This is specifically for getting a synaptics touchpad to work, but I think this might also give you ideas for your mouse problem.
From
http://wiki.msiwind.net/index.php/Slackware_Linux_12.1
Step 2: If the touchpad doesn't work at all, try the following:
Look in the /proc/bus/input/devices files; if you don't see a Synaptics touchpad listed, you should see a line that says "H: Handlers=mouse# event#" run "cat /dev/input/mouse# or /dev/input/event#" and move your touchpad, if you get garbled output; edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Find the section for your mouse and the part were it says "/dev/input/mice" or mouse[x] or event[x], change it to the file that gave you the output and restart the X-server. Your mouse should be active now.
Run "cat /dev/psaux" as root, move around on your touchpad, if it gives garbled output:
edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Find the section for your mouse and the part were it says "/dev/input/mice" or mouse[x] or event[x], change it to "/dev/psaux" and restart the X-server. Your mouse should be active now.
Try modifying your /etc/modprobe.d/psmouse file, commenting out the line there.
Also, From
http://slackware.osuosl.org/slackware/PACKAGES.TXT
These are the packages found in the ./slackware/ directory:
PACKAGE NAME: gpm-1.20.1-i486-5.tgz
PACKAGE LOCATION: ./slackware/a
PACKAGE SIZE (compressed): 233 K
PACKAGE SIZE (uncompressed): 540 K
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:
gpm: gpm (general purpose mouse server)
gpm:
gpm: The general purpose mouse server, or gpm, allows you to use the mouse
gpm: to cut and paste text from the screen. It also acts as a mouse
gpm: server for applications running on the Linux console, such as the
gpm: Midnight Commander file manager.
gpm:
gpm: NOTE: This program may cause problems when you start X on systems
gpm: that do not use a serial mouse. If you get an 'unable to open mouse
gpm: device' error from X, disable /etc/rc.d/rc.gpm.
gpm:
Since you mentioned modifying the kernel:
From
http://forum.soft32.com/linux/instal...ict469121.html
uhci_hcd and ohci_hcd are mutual INcompatible, you either load the one
(with certain USB controllers) _or_ the other (with different ones).
So which one would you put into the kernel image?
As soon as you build a kernel with the former, that kernel will never
work with hardware that needs the latter, because you cannot UNload
a built-in driver.
Auto-loading, either from a ramdisk (if you're booting FROM an
USB-drive) or afterwards from the harddisk works fine as now the auto-
detect in udev/hotplug will detect AND load the correct one.
Other usb modules, like usb_storage cannot be loaded until the right
hardware driver has been loaded first.
You will also see that your USB keyboard and/or mouse will not work
early in the boot cycle, because of the same reasons.
From
http://www.slackbook.org/html/book.h...INDOW-SYSTEM-1
If you're running GPM (the Linux mouse server) in repeater mode, you can set your mouse type to /dev/gpmdata to have X get information about the mouse through gpm. In some cases (with busmice especially) this can work better, but most users shouldn't do this.