Touchpad not functioning in new Kubuntu install

[greatredwarrior]

Hello,

I'm very new to Linux. I decided to move our NGO office over to Kubuntu because it is more user friendly, but I can avoid issues with viruses and piracy that are so prevalant throughout Indonesia.

I am doing a "pilot project" on one of our PCs and the most immediate problem I've run into is that the touchpad isn't working now. I did have a very infested windows running, but after saving our needed data, I wiped it and installed Kubuntu 14.04 with KDE 4.13.3. I think my GRUB is Version: 0.97-29ubuntu66, but that's just from following the directions. The touchpad was working until I logged in the first time, and now it isn't working.

This is an Acer Aspire E1-471 laptop with an Intel Core i3-2328M (2.2 GHz, 3MB L3 cache)

I tried using google to find the answer and got to the point where I found out this data for the input device:
I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0002 Product=0007 Version=01b1
N: Name="SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio2/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio2/input/input10
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse0 event5
B: PROP=9
B: EV=b
B: KEY=6420 0 30000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=2608000 11000003

I really have no idea what to make of it so any helpful advice would be really appreciated.

Larz

[Snowhog]

Launch Muon Package Manager and see if you have the following packages installed. If not, install them.

kde-touchpad
xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

[greatredwarrior]

Launch Muon Package Manager and see if you have the following packages installed. If not, install them.

kde-touchpad
xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

I have both installed. So, that isn't the problem.

[Snowhog]

Check System Settings > Input Devices > Touchpad > Enable/Disable Touchpad

[greatredwarrior]

I appreciate all your help. This was the first thing I did. I tried it with all the possible combinations of when to be enabled and disabled. None of them make the touchpad work.

[SteveRiley]

Let's check a couple things. First, what's the output of xinput --list?

Here's mine, as an example, from my ThinkPad T520:

steve@t520:~$ [B]xinput --list[/B]
⎡ Virtual core pointer                          id=2    [master pointer  (3)]
⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer                id=4    [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜   ↳ SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad                id=11   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜   ↳ TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint                     id=12   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard                         id=3    [master keyboard (2)]
    ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard               id=5    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Power Button                              id=6    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Video Bus                                 id=7    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Sleep Button                              id=8    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Integrated Camera                         id=9    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard              id=10   [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ ThinkPad Extra Buttons                    id=13   [slave  keyboard (3)]

Next, find the ID number associated with your touchpad and run xinput --test number where number is the ID number. Now, with the pointer still in the console window, perform a two-finger drag down. Do you see a list of events?

Again, here's a short snippet of what I see:

steve@t520:~$ [B]xinput --test 11[/B]
motion a[2]=-34 
motion a[2]=-31 
motion a[2]=-29 
motion a[2]=-28 
motion a[2]=-27 
motion a[2]=-26 
motion a[2]=-25 
motion a[2]=-20 a[3]=3120 
motion a[2]=-18 a[3]=3131 
motion a[2]=-16 a[3]=3136 
button press   5 
button release 5 
motion a[2]=-15 a[3]=3142 
motion a[3]=3144 
motion a[3]=3146 
motion a[3]=3148 
motion a[2]=-11 a[3]=3186 
motion a[2]=-5 a[3]=3213 
motion a[3]=3223 
motion a[2]=-3 a[3]=3226

Press Ctrl+C to stop xinput.

[greatredwarrior]

Here was my output to the initial test.

⎡ Virtual core pointer                          id=2    [master pointer  (3)]
⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer                id=4    [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜   ↳ SIGMACHIP Usb Mouse                       id=11   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜   ↳ SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad                id=13   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard                         id=3    [master keyboard (2)]
    ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard               id=5    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Power Button                              id=6    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Video Bus                                 id=7    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Power Button                              id=8    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Sleep Button                              id=9    [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ HD WebCam                                 id=10   [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard              id=12   [slave  keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Acer WMI hotkeys                          id=14   [slave  keyboard (3)]

So, I did the xinput test 13. I then tried to do everything with one or two fingers on my touchpad, clicking buttons, trying to scroll, doing a two-fingered scroll...nothing happened. The only results I got was when I was going back to my external mouse I got a series of ^[[B^[[A when I used the scroll wheel.

[SteveRiley]

What's the output of lsmod?

[greatredwarrior]

Wow...a lot!

Module Size Used by
ctr 12905 1
ccm 17496 1
cdc_acm 27963 0
bnep 18895 2
rfcomm 53664 0
bluetooth 342208 10 bnep,rfcomm
uvcvideo 71309 0
videobuf2_vmalloc 13048 1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_memops 13170 1 videobuf2_vmalloc
videobuf2_core 39258 1 uvcvideo
videodev 108503 2 uvcvideo,videobuf2_core
snd_hda_codec_hdmi 45440 1
snd_hda_codec_realtek 55163 1
snd_hda_intel 42730 6
snd_hda_codec 164067 3 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_i ntel
snd_hwdep 13272 1 snd_hda_codec
arc4 12536 2
snd_pcm 85501 3 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel
ath9k 144602 0
acer_wmi 31735 0
snd_page_alloc 14230 2 snd_pcm,snd_hda_intel
snd_seq_midi 13132 0
snd_seq_midi_event 14475 1 snd_seq_midi
sparse_keymap 13708 1 acer_wmi
intel_rapl 18301 0
x86_pkg_temp_thermal 13845 0
intel_powerclamp 14239 0
coretemp 13195 0
ath9k_common 13359 1 ath9k
snd_rawmidi 25135 1 snd_seq_midi
kvm_intel 132549 0
ath9k_hw 438205 2 ath9k_common,ath9k
snd_seq 55383 2 snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq_midi
kvm 388084 1 kvm_intel
snd_seq_device 14137 3 snd_seq,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_midi
snd_timer 28584 2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
mei_me 18195 0
ath 23922 3 ath9k_common,ath9k,ath9k_hw
mac80211 546051 1 ath9k
mei 66737 1 mei_me
cfg80211 409394 3 ath,ath9k,mac80211
snd 60939 23 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hwdep,snd_timer,snd_hda_ codec_hdmi,snd_pcm,snd_seq,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_cod ec,snd_hda_intel,snd_seq_device,snd_seq_midi
crc32_pclmul 12967 0
soundcore 12600 1 snd
rtsx_pci_ms 17807 0
joydev 17101 0
serio_raw 13230 0
memstick 16174 1 rtsx_pci_ms
lpc_ich 16864 0
mac_hid 13037 0
parport_pc 31981 0
ppdev 17391 0
lp 13299 0
parport 40836 3 lp,ppdev,parport_pc
hid_generic 12492 0
usbhid 46997 0
hid 87604 2 hid_generic,usbhid
i915 705659 3
rtsx_pci_sdmmc 22693 0
i2c_algo_bit 13197 1 i915
drm_kms_helper 47182 1 i915
psmouse 91329 0
drm 244037 4 i915,drm_kms_helper
ahci 25579 2
r8169 61562 0
libahci 27214 1 ahci
rtsx_pci 43796 2 rtsx_pci_ms,rtsx_pci_sdmmc
mii 13654 1 r8169
video 18903 2 i915,acer_wmi
wmi 18673 1 acer_wmi


But I don't know what it means.

[SteveRiley]

Those are the kernel modules loaded into memory. The list is fine -- I was looking for psmouse.

Does the touchpad work if you boot the computer without the external mouse connected?

[greatredwarrior]

No...it doesn't work at all.

[greatredwarrior]

I keep thinking I'm replying to this! No. The touchpad doesn't work if I boot without the mouse.

[Snowhog]

Try this. Open a console and type:

sudo rmmod psmouse
sudo modprobe psmouse proto=imps

Exit the console.
Press Alt+F2 and type:
kdesudo kate /etc/modprobe.d/touchpad.conf
Add:

options psmouse proto=imps

Save and close Kate. Logout and reboot.

[greatredwarrior]

Paul,

Thanks again for your help. I did that, and still no response. I confirmed that the line of code was saved in Kate.