# Synaptics touchpad help? (compaq 12xl400)  Kernel 2.6

## spectre_240sx

I'm using kernel 2.6.0-test9 at the moment and I've got support for synaptics touchpads compiled into the kernel. Dmesg shows the drivers loading and recognizing the touchpad but i'm not getting any mouse capabilities in the console and the touchpad isn't quite working correctly in Gnome. I really don't care about the mouse in the console, just thought that would be useful informationl, but as far as Gnome goes, I'd really like it to be seen as a touchpad rather than just a mouse because it's been a little bit annoying having it be so overly sensitive (no support for palm detection or multiple finger detection, etc.) I know there are drivers for Gnome to help it work with touchpads, but 1) I'm still a bit new to linux and I'm not sure how driver installs go with desktop environments (aren't drivers supposed to be kernel or module level?) and 2) I wasn't sure, since I have support compiled into the kernel, whether or not I needed to download the driver package for the touchpad or not.

Cliff's Notes:

Touchpad working in compatibility mode in Gnome

Need help getting full functionality

Support compiled into kernel 2.6 for Synaptics Touchpad

Poster is a Newb who writes posts that are way too long.

Thanks in advance  :Smile: 

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## zeruel

from the help note in menuconfig

```

Say Y here if you have a Synaptics TouchPad connected to your system.   

This touchpad is found on many modern laptop computers. 

 

Note that you also need a user space driver to interpret the data

generated by the kernel. A compatible driver for XFree86 is available

from http://w1.894.telia.com/~u89404340/touchpad/index.html

```

i went to above link, follwed instructions and my touchpad worked great (scrolling at sides etc)

i dont use gnome though.

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## kamilian

Heh, just beat me to it!

I found I had issues trying to use the kernel driver and get everything working, so I tried it without and everything seems to work fine now using 2.6.0-test6-mm4

I'm using a USB optical mouse as well as a Synaptics touchpad. They are both working in console (gpm Version 1.20.1) and in X (XFree86 Version 4.3.99.14). I'm running this on an Asus L5800C laptop.

Here are my relevant files:

```
usr/src/linux/.config

CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV=y

CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV_PSAUX=y

CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV_SCREEN_X=1400

CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV_SCREEN_Y=1050

CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSE=y

CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2=y

# CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_SYNAPTICS is not set

# CONFIG_MOUSE_SERIAL is not set

# CONFIG_MOUSE_INPORT is not set

# CONFIG_MOUSE_LOGIBM is not set

# CONFIG_MOUSE_PC110PAD is not set

# CONFIG_BUSMOUSE is not set
```

Note: The kernel Synaptics driver is not compiled/loaded.

```
/etc/X11/XF86Config

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier  "Usb Optical Mouse"

    Driver      "mouse"

    Option "Protocol"    "IMPS/2"

    Option "Device"      "/dev/input/mice"

    Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

#    Option "Resolution"        "256"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"

    Driver     "mouse"

    Option "Protocol"    "IMPS/2"

    Option     "Device"        "/dev/psaux"

#    Option     "MinX"          "1412"

#    Option     "MaxX"          "15184"

#    Option     "MinY"          "15372"

#    Option     "MaxY"          "1230"

#    Option     "ScreenNumber"  "0"

#    Option     "ReportingMode" "Scaled"

#    Option     "ButtonNumber"  "1"

    Option     "SendCoreEvents"

EndSection
```

I haven't needed to change anything, it seems to work well enough just enabling the device. This touchpad has a couple of buttons for a scroll wheel which I haven't bothered to set up yet.

```
/etc/conf.d/gpm

MOUSE=imps2

MOUSEDEV=/dev/input/mice

RESPONSIVENESS=25

APPEND="-l \"a-zA-Z0-9_.:~/\300-\326\330-\366\370-\377\" -g 1 -A 60"
```

Both mice work fine in console.

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## klarnox

Here's how I setup my synaptics touchpad with kernel 2.6.0-testxx

In XF86Config under Section "Module"

```
Load  "synaptics"
```

Then for the Input Device:

```
Section "InputDevice"

    Identivier "Mouse1"

    Driver "synaptics"

    Option "Protocol" "Auto-dev"

    Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"

    Option "LeftEdge" "1900"

    Option "RightEdge" "5400"

    Option "BottomEdge" "1900"

    Option "TopEdge" "3900"

    Option "FingerLow" "25"

    Option "FingerHigh" "30"

    Option "MaxTapTime" "180"

    Option "MaxTapMove" "220"

    Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"

    Option "MinSpeed" "0.02"

    Option "MaxSpeed" "0.18"

    Option "AccelFactor" "0.0010"

EndSection
```

This was originally from the website the kernel points you to, but the info seems to have been removed from the site now.

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## hulk2nd

i you have an alps pointing device then you have to patch your kernel and use a little other xconfig.

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## spectre_240sx

Excellent! Thanks very much for the help. I guess I should have looked closer at the help section of the kernel config, lol. Anyway, I don't have time to fix it right now, but i'll definately post an update when I do. Thanks again!  :Smile: 

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## Hendry

Does this configuration also work for a 2.4 kernel   :Question: 

I have a Compaq Armada E500 laptop by the way   :Wink: 

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## klarnox

Should work the same for the 2.4 kernel as long as you apply the synaptics patch to it.

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## kung.foo

Does APM suspend with any of those solutions you guys recommend?

If I compile the brandnew kernel-2.6-final sources from scratch (yes the ARE out  :Smile: ) and enable the synaptics driver, APM supend does not work anymore. There has been a patch somewhere to fix this for the beta kernels, but since it's final I tought it must've been fixed...

Any ideas?

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