Troubleshooting USB ports and BIOS setting

[zlim]

I have an HP notebook, running 2K and PCLinux, with two USB ports. When I go into the BIOS for the mouse, I have two choices involving the USB ports: auto or both.Also, the USB ports are never shut down to save power. That would be another issue for me because I'd think the port was bad.When I choose auto: if a PS/2 mouse is used, the touchpad is turned off (I have no way to turn it on using the toggle switch on the touchpad) and any USB devices I plug in, freeze the computer. If I want to use USB devices, I have to plug them in while the computer is turned off.Note: this is the computer that I've tried to use with both a USB mouse (corded and cordless) and a USB to PS/2 adapter and can't under linux - linux will freeze during loading. (That's under auto and both). The only mouse that appears to work for linux is a corded PS/2 one.If I choose both: I can use a PS/2 mouse and turn the touchpad off and on to use both devices, USB devices are able to be plugged in and used while the computer is running but the scroll wheel on my mouse no longer works in windows and in my browser. Also, I haven't tested it but I think linux will also freeze while trying to load. I believe that's why I switched to auto.As you can see either setting I choose seems to give me problems. I'll keep playing around with the BIOS and the various different mice in the hopes that I can get a) both windows and linux to load all USB devices to be able to be plugged in while the computer is running and c) the mouse wheel will enable scrolling.Meanwhile if anyone has some other suggestions, throw them my way. I promise to try them.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Well it seems like the notebook decides what it likes on a whim.I now have a corded PS/2 mouse plugged in. It is set to both and USB is no longer hot pluggable. Now it freezes the computer. I can't win.When I fire up TC2 (PCLinux), it will only use the touchpad - it refuses to set up a mouse. I'm going to boot another distro because I'm sure I used a mouse. I do not like to have to use a touchpad.If I change from both to auto, TC2 freezes loading when I select verbose mode. If I do not select verbose mode - it freezes at about the same % loaded.So ignore what I said above about both allowing USB hot plugged. It did earlier in the day and now it doesn't!

Edited April 13, 2007 by zlim

[b2cm]

What model is this? Is there a manual somewhere that provides information about BIOS settings?It looks like you are having system resource issues. The first thing that you should try, if there's a BIOS option for it, is to turn ACPI on. If not, we may need to resolve the device conflicts (IRQs) manually. As for Linux, you try other boot modes (noacpi or something).'Auto' means the BIOS will try to detect USB devices plugged to the USB ports and, if any is detected, enable that port. If you want to use a port, plug a device before you start. If you don't, the port will be disabled and an operating system dependent on BIOS will not see it.'Both' means the BIOS enables the ports at startup.

Edited April 13, 2007 by b2cm

[zlim]

The notebokk is a Pavilion N5470I'll check on acpi.I have 4 choices in the BIOS besides exit: Main, System Devices, Security and BootI don't see anything about acpi. I'll look to see what it is and where I may hope to find it.Here's the link to a download for the manual http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualC...mp;lang=en&I think I might have this on the CD.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I opened Device Manager and under Computer it says Advanced Configuration and Power Interface; It says it is working properly. The driver loaded is from MS v 5.0.2183.1 11/14/1999~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Today, set to both, USB devices are hot pluggable. Last night the computer kept freezing.The scroll wheel on the mouse still doesn't work (PS/2 wired). I checked another computer that also has a no-name wired PS/2 scroll wheel mouse that works and the drivers appear exactly the same. (Both computers list in control panel PS/2 Compatible Mouse) I've removed and let windows find the mouse a few times and I still have no scrolling. I'm able to click the wheel and get a circle - if I move the cursor down, I get an auto scroll. If I look in control panel, it shows a two-button mouse so there is no setting to get to the wheel. Just to confuse the issue, on the computer with the working scroll wheel, it too shows a 2 button mouse but the scroll wheel works.The other two computers are on a KVM switch with a cordless Logitch mouse - so I haven't tried to bring them into the picture.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The scroll wheel does not work on two different PS/2 mice I tried whether I am working with the BIOS set to auto or both. I know it did work. I'm still trying to figure out what changed.The scroll wheel works on two different USB mice whether I have the BIOS set to auto or both.Bottom line: in windows, I need to use a USB mouse set to both because I want to be able to scroll and I want all my USB devices to be plugnplay.Next, I'll tackle linux.

Edited April 13, 2007 by zlim

[b2cm]

I downloaded the reference from the link you provided. I'm not sure this is the correct manual as I couldn't find the setting for USB you've been playing around. Anyway, the manual says that all PCI devices use IRQ10 and IRQ11, that's to say the video controller, USB controller, modem, network controller are sharing these resources (check System Information for details on IRQ and sharing). Those system hangs may be caused by device conflicts in the use of these IRQs. This problem can be addressed in several ways.One is to disable some devices to give preferred devices the IRQ. For example, if the network controller and USB controller/s share IRQ10 and you connect to the internet using the modem, you disable the network controller so the USB controller/s alone uses the interrupt. However, this is possible only if the BIOS gives you the option to disable devices. Another is to download and update chipset and device drivers. Windows 98 drivers are here:http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwar...329&lang=enI strongly recommend this.The third measure is to update your BIOS if the patch fixes issues you are experiencing. Your laptop has a BIOS update (ver. 1.14, 04-2002) available here:http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwar...=20&lang=en

Issues fixed: Random keyboard and mouse lockups USB 2.0 PC card incompatibilities Fixed issue where TopTools could not install after resume from Hibernate. Fixed issue where some system information was not available in TopTools after resume from Hibernate. Improved Standby/Resume reliability under Windows 98. Improved functionality of PCMCIA cards under Windows 98 power management. Corrects reporting of serial number under TopTools. Prevents accidental erasure of 1394 GUID.

Not recommended.As for the PS/2 mouse port and touchpad, both use IRQ12. Expect the touchpad to be disabled when you plug a PS/2 mouse. As for the scroll wheel feature when using the PS/2 mouse, look for Win98 drivers and install these.If the operating system is XP, I'd bet all the devices will work fine (it does a much better job of managing devices and the PCI bus). But then you would have to add more RAM and pay Microsoft, making this irrelevant. Edited April 13, 2007 by b2cm

[zlim]

This computer runs 2K. I don't think I should be adding 98 drivers to it. (The other computer running 2K with a no-name mouse has the same control panel settings, the same picture of a two button mouse and the same drivers in C:\WINNT\system32\drivers yet the scroll wheel works). I will use a USB wireless mouse (I tried two and both allow me to scroll).The touchpad is not disabled when a PS/2 mouse is plugged in. This notebook has an on/off switch at the front of the touchpad so i can turn it on and off as I wish. There is a light so when it is lit, the touchpad is non-responsive. When the light is off, the touchpad is responsive. I am able to use a mouse and the touchpad at the same time.I'm posting this from PCLinux TC2. I looked over the live boot options and safeboot said among other things that noacpi would be one of the defaults. It did not freeze. THANKS!It appears that I can use the same USB mouse for windows and linux (as long as I remember to not load acpi) in the newer kernel) and have my USB devices plug n play by keeping the mouse device at Both.I obviously was clueless (so what else is new?) that both and auto affected the USB ports and not just the mouse as the setting in the BIOS only mentioned the mouse as a boot device.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I looked thru part of the manual and page 127 of 153 pages, near the bottom has the setting under System Devices menu. The default seems to be auto and yet when I use that, I can't use the USB ports.

Edited April 14, 2007 by zlim

[b2cm]

Have confused this with the win98se/128mb computer in your pm. Anyway, please update your HP windows 2000 drivers.As for pclinuxos, you can edit/modify the lilo boot menu when you install to the hard drive so you get the 'noacpi' option at the top and is the default. But it is probably wise to wait for final pclinuxos 2007 release.That 'auto' setting for the usb ports is good for power-saving purposes, but if you use usb devices you should either set it to 'both' or plug in those devices at startup. Better to keep it at both so you can use both ps/2 ports and touchpad as well as the usb ports. That wheel problem is a mouse detection and/or driver issue.

[zlim]

Thanks for all the clarification. I actually prefer a cordless USB mouse on the newer notebook but I switched to corded PS/2 simply because my linux distros froze or wouldn't use it. Now that I understand the two choices in the BIOS and the proper command or choice (when running live and a command isn't offered), I think I have that mouse figured out.It's funny, I've been stocking up on PS/2 mice because I thought I'd be unable to run linux. I have 3 spare PS/2 mice. They aren't easy to find and USB mice with an adapter did not seem to work - probably because I had the wrong setting in the BIOS or did not choose no acpi at bootup.I'm off to see what drivers I can download and archive for the HP.THANKS for all the help; I'm a lot less clueless with this issue.