Re: can't disable Thinkpad touchpad

[Haines Brown <haines@histomat.net>]

On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 01:08:30PM -0500, David Wright wrote:
> Quoting Haines Brown (haines@histomat.net):
> > On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 03:35:30PM +0100, Darac Marjal wrote:
> > > On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 10:07:13AM -0400, Haines Brown wrote:
> > > > On a new Thinkpad x250, I've installed Sid. The touchpad causes
> > > > problems, and so I want to disable it. The easy way is Fn+F8, but that
> > > > key combination does nothing. Is this because Windows is not installed?
> > > > What should be a sure fire way is to disable it in BIOS. I do that, but
> > > > it has no effect.
> > > > 
> > > > How do I get rid of it?
> > > 
> > > According to
> > > http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Synaptics_TouchPad_driver_for_X, you can
> > > either:
> > > 
> > >  * Execute `xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics \
> > >    Off" 8 1` at a command prompt (or bind that to a hotkey)
> > >  * Create a file /etc/X11/xorg.d/*.conf with the contents:
> > > 
> > >    Section "InputDevice"
> > >      Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
> > > 	 Driver     "synaptics"
> > > 	 Option     "TouchpadOff"   "1"
> > >    EndSection

> So we can assume that the pad works perfectly before you start X,
> and that in X you can click in the root window to get the various
> menus?

That is correct
 
> That's looks as if it's trying to start another Xserver.
> You *are* typing "xinput" and not "xinit"?

I'm beginning to suspect that's what I did (trying to fix the Thinkpad
and get some work done at same time). Now when I log in as user, I can
run the xinit command from a prompt and it kills 

> > So maybe I should put the command in /etc/X11/Xsession.  

I tried putting the xinit command in Xsession, but than I can't start X:
"unexpected xinit: connection to X server lost". Also tried with both
.xsession and .Xresources. Now I can't startx at all, and I removed the
two files and the line in Xsession, but sill can't get X server to
run: just a loop or lack of sync, and I have to reboot to get a usable
prompt. In ~/.xsession-errors only that .Xmodmap not found.

I suspect I have a basic problem with display that I need to resolve
before worrying about touchpad. I can log in and start x as user or as
root. But then any x apps that are running crash when touchpad is
touched, and when I log out the non-X display is in a loop or out of
sync so that I usually cannot get a prompt and can only reboot.