The sym link is /dev/mouse and the usb mouse device is /dev/input/mouse0 try the following commands;

ls -l /dev/mouse
ls -l /dev/input/mouse0

The last character is the number zero.

man ln

ln -s /dev/input/mouse0 /dev/mouse

ack im sorry i dont understand im reaaaaaly new to linux could u plz tell me in idiot form "You can search here on LQ for "/dev/input/mouse0" and limit to the Slackware forum for the details in loading them, etc. But they need to be loaded before it will work." to complicated

Then the following link will take you to a thread from a while back. It discusses setting up a USB mouse and configuring X to use it.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=31324

BTW: Could you shorten your sig a little, it takes up a lot of real estate after several posts.

ok frum that i gathered that i need to change this
Section "InputDevice"
Identifer "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
EndSection

to this

Section "InputDevice"
Identifer "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
EndSection
were to i edit that and if its in the xf86 file that is the comande i use to open and edit it

mcedit /etc/X11/XF86Config

Then change the pointer section to;

Section "InputDevice"
Identifer "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"
EndSection

about the moduels, i did lsmod and only pcmcia and sume ide thingy were listed

ok when i typed in mcedit /etc/X11/XF86Config it gave red window that say faild loading /etc/X11/XF86Config

Well, for the modules they are not loaded then. The link above should provide the info in regard to the modules and the commands to load them.

On the config file, it may be using /etc/X11/XF86Config-4. That filename came about with Slackware 8.0 because it included both XFree86 version 3 and 4. If you are using Slack 8.0 and version 4 of X then XF86Config-4 should be correct. But it could also have been changed to another location. So the best way to verify the filename and it's location is to look in the log file.

less /var/log/XFree86.0.log

It will be located very near the top in the first 30 lines.

ok im sorry but i gots nooooo clu were i edit that line in im wayyyyyy confuzed to many commands and diff things to do could u plz tell be EXACTLY what to do im sorry but im all mixed up with what to and not to do

also if it would be easyer i could instal 9 and start out fresh
god knows how much iv messed up
i am prone to newbie bad luck

do u think it would help to instal slack 9? dose it have better suport?
also is ther such thing as a proggy that lets linux use a win modem(freind haz laptop and cand finda linux modem for under 100 )

At this point Slack 9.0 might be a good option. It should provide the support for your USB device through the new hotplug system. For X operation I would suggest during the install when you are prompted for screen resolutions during the lilo installation select the highest that your system will handle like 800x600x16 bit color or whatever you have determined that your system can do. That should install the video in VESA framebuffer mode and all should you have to do is the startx command after you login.

There is some limited support for win modems in Linux. It is difficult to setup because it has to be compiled for the kernel and then installed. Complete kernel sources are required. But if you wish to look at it then try http://walbran.org/sean/linux/linmodem-howto.html. Please note that not all win modem chips are suported. They have a program that will run at the beginning of the build that will determine if your modem is supported.

Sorry I could not help more on your current install. The issues you have are very common and have be asked many times. All the info you require is available through this site. The configuration issues that you are having can only be changed from the command line interface with standard linux commands.

If you desire to learn Linux and do not want to just learn it as you go, by the seat of your pants so to speak, then I suggest the following link to a very well written Linux reference that is available online.

http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz

Good luck.

Another thing you might want to check into is Mandrake. It will detect most of everything for you at install and it has a GUI installation process that might be more to your liking.

With Slackware there will be no GUI, and nothing will just automagically configure itself. You'll need to do searches for lots of stuff on www.google.com/linux as well as www.tldp.org and www.xfree86.org or here at LQ for issues that might arise.

Whether you go with a more "newbie friendly" Mandrake or a "get your hands dirty" Slackware, you'll need to do some research to get your system up and running as you see fit. You will need to read the MAN PAGES, HOWTOs, INFOs, MESSAGE BOARDS, and good BOOKS. Check out the link that Excalibur provided, do some searching around the internet on your problems when they arise. Search for your hardware at www.google.com/linux for modules and settings and tweaks. Seriously, in order for you to no longer be confused about the help that is given to you by people here at LQ or any other message board, you will need to research your problem, read, read some more, then read it again. You'll need to try out what you find out. If you get commands that you're unsure of, then read the man and info pages for the command. Try out commands, try editing a file--but back it up first so you don't permanently break anything and have to reinstall. You'll also need patience with Linux. You are learning another OS like you were learning another language to speak. In order to know how to do things, you'll need to be patient, and do your research. Otherwise, you're not learning--you're just doing what everyone here is telling you to do.

Get some books like "Running Linux" by O'Reilly and there are countless more--but this is a good start.