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Red Hat 5.0 mouseconfig error

Upon installing Linux with no known or obvious errors, I initiated X Windows to find that the mouse was unresponsive. I am told that Red Hat 5.0 was shipped with an error in mouseconfig, and was instructed to download the RPM update. The file mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm was downloaded under Windows, and transferred to Linux via DOS-formatted floppy (is this a problem?).
Upon issuing the command
rpm -i --nodeps mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm
I recieve the message:
/usr/sbin/mouseconfig conflicts with file from mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm
error: mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm cannot be installed

What solution? The mouse is not responsive under X, or moves erratically. I was also instructed to disable gpm with variants of kill and killall, but to no avail.
I am new to Linux but am no clueless user... if I must dirty my hands by manually editing text files, merely indicate the path and lines to be changed/inserted. Regards to the assembled.

ahoffmann

have you running gpm when starting X?

bcurtis122198

There have been numerous security / performance improvements to redhat since 5.0... I would recommend just going on to 5.1 or 5.2 instead of spending excessive install time on 5.0...

Regaring your rpm error, try
rpm -e mouseconfig
to get rid of your existing package and then do your rpm -i...

OR use

rpm -ivh --nodeps --force

if you want to brute force past that file dependancy check.

Obvious

ASKER

The command

rpm -ivh --nodeps --force mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm

(upon first application) returned something akin to:

mouseconfig #####################

Success? Nyet. The mouse (which is quite operable under Lose32) was yet unresponsive.
Further experimentation (rpm -e mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm) resulted in, to paraphrase:

mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm is already installed
error: mouseconfig-2.22-1.i386.rpm cannot be installed

A second application of rpm -ivh... resulted in a similar message.
I tire of meaningless diagnostics... what magic is required?
To respond - yes, gpm is initiated upon system start-up.

ahoffmann

did your mouse work with gpm in a console terminal

Obvious

ASKER

Aye, ahoffman, it did indeed function sans GUI (gpm loaded at start-up). However, I believe I've removed gpm from the start-up routine, as I've renamed the gpm file and is not listed under the running processes... even this does not allow my pointer to function. <Sigh> May we continue this Q & A via a more frequent forum, such as E-mail? I'm EAGER to begin ascending my Unix learning curve, especially considering the pain I experienced in making Windows and the penguin agreeable enough to co-exist on the same disk...

ahoffmann

Now, did it work with gpm in console; and without gpm in X?
Which e-mail?.

Obvious

ASKER

The mouse does not function with X under any circumstances, with gpm loaded or without. In text-mode, the mouse DOES function, with gpm loaded. Please transmit to me at Crysgem@hotmail.com.

Obvious

ASKER

Adjusted points to 200

Obvious

ASKER

I have contributions to make to the Cause, and I am restricted by a problem with my <disgust> POINTER! PARDON my lack of 'l33tness, but my computing heritage dictates that I will begin to explore the Mysteries of Unix from the confines of a GUI... I *APPEAL* to the experts of this domain for aid!

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

cleikis

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