Re: Mouse Problems, updated
> OK... I think I figured out what was making my mouse so screwy, but I still
> have all kinds of problems.
>
> Problem overview:
>
> I have a Compaq LTE5300 laptop on which I installed Debian 2.2r3. I
> installed about 750MB or so of software, including XFree86, KDE 2.1, GNOME,
> and others. It was a pretty standard install, using apt-get via http. My
> mouse (a PS/2 pin-type pointing device) worked fine in console, using gpm,
> but never worked in X. It would move, but so fast I could not see it, and
> when I left it alone, would show up in the extreme left-hand corner of the
> screen. I did a test where I killed the gpm server and ran XF86Setup, where
> after I configured the mouse, it actually worked in XF86Setup. However, When
> I typed in "startx" in console after the test (did not reboot), the system
> booted into X, then GNOME, and the mouse worked not at all... just a arrow
> in the middle of my screen. When I first start the machine, KDE starts, not
> GNOME... I just tab my way to "Shutdown/Console Mode" to get to Runlevel 3
> (the console) so I can actually do anything. I am at a loss at this point. I
> read through every HOWTO, Mini-HOWTO, man page, and book I have, all to no
> avail. I am afraid the my choices are one of two at this point:
This suggests that you should be able to move, rename, or otherwise get rid
of /etc/X11/XF86Config ... rerun XF86Setup ... and accept the defaults.
Maybe. I think that should get you the same setup as XF86Setup itself uses.
(If it doesn't... then it'd be good to file an Enhancement Request on the
package :> )
btw I really would setup the system so it does not do X by default while
messing with it ...
cd /etc/rc2.d
mkdir disabled
mv <all annoying symlinks but esp *xdm, *gdm, or *kdm> disabled
And, I note that Ctrl-Alt-Backspace is the magic key sequence for bailing
out of X without using the mouse.
> 1) uninstall X, gpm, KDE, GNOME and re-install just X, and KDE (I hate
> GNOME, I don't know how it got installed)
> 2) wipe out the entire Debian installation and start over from scratch,
> installing each package at a time
overkill tho it'd probably work...
Before doing *anything* this drastic, I'd run ... not startx ... just X.
That should launch the server alone, with no apps at all, not even a
measly Window Manager. If your mouse doesn't work this way, it's neither
K nor Gnome nor your wm's fault.
dpkg --purge <name of package>
...will get rid of the package and all its annoying config files too. All
you would have to do is pick a mid to lowlevel K or Gnome library and it
would tell you all the things that are dependencies. Then you can pick
some explicitly, if you think they are being broken for you.
apt-get remove <same low level library>
...would offer to remove all the depending packages too (very handy) but
various config files would remain. Therefore you would probably want to
note down the package names before telling it yes, so you can purge the
remaining configs.
But, if you are more sure it is configs and not the binaries themselves,
/var/lib/dpkg/info/<packagename>.conffiles will tell you which files to
poke around in.
Hope that helps!
* Heather Stern * star@ many places...
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