• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Help with new USB keyboard and mouse in Linux.

S

Swanny

Diamond Member
Hello all,

I just got a USB KVM switch. I have it setup and working with my 2 win2k comps, but Mr. Linux doesn't want to work. It was using PS/2 for both the mouse and keyboard before. When it boots up, I can use the keyboard to get into the BIOS fine. But then it comes up as detecting hardware in a DOS-like window about halfway through the boot. The problem is, it won't let me do any input through my keyboard. I've tried keeping the old KB/mouse plugged in, which lets me input, but when it says USB keyboard detected and I hit configure, it just goes to a plain black screen and I assume semi-crashes there. I have to hit ctrl-alt-del to get out of it.


Anyone have ideas?


Thanks,
Swan
 
Depending on your Linux distribution (RedHat, Mandrake, Debian, other), you may have to upgrade your kernel to include USB functionality by adding the appropriate modules.

-SUO
 
I don't have much experiance with USB keyboards....

Sometimes a old PC won't boot properly without a keyboard plugged into the keyboard slot....

I run a USB mouse and it is a bit off a pain to get going, but it runs well right now.

8.2 seems new enough to have USB in the stock kernel, so you probably need to give some more info in order for someone tto figure it out.

What steps have you done try and get the keyboard configured? When the screen goes blank are in X windows or console? Does the keyboard work a any time at all? do the led lights work on the keyboard or flash or do anything? Do you use the USB for anything other than keyboard or mouse (so ww know that at least the USB is doing something....)? Did you do ctrl-alt-delete with your usb keyboard or ps/2 keyboard (i am asuming your ps/2 keyboard)?

otherwise try e-mailing Mandrake support and give them as much details as you can muster and maybe they will help you out... that i think would be the best hope, since you are using their usb hotplug automated stuf.f

good luck
 
well i never used usb at linux but when i need to, the very first thing i'll do is reading ... howtos and kernel recompiling ...

you did all that right ? 🙂

matheus
 
Originally posted by: drag
I don't have much experiance with USB keyboards....

Sometimes a old PC won't boot properly without a keyboard plugged into the keyboard slot....

I run a USB mouse and it is a bit off a pain to get going, but it runs well right now.

8.2 seems new enough to have USB in the stock kernel, so you probably need to give some more info in order for someone tto figure it out.

What steps have you done try and get the keyboard configured? When the screen goes blank are in X windows or console? Does the keyboard work a any time at all? do the led lights work on the keyboard or flash or do anything? Do you use the USB for anything other than keyboard or mouse (so ww know that at least the USB is doing something....)? Did you do ctrl-alt-delete with your usb keyboard or ps/2 keyboard (i am asuming your ps/2 keyboard)?

otherwise try e-mailing Mandrake support and give them as much details as you can muster and maybe they will help you out... that i think would be the best hope, since you are using their usb hotplug automated stuf.f

good luck
Click to expand...

Ok, I only thing I've done to try to get it configured is when it auto detects the keyboard. This is during the OS boot, when it says detecting new hardware. The screen goes blank after I choose to have it configure the keyboard. I presume this is the console, since it definately isn't in X. The keyboard works in the BIOS, but not once the OS start booting. The lights on the keyboard do not work once the OS starts booting. Both USB keyboard and mouse are plugged in. That's it for USB. The ctrl-alt-del was with the PS/2 keyboard.



Thanks,
Swan

 
ok...

If you are in text mode (console) and everything gets screwy (garbled characters or blank screen) and it still seem to be responding you can get it back to normal by typing in "stty sane" and enter (no quotes) and it will go back to normal, try that a couple times. Linux is kinda funny when it comes to the console. It treats you keyboard/mouse and monitor as if they are hooked up to a terminal to the computer. Like in the olden days when everybody had to share a mainframe and use dumb terminals to access it. You get a few special rights by being on a the local machine (like the ctrl+alt+del activating the boot up sequence).

In the past I have configured my own "dumb" terminal out of a 486 DOS and kermit ( <---- terminal program I used it when I was a little kid to surf the internet, all text....) and hooked it up thru a serial cable to get remote access so that I could control my computer while I played on Quake III online.

If you have another computer on your network you can ussualy (90% percent of the time) get into you Linux box by using telnet (or ssh) and then you can kill whatever program has screwed up you computer or safely reboot it. (Telnet from a windows box----> goto a DOS prompt type: "telnet 192.168.1.1" (or whatever the linux box's ip address is...).) You can find your linux's box's ip address by typing in: "ifconfig" and enter at the shell prompt.



OK.... next up.

Tell it to disregard setting up new hardware when it comes to autodetecting your keyboard. Let it boot up normally and make sure everything is running fine. Have you ever gotton your mouse to work properly? Doesn't anything on the USB work? or is just the keyboard....

Alrighty. If you have USB support compiled into your kernel (you should if you are using a stock kernal). And everything is working fine then you can try a program called: kbdconfig

It is a terminal program that will help you configure you keyboard. I found this on Redhat's website but I do beleive that Mandrake has it at least in a rpm. And if you are lucky then it is already on your computer. I don't have this program (I use Slackware), but it may help you.

hope that helps ya.


 
oh pst... If it automaticly goes into autoconfigure mode don't plug in the keyboard untill after it boots all the way up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top