Mouse problem in Linux 9.0

Sounds like Linux Mandrake 9.0, is that right?

There is a known issue with their install routine: for it to detect some wheel mice properly, you have to wiggle the mouse and scroll the wheel while it's doing the detecting of the mouse, or it won't detect it properly.

Please post up a copy of your XFree config file /etc/X11/XF86Config-4, and please also let us know what brand  and model of mouse you've got.  Should be easily fixed.

if u have wheel mouse...install it as intellimouse..

Yes jdfox, it's on Mandrake 9.0. I am actually running it on my IBM laptop which has a "track-stick" mouse. I am not sure which category of mice I should place it under in the Mandrake Control Centre...

Which model of ThinkPad is it?
Which type of mouse is currently set in MCC?
Can you post up a copy of your XF86Config, or XF86Config-4, if that's what's in use?

The stick/nub is either a generic Protocol "PS/2",
a "scroll-wheel enabled thingy" with Protocol "IMPS/2" (toshibas similar AccuPointII is in this category... two-button mouse, whith two "scroll-buttons",, so it needs both Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" and Emulat3Button ... sick really:-)
or a IBM Scroll-something or another, which uses the Protocol "MouseManPlusPS/2".
Set it manually in /etc/X11/XF86Configure-4 config file, since (as stated above) the mandrake utility can be a bit shaky, then restart X.

Some "sticks" (notably the AccuPoint) have a "drift pronblem", where the non-intuitive solution is to _not_ fight it, but just let it be until it stops (after a couple of seconds).
But your problem is probably not that.

-- Glenn

Gns, what you said sort of makes sense. I am putting up a copy of what my XF86Config-4 contains regarding the mouse.

Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier "Mouse1"
  Driver "mouse"
  Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
  Option "Device" "/dev/usbmouse"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier "Mouse2"
  Driver "mouse"
  Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
  Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
  Option "Emulate3Buttons"
  Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
EndSection

Initially I had a usbmouse connected to the laptop but I'd really like to use the stick instead...

And jdfox I have a Thinkpad R31...
in my XF86Config I got:

Section "Pointer"
Protocol "PS/2"
Device "/dev/usbmouse"
EndSection

Section "XInput"
  Subsection "Mouse"
    Protocol "PS/2"
    Device "/dev/psaux"
    AlwaysCore
    Emulate3Buttons
    Emulate3Timeout "50"
  EndSubSection
EndSection

Hopefully these bits will tell the tale...:)
Hope to hear from you guys soon...thanx

The pointer is really hard to use atm...it gets stuck at the corners and keeps pressing random buttons! :(

Better yet, one might define several InputDevice sections for the same device, and define several ServerLayout sections too...

startx -- -layout <layout identoifier>
or
startx -- -pointer <Core pointer identifier>

would then choose the correct one (this can be used to test/tweak).

Do as jdfox suggests. But suince it is only three different protocols to try, I'd suggest you try them all and see which one works best for you.

You should be able to have:
Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse2"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/psaux"
        Option      "Protocol" "PS/2"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons"
        Option      "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse3"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/psaux"
        Option      "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons"
        Option      "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse4"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/psaux"
        Option      "Protocol" "MouseManPlusPS/2"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons"
        Option      "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

and use
startx -- -pointer Mouse2
for PS/2 protocol
startx -- -pointer Mouse3
for IMPS/2, and finally
startx -- -pointer Mouse4
for MouseManPlusPS/2.
When you know which is pest, you can delete the unwanted ones, and adjust the ServerLayout accordingly.
I've tried living with a stick and a USB mouse some time ago, and found it a pain to have the USB mouse as Core pointer, and the "secondary" stick just SendCoreEvents. Just edit it to be the other way around.

-- Glenn    

You should be at runlevel 3 when you try this.

If you had X "autostart", change to runlevel 3 with "telinit 3" on a command line logged on as root.

-- Glenn      

Hi jdfox & Gns, thanks heaps for your help. I tried out the settings you guys recommended and find that IMPS/2 is definitely a pest and PS/2 and MouseManPlusPS/2 seems to calm things down a fair bit, the pointer still clicks random buttons (brings up the window list or the right hand mouse button program options). However, it doesn't drift away as much as it used to before.

I have changed the "ServerLayout" section to point to Mouse 2 now - u were rite jdfox! So now it reads:
InputDevice    "Mouse1" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice    "Mouse2" "CorePointer"

Are there any more settings that I need to change to iron things out completely? :) This seems so much better now...thanks heaps guys.

And jdfox, currently I am involved in way too many projects so if I have time I'll definitely try to fix this prob in the code. I am new to Linux so solving this first problem regarding the mouse has been quite fun...:)
Cheers

No, unfortunately not much. Some "random behaviour" is sometimes due to quirks of the hardware (as with the accupoint drift I mentioned).
Is it dualbooting? If so, does the other OS show the fenomena?
Not that there is much to do:-)

Anyway, the best source of mouse related information for X can be read with
less -e /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc/README.mouse

-- Glenn

Was a good answer as it did help my situation although unfortunately it didn't do so completely. Not blaming anyone.