X ignores input settings synaptic??

[floops]

Hi I have a Dell e5420 laptop with an ALPS Touchpad. I have synaptics as a use flap and it recognizes the touchpad but seems to be ignoring the settings I have for it (I am trying to configure it to work more smoothly)

first it recognizes the touchpad

cat /proc/bus/input/devices lists
among others
I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0002 Product=0008 Version=7326
N: Name="AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio1/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input8
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse1 event8
B: PROP=8
B: EV=b
B: KEY=e420 0 70000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=2608000 1000003

Here is /usr/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-synaptics.conf (note that this file is also located in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d but I made a copy where X says it looks first to make sure)
Section "InputClass"
Identifier "touchpad catchall"
Driver "synaptics"
MatchIsTouchpad "on"
Option "TouchpadOff" "0"
Option "PressureMotionMinZ" "8"
Option "SHMConfig" "on"
# Option "LeftEdge" "130"
# Option "RightEdge" "840"
# Option "TopEdge" "130"
# Option "BottomEdge" "640"
# Option "FingerLow" "7"
# Option "FingerHigh" "8"
# Option "MaxTapTime" "180"
# Option "MinTapTime" "110"
# Option "ClickTime" "0"
# Option "EmulateMidButtonTime" "75"
# Option "VertScrollDelta" "20"
# Option "HorizScrollDelta" "20"
# Option "MinSpeed" "0.40"
# Option "MaxSpeed" "0.65"
# Option "AccelFactor" "0.030"
# Option "EdgeMotionMinSpeed" "200"
# Option "EdgeMotionMaxSpeed" "200"
# Option "UpDownScrolling" "1"
# Option "CircularScrolling" "1"
# Option "CircScrollDelta" "0.1"
# Option "CircScrollTrigger" "3"
# Option "VertEdgeScroll" "on"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
# Option "SHMConfig" "on"
EndSection

Note the commented out lines are from various pages that give you specific configurations to try-
notice however the options above TouchpadOff=0 and SHMConfig=on
if I run
synclient -l

Parameter settings:
LeftEdge = 299
RightEdge = 1701
TopEdge = 209
BottomEdge = 1191
FingerLow = 12
FingerHigh = 14
FingerPress = 127
MaxTapTime = 180
MaxTapMove = 107
MaxDoubleTapTime = 180
SingleTapTimeout = 180
ClickTime = 100
FastTaps = 0
EmulateMidButtonTime = 75
EmulateTwoFingerMinZ = 139
EmulateTwoFingerMinW = 7
VertScrollDelta = 48
HorizScrollDelta = 48
VertEdgeScroll = 1
HorizEdgeScroll = 0
CornerCoasting = 0
VertTwoFingerScroll = 0
HorizTwoFingerScroll = 0
MinSpeed = 1
MaxSpeed = 1.75
AccelFactor = 0.0819336
TrackstickSpeed = 40
EdgeMotionMinZ = 14
EdgeMotionMaxZ = 79
EdgeMotionMinSpeed = 1
EdgeMotionMaxSpeed = 195
EdgeMotionUseAlways = 0
TouchpadOff = 1
LockedDrags = 0
LockedDragTimeout = 5000
RTCornerButton = 0
RBCornerButton = 0
LTCornerButton = 0
LBCornerButton = 0
TapButton1 = 1
TapButton2 = 3
TapButton3 = 2
ClickFinger1 = 1
ClickFinger2 = 1
ClickFinger3 = 1
CircularScrolling = 0
CircScrollDelta = 0.1
CircScrollTrigger = 0
CircularPad = 0
PalmDetect = 0
PalmMinWidth = 10
PalmMinZ = 99
CoastingSpeed = 20
CoastingFriction = 50
PressureMotionMinZ = 8
PressureMotionMaxZ = 79
PressureMotionMinFactor = 1
PressureMotionMaxFactor = 1
GrabEventDevice = 1
TapAndDragGesture = 1
AreaLeftEdge = 0
AreaRightEdge = 0
AreaTopEdge = 0

Notice TouchpadOff=1 (which means the touchpad is off)
also if I run
synclient -m 100

Can't access shared memory area. SHMConfig disabled?

Do I have this configuration file in the wrong place? Do I need a symbolic link somewhere?
It is weird that it sees the monitor configuration tweaks I have done in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf but it really seems to ignore the synaptics ones.
Any thoughts? Thanks- floops

[VoidMage]

Don't turn "SHMConfig" on .
Show the relevant section of Xorg log.

[floops]

I thought that if I want to debug or configure the touchpad I will need SHMConfig on, and this is my goal. My understanding this is only a debugging switch and has no other effect- so why turn it off?
Here is the relevant part of
/var/log/Xorg.0.log
[ 24566.263] (II) config/udev: Adding input device AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad (/dev/input/event8)
[ 24566.263] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: Applying InputClass "evdev touchpad catchall"
[ 24566.263] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: Applying InputClass "touchpad catchall"
[ 24566.263] (II) LoadModule: "synaptics"
[ 24566.263] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/synaptics_drv.so
[ 24566.263] (II) Module synaptics: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 24566.263] compiled for 1.10.4, module version = 1.4.0
[ 24566.263] Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
[ 24566.263] ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 12.2
[ 24566.263] (II) Using input driver 'synaptics' for 'AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad'
[ 24566.263] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/synaptics_drv.so
[ 24566.263] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 24566.263] (**) Option "Device" "/dev/input/event8"
[ 24566.299] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: x-axis range 0 - 2000
[ 24566.299] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: y-axis range 0 - 1400
[ 24566.299] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: pressure range 0 - 127
[ 24566.299] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: buttons: left right middle double triple
[ 24566.299] (**) Option "SHMConfig" "on"
[ 24566.299] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: invalid finger width range. defaulting to 0 - 16
[ 24566.299] (**) Option "TouchpadOff" "0"
[ 24566.299] (**) Option "PressureMotionMinZ" "8"
[ 24566.331] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 24566.331] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 24566.363] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input8/event8"
[ 24566.363] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad" (type: TOUCHPAD)
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: (accel) MinSpeed is now constant deceleration 2.5
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: MaxSpeed is now 1.75
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: AccelFactor is now 0.082
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: (accel) keeping acceleration scheme 1
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: (accel) acceleration profile 1
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: (accel) acceleration factor: 2.000
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: (accel) acceleration threshold: 4
[ 24566.363] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 24566.363] (II) config/udev: Adding input device AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad (/dev/input/mouse1)
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: Applying InputClass "touchpad catchall"
[ 24566.363] (II) Using input driver 'synaptics' for 'AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad'
[ 24566.363] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/synaptics_drv.so
[ 24566.363] (**) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 24566.363] (**) Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse1"
[ 24566.363] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: invalid x-axis range. defaulting to 1615 - 5685
[ 24566.363] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: invalid y-axis range. defaulting to 1729 - 4171
[ 24566.363] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: invalid pressure range. defaulting to 0 - 256
[ 24566.363] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: invalid finger width range. defaulting to 0 - 16
[ 24566.363] (**) Option "SHMConfig" "on"
[ 24566.363] (**) Option "TouchpadOff" "0"
[ 24566.363] (**) Option "PressureMotionMinZ" "8"
[ 24566.384] (EE) Query no Synaptics: 6003C8
[ 24566.384] (--) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad: no supported touchpad found
[ 24566.384] (EE) AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad Unable to query/initialize Synaptics hardware.

Does that help? Thanks for your response-

[VoidMage]

With any xorg-server still in portage, "SHMConfig" should be off, as it's obsolete.

Also, correct the conf snippet, so it applies only to /dev/input/event* nodes.

[floops]

OK- now I am in deep trouble- I changed the configuration as noted- in particular I commented out the SHMConfig and added

Option "Device" "/dev/input/event8" in 50-synaptics.conf

as suggested, now I cannot boot up anymore. Note that I also installed kde in the meantime and had added DISPLAYMANAGER="xdm" in case this had any effect.

Now upon startuo, if I boot the normal kernel it gets to the login window but the keyboard no longer works and the touchpad does not work either so the computer is totally frozen. If I boot the rescue kernel it gives me some tty error and I do not get to a login but only to a command line- I can see the files I need to edit but they are read only, secondly it does not recognize my root password (but it does recognize my user password) and I can log in as a user- but again everything is read only.
What do I do now?

the error I get when I boot the rescue is

/bin/bb can't access tty; job control turned off

if that helps. (At least X did not seem to ignore the settings)

[VoidMage]

I've meant 'MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"'.

As for the other par, it seems as if you have updated something like baselayout/openrc, but failed to run etc-update.
"installed kde" is much too vague - not only kde-meta is a lot of packages, but its dependencies are significant.

[floops]

Sorry if it was not specific enough

emerge kde-meta

emerge x11-apps/xdm.

Hope that helps

[floops]

Forget it-

As described above I cannot reconfigure anything and thus I cannot get the system to do anything now- I am calling it dead. Need to start from scratch.

Anyone following this thread- be extremely careful as the changes I made above made my keyboard and touchpad unusable and somehow killed the system.

[v_andal]

The problem is very simple. You just need to ignore input which matches /dev/input/mouse*

Just add something like this to your xorg.conf