Re: Stupid newbie question: eraserhead-style mouse
On Mon, 2002-01-28 at 16:37, Owens, Christopher wrote:
> Kind people,
>
> This is my first question to the list, and it is the first time I have tried
> to install linux since the kernel was version 1.2.
>
> I have installed potato on an old laptop using http. The laptop is an AST
> Ascentia 950n, and claims to have a P120, 16MB of RAM, and I have upgraded
> the hard drive to a 5.7GB unit. I have net thanks to a PCMCIA network card.
>
> I think when I installed, I may have had the built-in mouse disabled. When
> I try to start X now, I get an error that it can't open /dev/mouse, and,
> indeed, there does not seem to be any /dev/mouse. X has never successfully
> run on this system.
>
> Microsoft Mouse Driver version 8.20 works on a DOS boot floppy I have handy,
> and the mouse is usable.
>
> How can I get a /dev/mouse?
>
> Thanks for any help.
Odds are pretty good that is looks like a PS/2 interface mouse to the
kernel. Try (as root)
# ln -s /dev/psaux /dev/mouse
If you still have trouble, you may need to specify the mouse protocol in
/etc/X11/XF86Config or /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 (depending on which version
of X you have installed). Search for "/dev/mouse" in that file, and the
protocol option should be nearby. If it is wrong, change it to "PS/2".
The last thing you may have trouble with is that gpm sometimes works
great and sometimes causes all kinds of trouble. Unless you need the
mouse working on text-mode consoles, remove gpm and let X handle the
mouse by itself.
I've had two different laptops using the same style mouse and they've
both worked quite well.
HTH,
--
Stephen Ryan Debian GNU/Linux
Technology Coordinator
Center for Educational Outcomes
at Dartmouth College
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