# Synaptics...  Gentoo-Sources 2.6.12-r6

## JSylvia007

I know i'm just being dumb here, but I cant find the Kernel option for my Synaptics touchpad on my Dell 700m.  If i do a 'dmesg' it says the following

```

Synaptics Touchpad, model: 1, fw: 6.2, id: 0xa560b1, caps: 0xa04713/0x0

input: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad on isa0060/serio1

```

My touchpad works fine if i use /dev/input/mice or /dev/input/mouse0

The problem comes in X...  I thought I was using the synaptics X driver... but upon closer inspection, i found this...

```

2326:(II) Synaptics touchpad driver version 0.14.2

2327:Synaptics no synaptics event device found (checked 14 nodes)

2328:Synaptics The evdev kernel module seems to be missing

2329-(**) Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"

2330-(**) Option "SHMConfig" "on"

2331:Query no Synaptics: 6003C8

2332:(EE) Synaptics no synaptics touchpad detected and no repeater device

2333:(EE) Synaptics Unable to query/initialize Synaptics hardware.

2334:(EE) PreInit failed for input device "Synaptics"

2335:(II) UnloadModule: "synaptics"

```

Here is the relevent xorg.conf entry:

```

26-Section "Module"

27-     Load    "dbe"

28-     Load    "extmod"

29-     Load    "fbdevhw"

30-     Load    "glx"

31-     Load    "record"

32-     Load    "freetype"

33-     Load    "type1"

34-     Load    "dri"

35:     Load    "synaptics"

36-EndSection

***

54-Section "InputDevice"

55:     Identifier      "Synaptics"

56:     Driver          "synaptics"

57-     Option          "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"

58-     Option          "Protocol" "auto-dev"

59-     Option          "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"

60-     Option          "SHMConfig" "on"

61-EndSection

```

Any help would be appreciated.  This thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sensative without the driver.

~Jake

----------

## jmk

Do you have your kernel set up correctly?

```
 CONFIG_INPUT_EVDEV=1
```

and are you using 

```
/dev/input/event1
```

for your device in Xorg?

I followed the gentoo-wiki HOWTO on http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_Synaptics_Touchpad with success.

----------

## JSylvia007

Yea...  I just realized that.  I figured I'd give one more look through the kernel config...  and i found it.  All is well...  Another thing is that because I am having problems with the vesafb-tng and X corrupting my terminal...  I've tried to switch back to just vesafb... but no matter what i select for vga= in my grub line, it wont take... still the plain old vga terminal...  Any help here would be appreciated.

~Jake

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## jmk

Glad you got the touchpad sorted.  :Very Happy: 

Now on to the framebuffer...

What does the entry for your kernel look like? What have you set for "video="?

Mine is 

```
video=radeonfb:ywrap,mtrr,1600x1200-32@60
```

 but i have a ATI card. 

Yours should probably say something like 

```
video=vesafb:ywrap,mtrr...
```

 As far as I know you switch between "standard" vesafb and vesafb-tng when making the kernel. So what do you have under 

```
Device Drivers > Graphics support:
```

in your kernel?

I have never had an issue with the framebuffer so I'm not totally sure on this myself.

----------

## JSylvia007

How did you know to use radeonfb??  Is there q guide I missed?  I think if i DON'T use vesafb, and instead use one of the INTEL ones..  I might not get the terminal corruption...  But I'm curious how you knew the name.

~Jake

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## jmk

Got it from here I think http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_fbsplash#ATI_Radeon

Do you have an Intel card?

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## JSylvia007

Yea...  I have an intel 855GM on my inspiron 700m...  I've been researching these things today...  but NOTHING i try works...  I've tried all combinations, and if i try to use the video=intelfb stuff in grub.. i don't get a fb console.  Yes, all the appropriate drivers are compiled into my kernel...  2.6.12-r6 gentoo-sources...  Anyone with a 700m have it working?

~Jake

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## jmk

The only intel framebuffer i know of is the i810fb. But the might be one for your card I don't know about.

As i said it's not my top subject. 

Have a look in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/ you'll find docs on many of the framebuffer devices there.

----------

## JSylvia007

yea... the intelfb is newer than i810... but i tried both, and neither work...

~Jake

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## fredgt

Is the synaptics driver in the kernel nowadays because you used to need to install it seperatly?

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## JSylvia007

No... as far as I know you still need to install it seperately... but you do need certain kernel settings in place for it to work correctly.

~Jake

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## jmk

JSylvia007:

A stupid question.... :Embarassed: 

Are you sure the framebuffer doesn't work? I mean that maybe you have the framebuffer running, maybe it's just the font resolution thats off?

I also read somewhere that the kernel framebuffer drivers don't like eachother. Do you have more than one installed?

fredgt:

Yes, as JSylvia007 wrote you must install it manually. It's in portage though so it's a doddle as usual.  :Very Happy: 

However you need eventhandler support in the kernel for it to be recognised. See the link to the the HOWTO a bit further up.

----------

## JSylvia007

I actually do have 2 installed... both intel fb's...  I could remove one...  I am pretty sure it's not loaded... I keep getting something like:

```
intelfb: Video Mode must be programmed at boot time
```

but its as a kernel argument...  It doesnt get anymore boot time than that...

~Jake

----------

## jmk

 *JSylvia007 wrote:*   

> I actually do have 2 installed...

 

Is the framebuffer compiled as a module?

Have a read of http://www.xfree86.org/~dawes/intelfb.html It looks like it could be your problem.

 *David Dawes wrote:*   

> If you have a non-CRT display (e.g., laptop LCD panel, or an external LCD panel connected via a DVI connector) active when the driver is loaded, it will refuse to load. To use the driver with non-CRT devices, the driver needs to be built in to the kernel, and the "vga=XXX" boot option used to program the video mode via the video BIOS at boot time.

 

----------

## JSylvia007

So... i think I've gotten farther in this intelfb issue.  I've recompiled my kernel with ONLY one framebuffer device, the intelfb.  Here is my dmesg output...  No matter what settings I try, I recieve this:

```

Kernel command line: root=/dev/hda7 vmalloc=256m vga=792 video=intelfb:1280x800-32@65,mtrr,vram=8

intelfb: intelfb_init

intelfb: Framebuffer driver for Intel(R) 830M/845G/852GM/855GM/865G/915G chipsets

intelfb: Version 0.9.2

intelfb: intelfb_setup

intelfb: options: 1280x800-32@65,mtrr,vram=8

intelfb: intelfb_pci_register

intelfb: fb aperture: 0xe8000000/0x8000000, MMIO region: 0xe0000000/0x80000

intelfb: 00:02.0: Intel(R) 855GME, aperture size 128MB, stolen memory 16252kB

intelfb: fb: 0xe8000000(+ 0x0)/0xfdf000 (0xf0e00000)

intelfb: MMIO: 0xe0000000/0x80000 (0xf8e80000)

intelfb: ring buffer: 0xe8fe0000/0x10000 (0xf1de0000)

intelfb: HW cursor: 0x2fd1a000/0x1000 (0xf1df0000) (offset 0xff0) (phys 0x2fd1a000)

intelfb: options: vram = 0, accel = 1, hwcursor = 1, fixed = 0, noinit = 0

intelfb: options: mode = "1280x800-32@65"

intelfb: Non-CRT device is enabled ( LVDS port ).  Disabling mode switching.

intelfb: Video mode must be programmed at boot time.

intelfb: cleanup

```

As you can see, all information is detected correctly.  You can also see my kernel line as:

```

root=/dev/hda7 vmalloc=256m vga=792 video=intelfb:1280x800-32@65,mtrr,vram=8

```

I believe the problem lies here, in this line:

```

intelfb: Video mode must be programmed at boot time.

```

~Jake

----------

## jmk

I'm all out of ideas mate.   :Sad: 

Did you have a read of the article I posted? Any success?

\\ Marcus

----------

