Re: urgent help

[Kent West <westk@acu.edu>]

Tong Sun wrote:

> I installed gpm -- the console mouse support. After
> rebooting, my mouse doesn't work in X any more (I didn't change anything
> in my XF86config-4 file. ) 
>
> Currently, my mouse setting is the same in gpm and X,
> i.e., device is /dev/psaux, and protocol is ps/2. However, console
> mouse works fine whereas X mouse doesn't work. and there is an extended
> delay starting and switching to X.
>
> In order to fix the problem. I've stopped/uninstalled
> gpm before starting X, and even force reinstall xfree86-common
> and xfree86-server packages. But nothing helped. I've exhausted my
> options. 
>
> I've been googling around in a none-mouse X, and found
> that there *might* be conflicts between gpm and X mouse. 
>
> I've seen posting saying using /dev/gpmdata as device
> for mouse to work under console and X together. But it doesn't apply to
> me. I made the similar change and it didn't work. In fact, right
> after I start X, my gpm mouse is destroyed -- no work any more under console. 
>
>  
In order to have both mouse drivers work together, they need to either 
be configured to pull data from "/dev/input/mice" (which may not work 
with non-USB mice; I'm not sure), or configure gpm to repeat the data 
("ms" is the "correct" type, but I've seen where it doesn't work and 
"raw" does), and configure X to read from /dev/gpmdata.

> Please help. I can barely do anything under X without
> a mouse.
>  
In a pinch, you can simulate a mouse with your numeric keypad (not the 
non-numeric arrow keys). Just press Shift-Numlock (the numlock on the 
keypad) to turn on the feature, then use the 1-7 keys to move in the 
equivalent direction. I believe 5 is a click; / sets 5 to be a normal 
click; * sets a middle-click, and - sets a right-click, but I'm not 
positive. You can either google for the info, or experiment. 
Shift-Numlock again turns off the feature. And of course, if you don't 
have a separate numeric keypad (like on a laptop), too bad.


> Any tip will do. Just to get me back to a working
> system. I've been unistalling gpm/restalling it, and force reisntall
> xfree86-common and xserver-xfree86  many times. 
>
> I'm quite new to Debian. I badly need help.
>
> PS. 
>
> Why 
>
> dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86
>
> don't give me a XF86Config-4 file? 
>
> Thanks a lot!!!
>
>
>  
If XF86Config-4 has been manually altered, it no longer gets managed by 
"dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86" (too bad there's no warning of that 
when you run "dpkg-reconfigure ...". There should be some instructions 
at the top of XF86Config-4 that explains how to fix this.

--
Kent