11.2 Upgrade on laptop successful - keyboard now ignored

After successfully completing an upgrade from 11.0 to 11.2 using the DVD, the laptop now boots to login screen but refuses to accept/read/recognise any key presses (incl. ctl-atl combinations etc.).

It recognises the trackpad but not the USB mouse.

This is my main work machine and I need to have it operational ASAP. Any ideas why it has gone strange? :frowning:

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

This keyboard issue is specific to your hardware. What laptop brand/model do you have? I’m assuming no keyboard response via desktop?

Try booting up in runlevel 3 (text console mode). Type ‘3’ at grub menu, then press [Enter].

You may be able to configure the keyboard with

Xorg -configure

from console (as root).

It is a Compaq Presario V2000 which has been happily running 11.0 for almost 2 years with no similar problems.

How do I get to the grub menu from the splash screen?

when this page comes up as you boot your computer

http://www.thomasguymer.co.uk/tutorials/opensuse-11-1-guide/boot_loader.png

in case the image won’t link here is the link here for a visual

http://www.thomasguymer.co.uk/tutorials/opensuse-11-1-guide/boot_loader.png

down on that one line there where it says boot options. You can always put in new options as you start up the computer. In this case you put in the number 3 as the previous person stated. This will boot you into run level 3 as a start up option. Placing you at the command line.

After that you can try out the advice you were given

Does your keyboard totally unresponsive or when you type the password something else is appearing?

The keyboard works up until the boot sequence completes and the login screen appears. At that time the system just ignores all keypresses (nothing appears at all) and the external USB mouse. The on-board trackpad and keys still work.

I booted in runlevel 3 as suggested and ran “Xorg -configure”. That spent a lot of time loading graphics modules and then aborted with error code 11.

Next idea please.

Thanks for the explanation about the boot screen. I was able to boot into runlevel 3 but not fix the problem yet. See previous post for details.

I am having a similar problem, except that I have installed OpenSuSE 11.2 in a VirtualBox instance. For some reason, when I boot in, the mouse works until KDM fires up and I get the login screen. At that point, neither my mouse or keyboard works. If I boot into run level 3, I can run Xorg -configure, and it generates a new config file. However, if I then run X -config <name_of_config_file>, I get a black screen and no keyboard or mouse input.

Looks like some sort of X problem.

After running “Xorg -configure”, do you get any file with the name xorg.cong.new ?

Once you get the xorg.conf.new file, copy it into the X11 directory as xorg.conf and try “init 5”. The command you used is not working for me too.

cp xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
init 5

11.2 no longer totally relies on xorg.conf it may be best to simply try renaming it and run with out the file and see if the new stuff picks up the keyboard. Since you upgraded rather then did a new install the old xorg.conf may not be right. You can always name it back. You can also run yast from the command line and see if you can find a keyboard spec that works.

No. I do have a Xorg.conf file and the keyboard section is as follows:

Section “InputDevice”
Driver: “kbd”
Identifier: “Keyboard[0]”
Option: “Protocol” “Standard”
Option: “XkbLayout” “us”
Option: “XkbModel” “presario”
Option: “XkbRules” “xfree86”
EndSection

Also, when I do a hardware query i get the following:

> /usr/sbin/hwinfo --keyboard

14: PS/2 00.0: 10800 Keyboard
[Created at input.161]
Unique ID: nLyy.+49ps10DtUF
Hardware Class: keyboard
Model: “AT Translated Set 2 keyboard”
Vendor: 0x0001
Device: 0x0001 “AT Translated Set 2 keyboard”
Compatible to: int 0x0211 0x0001
Device File: /dev/input/event0
Device Files: /dev/input/event0, /dev/char/13:64, /dev/input/by-path/platofrm-i8042-serio-0-event-kbd
Device Number: 13:64
Driver Info #0:
XkbRules: xfree86
XkbModel: pc104
Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

On that last line, “need=no” - should I be worried by that?

Good idea, however that returns the same result with the added feature of now ignoring the mouse trackpad as well.

I will try the YAST idea next.

xconf.org is not needed in the latest X. However, if you have problems auto-detecting everything or if you have problems with the auto-detected configuration, you have to use an xorg.conf file to tweak the settings.

In your keyboard section, just put minimal information and try first:

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"      
EndSection

You can use the following command to create an auto-detected configuration:

init 3
Xorg -configure

This will create a file named xorg.conf.new
Copy that file to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Tweak it as you like it and then, test it.

init 5

I have tried booting without a xorg.conf but that doesn’t work either.

Tried that but made no difference.

I’ve already tried that (as root) and it doesn’t work. The configure command aborts with an error message something like this:

> Xorg -configure
X.ORG X Server 1.6.5
Release Date: 2009-10-11 
.
.
.
(WW) xf86OpenConsole: setsid failed: Operation not permitted
.
.
.
(list of video driver loading skipped)

Backtrace:
0: Xorg(xorg_backtrace+0x37) [0x81396c7]
1: Xorg
2: [0xffffe400]
3: /usr/lib/xorg/modules//drivers/via_drv.so [0xb6b965d4]
4: Xorg ]
5: Xorg(xf86LoadModules+0xbe) [0x80af08e]
6: Xorg(DoConfigure+0x75) [0x80cdd95]
7: Xorg(InitOutput+0x17c) [0x80b0d6c]
8: Xorg(main+0x1cb) [0x8071dbb]
9: /lib/libc.so.6(_libc_start_main+0xfe) [0x7297ace]
10: Xorg [0x8071451]

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting

The laptop worked fine under 11.0 and there were no error messages when I did the upgrade to 11.2.
It has me puzzled indeed.

I upgraded my laptop from 11.1 to 11.2. I had a similar problem until I restarted. Everything was fine then. I went home and did my home machine, and it happened again. Now my home machine will not reply to ps2 keyboard, ps2 mouse, or usb mouse. BTW, I ran the repair options from the dvd, no help. I tried to run in failsafe, no help. I guess the only thing left is reinstall?

Whenever I did upgrade, I had few major issues like this to fix. So, nowadays, I don’t do upgrades. I keep a separate home partition and always install fresh by keeping the home partition intact.
From the error messsages, I feel that there is something seriously wrong with X. If your home partition is separate and if you don’t have too many other system level configuration, it is better to do a re-install.

yeh if you used the “upgrade” option in the openSUSE DVD, it will definately cause issues.
It did something similar on my machine so i started over.

Thank you one and all for your advice.

I finally gave up and did a clean new install (after backing up my home partition first).

It now works perfectly and my home partition survived intact, although it will take me a while to re-install the various applications I need.

Thanks again for your help.