Linux mandrake 7.2

Mandrake 7.2 is pretty old. It may not have the driver needed for your touch pad built in to it (I haven't run 7.2 in quite a while and don't really remember). Have you considered downloading and installing Mandrake 9.1 or 9.2 (latest)?

I'm running 9.1 on my Inspiron 5100 and the touchpad works fine. The installer found it and set it up automatically when I did the install. The utility /usr/sbin/harddrake2 tells me that it looks like a standard ps/2 mouse and knows it as /dev/psaux. YMMV.

Further, it sounds like your X display server isn't running. That may be so because the installer set your system to start at run level 3 (multiusers, networking, etc) as opposed to runlevel 5 (runlevel 3 plus graphical login, X server up always). Additionally, the installer may or may not have set up the X display configuration correctly.

If you are at runlevel 3 and your system is correctly set up, running /usr/X11R6/bin/startx at the command line will start your xserver. Logging out of the X server will return you to the command line, at which point you can log out of your system entirely.

If your system is not correctly configured, startx will abort. If memory serves, the right tool to configure your display server and characterize your monitor (well, really your LCD) is /usr/X11R6/bin/xf86config. You'll need to run it as root. It will set up your system 's display configuration in /usr/X11/XF86Config based on your menu choices. You'll need to know which display chip your laptop has, the display screen type and maximum resolution, your keyboard type, and your mouse/touchpad type. You can use harddrake and your laptop manual to help you discover this information. If the configuration tool successfully configures your Xserver/Monitor combination, you can then run the startx command. If not, you'll need to set up XF86Config by hand or tweak the results you got. See the FAQ in this list for more details and use man XF86Config to learn more about it. You can also find a wealth of information by googling on XF86Config.

Getting the display right is one of the most frustrating things about setting up Linux when the automatic tools don't do it for you. Don't give up! You can get through it and do it - you just have to be persistent.

---

@gryjhnhpe wrote:
Sorry , just checked I have Mandrake 9.2 also.

---

Well, that's excellent news! The tools in 9.2 are much more advanced. Mandrake 9.2 is very similar to 9.1, which I run now. I'll turn off X-windows, see what I can discover (I've grown lazy and mostly use the GUI these days), then post again with a how-to (if I can figure it out). In the meantime, I did happen to check and found that the old tools I mentioned in my previous post are still available in the directories indicated. Nothing quite like supporting legacy stuff, eh? ;-) All the Unices are like that. Anyway, try the old tools now, if you like.

DaCAP.

Well! Here's some good news. It looks like all the new Mandrake tools in the 9.X series create curses-based full screen menus if X-windows isn't available. They're just as easy to use as the GUI displays when X-windows is available.

I rebooted into runlevel 3, then started experimenting. Using the Linux virtual terminals feature, I kept a journal of what I did to configure my mouse and display. I'll cut and paste it below. Being a good engineer, it is a step-by-step description of each detail, so it's kinda boring to read - but you'll have no doubt about what to do next!

Cheers,

DaCAP.

=======================================================================
1. First, I copyied my /etc/X11/XF86Config and /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
files to *.saved versions so I could recover in case of disaster.

2. Ran /usr/sbin/drakconf. This brought up a full-screen
curses-based program that had a menu saying "control center."

- Ran the "display configuration" then tabbed to the "OK"
button and
activated by hitting the space bar (return also works)
- this brought up the XFDrake curses-based program that allows
one to choose the display card, monitor, etc. It displayed a
menu titled "XFDrake."

- I highlighted the graphic card line, tabbed to the "Do" button, and
activated by pressing the space bar - this brought up a list of
possible graphics cards (well, really X servers) from which I could
choose.

- I selected the server with my display chip name, tabbed to the "OK"
button, and pressed the space bar
- this returned me to XFDrake which then showed my new server
selection.

- I then used the arrow keys to highlight the monitor line. I tabbed to
the "Do" button and selected w/spacebar - that brought up a monitor
menu.

- Using the arrow keys, I highlighted my monitor. I tabbed to the "OK"
button and selected w/spacebar
- that returned me to the XFDrake menu which then showed my
monitor selection.

- Using the usual keys, I selected the resolution line and pressed "Do"
- that brought up the Resolutions menu.

- I selected my desired resolution of 1280x1024 and the color level of
24 bits.
- Pressing the "OK" button returned me to XFDrake which then
displayed my desired resolution.

- I then highlighted the "test" line and selected "Do"
- it started the server then displayed a rainbow pattern
background and a graphical dialog box asking whether the
display was correct. I used the arrow keys to choose "yes."
NOTES:
(1) The test has a timer and will terminate with "No"
automatically upon timeout.
(2) Upon completion, the test returns you to the XFDrake
menu.

- If you didn't get a successful test here, lather, rinse, repeat.

- I then highlighted the "Options" line and selected "Do"
- thisI brought up a dialog asking if I wanted to start X-windows
at boot time. If you say yes, it configures your system to
enter runlevel 5 upon a successful boot. If you answer no,
it configures your system to enter runlevel 3 at boot time.

- I then tabbed to the "Quit" button and pressed it using the return.
- the drakconf program terminated and returned me to the command
line.

3. Also using the drakconf program, I set up my mouse by selecting the "Mouse
Configuration" menu item using the keys noted above. Unfortunately, there isn't
a test option involved. You'll have to spin up X-windows to tell if you got it
right. There are a lot of choices - I use both the ps2 option for the touchbad
and USB for a small USB mouse I sometimes use with my portable. Mandrake
obligingly uses the ps2 touchpad if my USB mouse isn't plugged in at boot time.


3. I then checked my ability to start x-windows by entering startx at the
console - X-windows came up with the default display manager I had selected.
It looks like I made good choices for the X-server, display, and mouse.



Notes and Recommendations:

A. I recommend using one display manager (say, KDE) for root and another (say,
Gnome) for your regular user account. This helps me remember I'm running as
root and that I can easily screw things up if I'm not careful!

B. Don't set it up for runlevel 5 until your X-windows system runs reliably!
It can be tough to straighten out.

C. Be sure you know your hardware before you start using drakconf. You'll
waste a lot of time making wrong choices otherwise.