in XF86Config(-4) that says something such as:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
...

Change that "PS/2" to "auto", and see if that works.
If that generates an error, than you have to manually specify the protocol for your mouse. Most 2-button mice work with "Microsoft". If that doesn't work, try out this page:
http://www.xfree86.org/4.3.0/mouse4

One more thing, if you try to run kde or gnome or something on a 166, you'll want to kill yourself. I would recommend IceWM, which loads pretty quick, but is still easy to use if you're really used to windows.

thanks i got it