[SOLVED] No USB at all

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Hi,

After I boot a fresh install (no X yet) and end up at the login prompt, my USB keyboard fails to work. It works fine at the LiveCD though. A search through these forums brought up the same problem but only when X is involved it seems. My issue occurs at the login prompt.

Snippets from my .config.

eccerr0r · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:27 pm Post subject:

how about CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_OHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_UHCI_HCD?
Do you have ways to your box without keyboard (ssh, etc.?) Might be helpful to debug.

Is your system's USB1 OHCI or UHCI? Does it detect any other USB devices on boot?
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MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

I have all those config options set in the kernel.

Trying to get OpenSSH to work but I get a "could not open pty" from Putty.

After chrooting into my install from the LiveCD:

eccerr0r · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 10:29 pm Post subject:

The ssh problem probably is due to missing /dev/pts support in character devices.

Thus it sounds like you may have a really messed up .config for your kernel compile. I'd suggest you try the .config from the livecd kernel as a starter or take a look at Pappy's Kernel Seeds.
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Lightspeed · n00b Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 57 Location: UK

What keyboard do you have?

I found that as of 2.6.32 or something like that, the default kernel config results in no usable keyboard input at the console for me (but it works within X).

I have a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.

The solution was to enable the following in the kernel config:

HID Devices
Special HID drivers
<M> Microsoft

But yeah, it does sound like you might have wider ranging issues too.

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

It's a Microsoft keyboard also but I do not know what model exactly. There is no Special HID driver option for Microsoft.

Lightspeed · n00b Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 57 Location: UK

Hmm, that's strange, I have the 2.6.34-gentoo-r1 kernel too right now, and that option was there for me. After I turn it on, in the kernel's .config it shows up as:

"CONFIG_HID_MICROSOFT=m"

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Ok I got SSH working now.

I am running an AMD64 kernel so that might be why it does not show up. Anyway, it seems that my USB is not working at all as my external USB drive is not showing up under /dev/. Clearly im missing a config option somewhere as with the LiveCD the external drive shows up under /dev/.

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Saw something interesting in Dmesg.

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Zen and CK sources also have the same problem. No USB at boot.

EDIT - Title updated with the problem.

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Still haven't managed to fix it. Pappy? Perhaps I can send you lspci output, cpuid etc so you might be able to cook up a good seed for me?

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

there's a special hid for ms keyboard

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

That is no longer the problem. It seems my USB is not working at all as my external hard drives, usb sticks etc do not show up to be mounted. Also, that special HID driver is nowhere to be found in the kernels that I have tried.

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

many things can prevent USB from working.

But as long as USB work in livecd, you can say it's not hardware

And guess the culprit is easy, kernel config

If you really don't know how to build a kernel, just put anything you see related to USB as module (this won't work if you need to boot from USB), but udev will load any module need to make your USB work.
That's it, if you don't know, ask udev to do the work

And if you are really lost with kernel, look for the pappy seed thread in unsupported software (really bad to learn something, really good if you just want it to work)

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

I've built plenty kernels. Just the first time I'm building one on a machine with a USB keyboard.

Even stranger still, this machine used to run Gentoo without problems a year or so ago when I was using a PS2 keyboard but my USB always worked. I guess lots of things have changed since then.

As for the modules, I have not tried that yet. I've always built a monolithic kernel with all the necesities built in. Guess I could try building one with more modules.

MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

WOOHOO! Solved!

Had to go into the Bios and turn off "Plug and Play" Capable OS. All my USB devices work now.

eccerr0r · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject:

I'd have to claim it as odd unless your ESCD was corrupt and the motherboard devices aren't designed properly... All my machines are set to PnP capable OS in BIOS and USB works fine...

Weird.
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MeatPie · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 112

Thats the thing though. I've never had to do that either back in the 2.6.18 or so kernel days if I remember correctly. I did not have a USB keyboard back then but my USB devices worked fine out of the box. Also, this still doesn't explain why the LiveCD brought up my USB devices fine but not my kernel.