On Mon, 2011-05-23 at 17:23 +0300, Stan Goodman wrote:

The system is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

A wild guess (as I experienced the same on 11.3): It's a dell machine? unload and blacklist the dell_backlight module lsmod | grep dell should give you a list of loaded dell modules. In my case it was dell_backlight, but it might very well be another one for you. Dominique -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011 1729:48 Dimstar / Dominique Leuenberger "Dimstar / Dominique Leuenberger" wrote:

On Mon, 2011-05-23 at 17:23 +0300, Stan Goodman wrote:

...

The system is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

A wild guess (as I experienced the same on 11.3): It's a dell machine? unload and blacklist the dell_backlight module lsmod | grep dell should give you a list of loaded dell modules. In my case it was dell_backlight, but it might very well be another one for you.

Dominique

No. It is an Intel motherboard 915GAV. But thanks. -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011 1851:03 Stan Goodman Stan Goodman wrote:

On Monday 23 May 2011 1745:48 Carl Hartung Carl Hartung

wrote:

...

On Mon, 23 May 2011 17:23:23 +0300

Stan Goodman wrote:

...

The system is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

What Ishould have mentioned at the beginning is that the problem began two days ago in a less severe level, and has gradually deteriorated. Its condition at present is that: 1) The mouse never moves, but is stuck permanently in the middle of the screen 2) There is another OS on the box, an older one. The mouse doesn't move on it either. Booting from a live OS is no better; the mouse is stuck in it as well. But there are no problems in booting -- oS v11.3 or the others comes up withoug difficulty, and one doesn't know that there is a problem until trying to move the mouse cursor. Although it is clearly a hardware problem, I have no idea what it is that is failing. If someone can speculate on the location of the malfunction, that might be very helpful. Tomorrow I will take it to the service shop, where I doubt that the Windows techs will be any clearer than me about all this. In the absence of a better solution, I'll probably just buy a new motherboard. This one, after all, is nine years old. -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011, Stan Goodman wrote:

The system is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

You can try a different mouse ... you can clean your existing mouse (if it's a ball mouse, take the all out and scrape all the encrusted 'tuff' off the rollers iside - if it's an optial mouse then make sure the sensors are clear) ... you can plug the mouse into a different machine. In another post you say this machine is 9 years old ... it the mouse the same age? Is it PS2 or USB (round or flat plug?) ... Dx -- " '... but there is so much else behind what I say. It makes itself known to me so slowly, so incompletely! ...' " -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011 07:41:36 am C wrote:

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 19:22, Dylan wrote:

...

On Monday 23 May 2011, Stan Goodman wrote:

...

The system  is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

You can try a different mouse ... you can clean your existing mouse (if it's a ball mouse, take the all out and scrape all the encrusted 'tuff' off the rollers iside - if it's an optial mouse then make sure the sensors are clear) ... you can plug the mouse into a different machine.

In another post you say this machine is 9 years old ... it the mouse the same age? Is it PS2 or USB (round or flat plug?) ...

This would be my guess too. I've had optical mice start behaving exactly like described in this thread. You would think.. it's an optical mouse, how does it wear out? But they do fail over time.... a simple swap with a new mouse will prob clear up the problem. A simple 2 button + scroll wheel optical mouse from Logitech is not expensive.

C.

Testing a different mouse would be the logical thing to do, however, I am willing to bet money that some of the power caps on the 9 year old motherboard are bad. The caps are the round cylinders, about 1/4" ( 6-7mm) diameter by 1/2" (12-15mm) high, spread all over the board. If the tops look like they are bulging, they are bad and will cause various hardware problems sooner or later. d. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011 2022:27 Dylan Dylan wrote:

On Monday 23 May 2011, Stan Goodman wrote:

...

The system is desktop v11.3, KDE v4.4

Because of the behavior, I do not see how I could approach diagnosis, even if I had a clue what to do.

Sometime, wiggling the mouse cursor a bit makes the mouse responsive for a few seconds. When that doesn't work, sometimes letting it sit for a half hour or so frees it. Sometimes only the reset button does anything,

How can I deal with this problem?

You can try a different mouse ... you can clean your existing mouse (if it's a ball mouse, take the all out and scrape all the encrusted 'tuff' off the rollers iside - if it's an optial mouse then make sure the sensors are clear) ... you can plug the mouse into a different machine.

In another post you say this machine is 9 years old ... it the mouse the same age? Is it PS2 or USB (round or flat plug?) ...

The trackball is only a few months old, and my pride and joy because it is optical, works amazingly smoothly, and has no rollers to get crudded up with link like my previous ones. Therefore it was above suspicion, even while I consciously discarded the possibility that it could be at fault.. Prodded by you, I discovered a few cracker crumbs that had insinuated themselves under the ball and over the light sensors. My face is very red, I'm sorry for bothering people, and very grateful for the prodding.

Dx

-- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

* Stan Goodman [05-23-11 14:05]:

No. It's a USB-connected Kensington trackball ("Expert Mouse".

Good luck with that. I have had two Kensington Trackballs and loved them both, but both failed after a couple of years and at the price I paid, I will not be having another..... -- (paka)Patrick Shanahan Plainfield, Indiana, USA HOG # US1244711 http://wahoo.no-ip.org Photo Album: http://wahoo.no-ip.org/gallery2 http://en.opensuse.org openSUSE Community Member Registered Linux User #207535 @ http://counter.li.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Monday 23 May 2011 at 23:35:37 (GMT+2) C wrote:

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 20:21, Stan Goodman wrote:

...

The trackball is only a few months old, and my pride and joy because it is optical, works amazingly smoothly, and has no rollers to get crudded up with link like my previous ones. Therefore it was above suspicion, even while I consciously discarded the possibility that it could be at fault.. Prodded by you, I discovered a few cracker crumbs that had insinuated themselves under the ball and over the light sensors. My face is very red, I'm sorry for bothering people, and very grateful for the prodding.

Ha... :-) Funny how a few cracker crumbs can cause you so much trouble. I'd say no worries. You raised a question about a problem we've all faced at one time or another. We all need a mental nudge once in a while. Look on it as a good thing. The members of this list are willing to jump in and lend a hand... even when it's cracker crumbs :-)

C.

One can view it as a design problem. The failure happened as it did because the photosensors are below the ball, so that gravity drives errant crumbs to cover them. If the sesors were _above_ the ball.... O, wait a minute.... I have to think this out. -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Tuesday 24 May 2011 at 00:58:18 (GMT+2) Patrick Shanahan wrote:

* Stan Goodman [05-23-11 16:41]:

...

One can view it as a design problem. The failure happened as it did because the photosensors are below the ball, so that gravity drives errant crumbs to cover them. If the sesors were _above_ the ball.... O, wait a minute.... I have to think this out.

You *could* mount the trackball to the ceiling...

YES, on gimbals bolted to the ceiling. Or suspended in a magnetic field, which is more elegant. One might need a ladder as a computer accesory, to allow using the device. Don't you see where this is going? The solution to the original problem may be to stop eating crackers near the computer. Or to pick up the ball from time to time to see what flotsam has got caught too near the sensors. -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On 2011/05/23 23:39 (GMT+0300) Stan Goodman composed:

One can view it as a design problem. The failure happened as it did because the photosensors are below the ball, so that gravity drives errant crumbs to cover them. If the sesors were _above_ the ball.... O, wait a minute.... I have to think this out.

I've bought several Kensington products over the past couple of decades or so. My newest one has a big hole at the lowest point, ostensibly to pass junk through and out of harms way, but its optical sensor is in a recess that looks like it's designed to capture as much junk as possible on its way down to the hole. Kensington products strike me as having been designed by direct descendants of the engineers of Lucas Electric during the '50's and '60's, the people responsible for the infamous failure-prone electrical systems of British cars of that period. OTOH, my Logitech trackballs all have holes at the nadirs though which most crumbs and other detritus fall out of harm's way. Their optical sensors are located closer to laterally than to the bottoms, and flush, so that there's nothing to catch junk on its way down to the holes. It's a shame there aren't more trackball designs to choose from. It seems there's at least 100 mouse designs for each trackball design, and most stores don't carry more than one or two at the most. The best trackballs (Logitech Marble FX), like the best keyboards (Northgate OmniKey 102), were last produced more than a decade ago, and cost more now on eBay than they did when new, if any can be found there at all. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Tuesday 24 May 2011 at 07:55:32 (GMT+2) Felix Miata wrote:

On 2011/05/23 23:39 (GMT+0300) Stan Goodman composed:

...

One can view it as a design problem. The failure happened as it did because the photosensors are below the ball, so that gravity drives errant crumbs to cover them. If the sesors were _above_ the ball.... O, wait a minute.... I have to think this out.

I've bought several Kensington products over the past couple of decades or so. My newest one has a big hole at the lowest point, ostensibly to pass junk through and out of harms way, but its optical sensor is in a recess that looks like it's designed to capture as much junk as possible on its way down to the hole. Kensington products strike me as having been designed by direct descendants of the engineers of Lucas Electric during the '50's and '60's, the people responsible for the infamous failure-prone electrical systems of British cars of that period.

Yes, I had an Austin 1100 back then, first car after I immigrated.

OTOH, my Logitech trackballs all have holes at the nadirs though which most crumbs and other detritus fall out of harm's way. Their optical sensors are located closer to laterally than to the bottoms, and flush, so that there's nothing to catch junk on its way down to the holes.

I am, on the other hand, a staunch defender of Kensington trackballs (despite the Kensington support "tech" who told me I could use the bundled software if I would run OS/2 under Windows). They were hard to clean, but they were very sturdy: I gave one at least 6 or 7 years old to a disabled friend because he had trouble manipulating a mouse. I am very happy with this (now de-crumbed) optical Kensington. On the other hand, I have had bad luck with Logitech marbles.

It's a shame there aren't more trackball designs to choose from. It seems there's at least 100 mouse designs for each trackball design, and most stores don't carry more than one or two at the most. The best trackballs (Logitech Marble FX), like the best keyboards (Northgate OmniKey 102), were last produced more than a decade ago, and cost more now on eBay than they did when new, if any can be found there at all.

I have two of the very expensive OmniKey 102, which were very nice until they after mere months. I have since been buying cheap keyboards, which have invariably lasted much longer and are not a big loss when they go. Much like the indestructable Ingersoll dollar watches of the 30s and 40s -- the only watches of the era that you could wear when swimming and that still worked. I'm sure there is a lesson in this. If I thought for a minute that I could fob the OmniKeys off on ebay... -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Tuesday 24 May 2011 at 11:10:15 (GMT+2) Doug wrote:

On 05/24/2011 01:19 AM, Stan Goodman wrote:

I *hate* mice. I have used a trackball since the first IBM PC. I think the Air Force invented the trackball, before there were any PCs, and they were right.

I dislike mice too. I have only one, for the laptop, because I don't know a trackball small enough to travel with. No, it was not USAF that invented the trackball, but MIT Lincoln Lab, for the SAGE project. They had no buttons, of course, and the balls were genuine billiard balls. They were not a stand-alone gadget, but were set into the console desktop behind which the display screen loomed. The console was for tracking aircraft/missiles -- which is why the trackball is so named to this day, Were it not for this use, surely the device would have some other name, for it doesn't really track anything in the usual PC case, certainly no more than a mouse does. -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

* Stan Goodman [05-24-11 01:21]:

I have two of the very expensive OmniKey 102, which were very nice until they after mere months.

I am still using an OmniKey 102 rebadged as a GateWay 2000, typing this very msg, but it came with a GateWay computer when they were excellent boxes (early '90s). -- (paka)Patrick Shanahan Plainfield, Indiana, USA HOG # US1244711 http://wahoo.no-ip.org Photo Album: http://wahoo.no-ip.org/gallery2 http://en.opensuse.org openSUSE Community Member Registered Linux User #207535 @ http://counter.li.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On 05/24/2011 01:09 AM, Basil Chupin wrote:

I still have a Logitech trackball sitting in the garage and the biggest hassle with it was the fact that the ball got covered by the oil etc from your fingers and therefore collected dust which then got transferred onto the roller-assembly. To get the thing to work properly meant using a pair of tweezers to get the gunk off the rollers and then also cleaning them as well as the ball with methylated spirits (denatured alcohol).

If you're talking about the thumb-ball style, I have two of those. I can't imagine using anything else without dismay. The old inset trackballs are a distant second, and I can put up with a mouse when I have to (I endure those stupid trackpads only because the manufacturers insist on putting them into laptops, and I can't always carry my trackball). I've never had any trouble at all cleaning out my Logitechs; turn it over, a gentle tap knocks the ball out, and all the gunk comes right out. This has gone on for at least 6 - 8 years. A gentle swipe at the ball with a dry cloth, press it back into its hole, and it's good for another year or two before it needs attention again. One unfortunate deterioration: the left switch on one of them is getting flaky. I'll have to get a new one soon, I guess. I noticed recently that they still have them. John Perry -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On 2011/05/24 08:40 (GMT-0400) Patrick Shanahan composed:

* Stan Goodman [05-24-11 01:21]:

...

I have two of the very expensive OmniKey 102, which were very nice until they after mere months.

I am still using an OmniKey 102 rebadged as a GateWay 2000, typing this very msg, but it came with a GateWay computer when they were excellent boxes (early '90s).

Is that a Gateway Anykey? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anykey That's the only left function key keyboard from Gateway I've ever heard of. OmniKey 102s only came with standard inverted T cursor keys. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Omnikey102p3248.jpg -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org