Mouse Problem

[Magic02]

I bought a Logitech Mouse and it said new hardware found .I selected what i thought was the correct model and clicked test.Now the mouse will not work and when i plug back in the standard PS2 mouse it will not work either.I am new to Linux and do not no how to fix the problem.Any suggestions? Thanks

[JohnT]

If you can get to a command line use an editor to bring up the /etc/X11/XF86Config file. The section devoted to "pointing devices" is the one you want to edit. If you will post that section and your mouse type we can help. Is this just a typical wheel mouse with a PS/2 connection?This problem has been solved many times on this board...do a search and you might come up with a faster and more concise answer, rather than going back and forth here. Here's a typical config for that mouse type...........

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
EndSection

[Magic02]

The mouse is a Logitech Usb mouse with an adapter for the standard Ps2 connection.I have searched the forum and i cannot find an answer to my problem.I have a screen with a spreadsheet on it and i do not no how to get a command prompt.I booted in failsafe to get one and tried putting in the various command lines but to no avail.Before i get rid of it off my hard drive has anybody got any suggestions.This is my first week in Linux and i cannot believe such a simple thing is so complicated as compared to Windows.
Frustrated
Ps.Suse Linux 9

[Hayl]

first of all, Linux is _not_ Windows so you need to get your expectations set correctly. it is not plug-it-in-and-it-automagically works in a lot of cases. if you are not willing to have some patience while you learn to use Linux and are not willing to learn how to do some things manually, then perhaps Linux is not for you.

that being said, I think you can probably fix this problem quite easily.

if you think that it is because the device is wrong, then... generally the mouse device for a PS/2 mouse is /dev/psaux, although sometimes it can be /dev/input/mouse0

boot to a TTY (command line only), and do this.

cd /dev
ls | grep ps

if you see psaux then do this.

cat psaux

then move the mouse around. if you see garbage on the screen then that is the correct device for the mouse.

if it is not then cd into the input directory and see if there is a mouse0 and do the same thing.

it will likely be one or the other - or both that work.

then you will need to edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config file using a command-line text editor such as vi or nano, depending on what one your distribution installs by default.

then scroll down to the input section for the mouse... it will look similar to what JothT posted earlier, and change the device it is using.

OR

it may just be the wrong protocol, in which case, the correct protocol is IMPS/2, as JohnT said... in that case, just open the /etc/X11/XF86Config file in vi or nano and change the mouse protocol.