New mouse won't work on jaunty

[mrs1179]

I just installed Ubuntu 9.04 on an old Compaq Deskpro with PS/2 ports for the mouse and keyboard. My original mouse is old and has no scroll wheel, so I purchased a new Logitech Optical Mouse with USB. I purchased a PS/2-to-USB converter so that I could plug it in to the PS/2 port. After booting up, the mouse does not work at all. While the computer is on, I can unplug the new mouse and plug in the old one, and the old one will work. But the old one is close to failing, and I need to get a new mouse to work.

The configuration file /etc/X11/xorg.conf did not have a mouse configured, so I tried adding the following code to it:

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
	Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
	Option		"ZAxisMapping"		"4 5"
	Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
EndSection

but it did not work. Any ideas?

[Rubberman]

On some of these older systems, USB mice and keyboards don't work "out-of-the-box". You need to go into the BIOS and configure it for legacy USB support. If it doesn't have that option, then you need an updated BIOS, which may eliminnate the need for that option.

[mrs1179]

Thank you for the information regarding the BIOS. I was delayed getting the BIOS password from previous owner. Once I got into the BIOS, I did not see any settings that I recognized as being related to legacy USB support. I don't know exactly what to look for. Do you know what that would look like?

I have been unable to determine the exact model of Compaq Deskpro this is, so I'm not sure how to go about searching for updated BIOS. Do you know if the BIOS is very specific to a model?

Additional information: the computer does have 2 USB ports. I have discovered that instead of using the USB-to-PS2 adapter, I am able to plug the USB mouse directly into a USB port, and this works. I still would prefer to use the PS2 mouse port, to keep the USB ports free for devices such as external hard drives and printers. Does the fact that it recognized the mouse in the USB port have any indication as to whether the BIOS can be configured so that the PS2 port will recognize it?

[Rubberman]

Since a USB mouse works when plugged into a USB port, then you should not have to worry about legacy usb support in the bios. However, if you have a USB -> PS2 adapter and it won't work in the PS2 mouse port (are you sure you plugged it into the mouse port, and not the keyboard port?), is questionable. It should That's what I do on my system, though thru a kvm switch.

Yes, you need to get the bios update from Compaq/HP. They are tailored to their motherboards. Go online to their support pages and find the downloads link. You might have to use the site search engine to find it.

[mrs1179]

Thank you for the reply. You ask good questions. I'm certain that I've plugged the mouse into the correct PS2 port. At one time after moving the computer, I accidentally switched the mouse and keyboard, and it wouldn't boot because of a "keyboard error", but upon getting them right, it booted.

I also thought that the adapter connection might not be making correct contact, so I obtained another adapter of a different brand. It seems to fit better, but still does not work.

It will take some research for me to determine the correct computer model this is, so I'll manage the status quo until I update the BIOS.

Meanwhile, what is the kvm switch that you use? Is that an option for my situation?

[Rubberman]

Thank you for the reply. You ask good questions. I'm certain that I've plugged the mouse into the correct PS2 port. At one time after moving the computer, I accidentally switched the mouse and keyboard, and it wouldn't boot because of a "keyboard error", but upon getting them right, it booted.

I also thought that the adapter connection might not be making correct contact, so I obtained another adapter of a different brand. It seems to fit better, but still does not work.

It will take some research for me to determine the correct computer model this is, so I'll manage the status quo until I update the BIOS.

Meanwhile, what is the kvm switch that you use? Is that an option for my situation?

I have a 4-port d-link kvm. I got it because even though it is a vga and not dvi device, it handles up to 1920x1200 displays. I'm not using it much these days, instead opting to use VNC for remote control of my other PC's over my gigabit lan. My wireless trackball has a usb connector which I have connected to a ps2 adapter, and that works just fine.