Installing Etch with GUI on T20

[john gennard <joney@clara.co.uk>]

I have an IBM T20 Laptop and want to put on it Etch
(Kernel 2.6.18-3) with Kde. The installation without GUI
is fine, but Kde will not launch. Error messages in
/var/log/kdm.log indicate that the installer assumed the
laptop has a Synaptics Touchpad and this cannot be detected.
/proc/bus/input/devices show that the device is in fact a
'TPPS/2 IBM Trackpoint' Googlings for the Trackpoint show a
confusing picture which I don't understand.

However, as I have considerable arthritis in the hands and
fingers, I have been using an external PS/2 mouse, so I can
do without the 'fiddly' Trackpoint. I commented out references
to Synaptics Touchpad in /etc/X11/xorg.conf, but Kde still
does not launch and the error messages )in Kdm.log) now say:-
------------
(EE) No devices detected
Fatal Server error:
no screens found.
------------

At the moment, to get into Etch, I have to boot into single
user mode, otherwise the Laptop locks solid.

I haven't yet tried to run 'dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg' as
without a Manual I may not have enough info to answer some of
the questions posed.

Is what I am trying to do feasible?
Can the trackpoint be brought into play?

Any suggestions regarding a way forward would be apprciated
(a more modern laptop is out unless I win the lottery!)

Regards,

John.