[REWARD!] 2.6.8 kernels - no keyboard or touchpad response

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

Hi,

I changed my 2.4.x kernel to the new 2.6.8 kernel (i've tried 2 different flavours, both give me the same problem).

Everything loads OK, but the keyboard and the touchpad don't seem active. There is absolutely no response whatsoever. I have the same problem when I use the 2.6.8 kernel booting Knoppix.

I need the new one because the 2.4 one doesn't recognize my pcmcia usb 2.0 card

I get no error messages.

Any clues?

Thanks,
Maqueo

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

* bump *

Still haven't been able to find a solution...

mianka · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 11:20 am Post subject: freezing mouse and keyboard

Filed a similar complaint on Desktop environments

tdb · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:29 pm Post subject:

Are you using evdev? Look and see if you have /dev/events or something like that. Try changing your keyboard device to /dev/events/event0 and mouse to /dev/events/event1. (I forget exactly what they're called, try whatever is there.) Make sure you load the evdev, pcmouse, and any other modules you need to drive your stuff.
_________________
Do you know what a usufruct is?

marius.perijoc · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:32 pm Post subject:

I am having the same problem on 2.6.9-mm on a desktop...
_________________
.marius

"Have no limitation as a limitation..."

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

tdb · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:14 pm Post subject:

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

Hi tdb,

Thanks for your help!

I've recompiled the kernel, and am now working with the gentoo-dev-sources (2.6.8-r3)

I was loggin straight into kde's login manager, but have removed that to try and narrow down possibilities.

I'm still having the same problem when booting into runlevel 3, no keyvoard response at all. (I did try to change the X settings before that and it didnt help)

Clearly the problem is at a lower level than X

Any more ideas?

Thanlks,
Maqueo

mianka · Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 8:33 am Post subject: computer not responding

I did an install again -amd64:2.6.8-r4-,without graphical environment and it still freezes mouse and keyboard;both with usb and PS/2.My machine just locks up completely,hard reset is the only way to get out.
What happens is that it starts up normally,I see all the messages passing by without error(as far as I can see) until the login prompt,and by then the keyboard is completely dead.

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

Hi,

Same here. I tried it with Knoppix and about every cheatcode I could pass to the kernel, with no luck at all.

I've tried in other forums, but noone seems to be able to find a solution (very few responses).

The weirdest thing is that it did work with mandrake though... I was using the 2.6.7 kernel (tried emerging that one as well) and no problems at all... pcmcia usb card worked, and everything was ok.

Right now I'm back to the 2.4.x kernel - guess my only option is to wait for a next release...

Good luck,
Maqueo

PS: I'm in Dordrecht, NL btw.

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

* bump *

OK, so here's the deal... i still haven't been able to make this work, so I'm issueing (sp?) a reward for whoever solves this. I'll buy you a Gentoo T-shirt

(if there's more than one person, then let's donate $30 to the FSF or something similar).

The reason is that I'm moving from the Netherlands to the States (NM) next week, and have about 120 Gigs of stuff to back-up Doing this through usb 1.1 (as I'm doing now) is taking.... looooooooooaaaaads of time. (it was working with a 2.6.x kernel in Mandrake, but I dread the thought of switching back.

If we can't find a solution I guess I could add a partition (although I already have the 4 primary ones) and install MDK if nothing else works...

Just to be clear: you only get the t-shirt IF we get the damn pcmcia usb 2.0 card working with the new 2.6.8 kernel....

Cheers,
Maqueo

mike4148 · l33t Joined: 09 Sep 2003 Posts: 641

Post the input device section of your kernel config (just that section; please, no more

).

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

OK, found it:

#
# Input device support
#
CONFIG_INPUT=y

#
# Input Device Drivers
#
CONFIG_INPUT_KEYBOARD=y
CONFIG_KEYBOARD_ATKBD=y
# CONFIG_KEYBOARD_SUNKBD is not set
# CONFIG_KEYBOARD_LKKBD is not set
# CONFIG_KEYBOARD_XTKBD is not set
# CONFIG_KEYBOARD_NEWTON is not set
CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSE=y
CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2=y
# CONFIG_MOUSE_SERIAL is not set
# CONFIG_MOUSE_INPORT is not set
# CONFIG_MOUSE_LOGIBM is not set
# CONFIG_MOUSE_PC110PAD is not set
# CONFIG_MOUSE_VSXXXAA is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_JOYSTICK is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_TOUCHSCREEN is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_MISC is not set

zfc-tinkerer · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 126

I'm having a similar problem, at least with my keyboard, and in a forum search a few days ago I found the following partial solution (sorry, I don't seem to be able to find that post again):

When it seems like the keyboard is dead, hit the up arrow key. This will hopefully make your keyboard work. My dmesg seems to imply that the keyboard is first detected when I do this. Why this would be the magic key to get the keyboard detected I don't understand, but it's worth a try. If it doesn't work, maybe try one of the other arrow keys? I don't know if this will help your mouse trouble or not, but it at least provides a temporary solution to the keyboard problem. If the mouse isn't fixed by this, try clicking any extra mouse buttons and using your scroll wheel and things like that.

I'll definately post back if I find a permanent solution. Enough people seem to be suddently having problems like this with the newest kernel versions that there seems to be some kind of problem there. I want my keyboard back without having to hit the up arrow key!

zfc-tinkerer · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 126

I found a permanent solution, at least on my system!

Here's what I did:

Add the option i8042.reset to your grub.conf

Now if I only knew _why_ this works!

This hint I found at:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=225295

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

zfc-tinkerer · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 126

Something else that I would have tried because it was reported as solving similar problems on other systems was a bios setting called 'USB legacy support'. If you have a setting like this or any kind of USB keyboard bios setting, try changing it. Here are a few links where people found this to solve their problem:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=122130

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=141299

Hopefully this will help. The people who were describing this problem were having it even with 2.4 kernels, but linux can be a strange, tempermental creature sometimes. It's probably at least worth a try.

Maqueo · n00b Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 60

zfc-tinkerer · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 126

What is your hardware? I mean, are you using a USB mouse and keyboard? If so, try using USB-to-PS/2 adapters on them. (If you're using evdev be careful, this might change the numbering of your devices so things won't work in X) What happens when you try these things may help with the troubleshooting. Anyway, in addition to trying this (if you only have one adapter, try it on the keyboard, perhaps with the mouse unplugged and just the console, not X) describe your hardware, and which USB modules your motherboard supports.

One more suggestion: if you're autoloading any modules other than those absolutely necessary to get your system working in the console, try starting up without them. Perhaps also try compiling a very stripped down kernel (i.e. leave out SMB even if you use it, leave out firewire and framebuffer if you use them, etc.) in case some other option is conflicting. SMP and APIC and power control of various kinds are the options that as far as I know are most notorious for causing trouble.

Post the results of these, even if they do something strange but don't solve the problem.