I currently have 2 desktop computers. One has two hard drives, one
with linux redhat and the other with windows xp home. the other
computer has two hard drives as well, one with suse linux server and
the other with windows xp pro. my problem is simple yet complicated.
i have both the computers connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i am
switch from one computer to the next with windows runnin on both
computers, everything is fine, but if i have windows up on one computer
and switch to the other that is running linux, the mouse is eratic.
the slightest movement causes the curser to fly everywhere on the
screen and randomly select things. I am using a wireless keyboard and
mouse. the keyboard continues to work correctly but the mouse does
not. i have tried slecting different mouse options from the setup and
nothing tends to work. could the problem be that the mouse is
wireless? Any suggestions or help would work great. it has done this
with both redhat, and SuSE. When i start the computer up with that
computer having focus, the mouse works jsut fine. I hope someone can
help. thanks

DanSchlim@gmail.com wrote:
> I currently have 2 desktop computers. One has two hard drives, one
> with linux redhat and the other with windows xp home. the other
> computer has two hard drives as well, one with suse linux server and
> the other with windows xp pro. my problem is simple yet complicated.
> i have both the computers connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i
> am switch from one computer to the next with windows runnin on both
> computers, everything is fine, but if i have windows up on one
> computer and switch to the other that is running linux, the mouse is
> eratic. the slightest movement causes the curser to fly everywhere on
> the screen and randomly select things. I am using a wireless
> keyboard and mouse. the keyboard continues to work correctly but the
> mouse does not. i have tried slecting different mouse options from
> the setup and nothing tends to work. could the problem be that the
> mouse is wireless? Any suggestions or help would work great. it has
> done this with both redhat, and SuSE. When i start the computer up
> with that computer having focus, the mouse works jsut fine. I hope
> someone can help. thanks

This looks like an old problem. The Linux kernel tries to keep an eye on the
mouse, to reset it if you disconnect or connect a new mouse, and really
cheap KVM's do a poor job of pretending that the mouse is connected. I've
had some success with several options, but the most successful one was to
switch to a USB KVM and mouse/keyboard combination.

Nico Kadel-Garcia wrote:
> DanSchlim@gmail.com wrote:
> > I currently have 2 desktop computers. One has two hard drives, one
> > with linux redhat and the other with windows xp home. the other
> > computer has two hard drives as well, one with suse linux server and
> > the other with windows xp pro. my problem is simple yet complicated.
> > i have both the computers connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i
> > am switch from one computer to the next with windows runnin on both
> > computers, everything is fine, but if i have windows up on one
> > computer and switch to the other that is running linux, the mouse is
> > eratic. the slightest movement causes the curser to fly everywhere on
> > the screen and randomly select things. I am using a wireless
> > keyboard and mouse. the keyboard continues to work correctly but the
> > mouse does not. i have tried slecting different mouse options from
> > the setup and nothing tends to work. could the problem be that the
> > mouse is wireless? Any suggestions or help would work great. it has
> > done this with both redhat, and SuSE. When i start the computer up
> > with that computer having focus, the mouse works jsut fine. I hope
> > someone can help. thanks
>
> This looks like an old problem. The Linux kernel tries to keep an eye on the
> mouse, to reset it if you disconnect or connect a new mouse, and really
> cheap KVM's do a poor job of pretending that the mouse is connected. I've
> had some success with several options, but the most successful one was to
> switch to a USB KVM and mouse/keyboard combination.


Thanks, I got that switch from work. It was an older one that we
werent going to use anymore. the problem is that I dont want to drop
themoney to buy one just yet. So basically what you are saying is that
buying a newer ps/2 kvm switch or switching it to a usb switch should
work and help me to be problem free?

Nico Kadel-Garcia wrote:
> DanSchlim@gmail.com wrote:
> > I currently have 2 desktop computers. One has two hard drives, one
> > with linux redhat and the other with windows xp home. the other
> > computer has two hard drives as well, one with suse linux server and
> > the other with windows xp pro. my problem is simple yet complicated.
> > i have both the computers connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i
> > am switch from one computer to the next with windows runnin on both
> > computers, everything is fine, but if i have windows up on one
> > computer and switch to the other that is running linux, the mouse is
> > eratic. the slightest movement causes the curser to fly everywhere on
> > the screen and randomly select things. I am using a wireless
> > keyboard and mouse. the keyboard continues to work correctly but the
> > mouse does not. i have tried slecting different mouse options from
> > the setup and nothing tends to work. could the problem be that the
> > mouse is wireless? Any suggestions or help would work great. it has
> > done this with both redhat, and SuSE. When i start the computer up
> > with that computer having focus, the mouse works jsut fine. I hope
> > someone can help. thanks
>
> This looks like an old problem. The Linux kernel tries to keep an eye on the
> mouse, to reset it if you disconnect or connect a new mouse, and really
> cheap KVM's do a poor job of pretending that the mouse is connected. I've
> had some success with several options, but the most successful one was to
> switch to a USB KVM and mouse/keyboard combination.


Thanks, I got that switch from work. It was an older one that we
werent going to use anymore. the problem is that I dont want to drop
themoney to buy one just yet. So basically what you are saying is that
buying a newer ps/2 kvm switch or switching it to a usb switch should
work and help me to be problem free?

DanSchlim@gmail.com writes:

>> my problem is simple yet complicated. i have both the computers
>> connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i am switch from one computer
>> to the next with windows runnin on both computers, everything is fine,
>> but if i have windows up on one computer and switch to the other that is
>> running linux, the mouse is eratic. the slightest movement causes the
>> curser to fly everywhere on the screen and randomly select things.

> This looks like an old problem. The Linux kernel tries to keep an eye on the
> mouse, to reset it if you disconnect or connect a new mouse, and really
> cheap KVM's do a poor job of pretending that the mouse is connected.

Most Belkin PS/2 KVMs have that problem. If you can reach the switch try
unplugging it from and plugging it back into the switch. That should reset
the Linux side, as it loses the mouse and re-finds it. Once in a blue moon
you may lose the mouse on the WinXX side.

Not convenient, but workable. If your windows machine is running XP Pro,
instead of switching try accessing it via Remote Desktop.

-- HASM

I had a similar problem, not with a wireless, but with a 5 button
wheel mouse. For me, I had the problem both directions with Linux and
XP, both would go crazy with the mouse at times. I am also using a
Belkin ps/2 kvm. I found that things work relatively well, if when
booting a system, I leave the kvm pointed to that system until the
boot is complete. After that I can switch between systems without
problems. It may be superstition, but it seems to work for me.

-Chris

DanSchlim@gmail.com wrote:
> I currently have 2 desktop computers. One has two hard drives, one
> with linux redhat and the other with windows xp home. the other
> computer has two hard drives as well, one with suse linux server and
> the other with windows xp pro. my problem is simple yet complicated.
> i have both the computers connected by a 4 port ps\2 switch. when i am
> switch from one computer to the next with windows runnin on both
> computers, everything is fine, but if i have windows up on one computer
> and switch to the other that is running linux, the mouse is eratic.
> the slightest movement causes the curser to fly everywhere on the
> screen and randomly select things. I am using a wireless keyboard and
> mouse. the keyboard continues to work correctly but the mouse does
> not. i have tried slecting different mouse options from the setup and
> nothing tends to work. could the problem be that the mouse is
> wireless? Any suggestions or help would work great. it has done this
> with both redhat, and SuSE. When i start the computer up with that
> computer having focus, the mouse works jsut fine. I hope someone can
> help. thanks
>
I have a belkin 4 port KVM and have had the same problem. If you add the
following argument to your kernel line in your grub or lilo .conf file
it will fix the problem. This has worked with different versions of both
RedHat and SuSE. kernel ..... psmouse.proto=bare I found this fix a
couple of years ago and it has always worked on my Linux systems. About
two months ago while switching through the machines my lone XP Home
machine had the same problem as the Linux machines used to. Does anyone
know of a way to fix the Windoz besides installing Linux. I still need
the doze for one program I need to run.