Touchpad works well for a while, and then loses functions

TheMachinesTeacher

I have a Dell Inspiron 11 3000 2 in 1 that has a touchpad. For INPUT_DEVICES I have synaptics. I have the compiled the Event Interface and PS/2 Mouse kernel modules into the kernel. I have KDE-Plasma installed.

When I boot up the laptop, the touchpad works great, with two finger scrolling, tap to click, and horizontal scrolling. All of these features I can modify with the system settings in KDE-Plasma. After a while of using the computer, it looses two finger scrolling, tap to click, and horizontal scrolling. I can still use the touchpad to move the mouse and the buttons to click, but I lose the extra functionality.

Any idea why this might be happening, or what I can do to find out more about why this may be happening? It seems really strange that I only lose some functionality and not all.

intord · n00b Joined: 12 Aug 2017 Posts: 33

same problem here.

noticed a couple of things:
-- putting a config file with settings into /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-synaptics.conf really makes no difference (i.e. tapping and vertical scroll stops working after some time in both cases - with or without this file)
-- enabled all touch pad related configs in kernel (including usb-connected)
-- no entries related to fail or misconfig of touch pad in dmesg
-- synclient shows correct config for tapping and scrolling:

intord · n00b Joined: 12 Aug 2017 Posts: 33

so my solution was to remove circular scrolling options from synaptics config (as i had it with a regular edge scroll). so currently i have only scroll edge and tapping a for a button1 (actually never want ed to any more capabilities) and it works as expected ... i mean worked before the latest kde plasma upgrade. another thing now is that now in system settings there is no touchpad tab at all. touchpad however works fine. ineteresting why? last time i got this when forgot to put a touch pad config file to /etc/X11/

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 3:28 am Post subject:

Where is your "synaptics config" because I don't have one in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/?

My synclient -l looks like yours. You and I both had CircularScrolling = 0, which means it is off, to my understanding.

I also do not want more functionality then you have said, two finger scroll and 1 tap click.

I still have the tab in the kde settings to modify the touchpad settings.

Ant P. · Watchman Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 6920

You may want to try xf86-input-libinput too. Some of the GUI tools don't recognise it, but it should work at least as well as synaptics.

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:42 am Post subject:

Thank you for the recommendation Ant P. I found that synaptics has better functionality out of the box when compared to xf86-input-libinput. I am sure I could configure xf86-input-libinput to be as good as synaptics, but I have yet to find the time to configure it. Maybe someday.

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

I have a silly question:
Are you sure that this touchpad is ps2 interface not i2c rmi4?

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:58 pm Post subject:

I think that is a valid question considering dmesg says this regarding my mouse:

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

Have you enabled anything in .config that is related with options in 'make menuconfig' 'device drives' -> 'i2c bus support' and 'device drivers' -> 'input device support' -> 'rmi ...&(_mice_)' and alike?

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:47 am Post subject:

I do not have a rmi or i2c kernel module turned on related to HID devices.

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

Could you give us a full dmesg log when the problem occurs, kernel .config file, and output of

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:14 am Post subject:

dmesg after the error occurs can be found here

.config here

lspci -nnk here

I should make clear that I am not using libinput. I am using synaptics for the touchpad and evdev for the touchscreen. This problem existed before I used evdev for the touchscreen.

This laptop is fairly new. I can't prove that there is a hardware defect, but I would assume that if it doesn't stop working completely, and because it is pretty new it is not a hardware problem.

Notice I am on kernel version 4.14.13

Interestingly enough, after submitting this reply and letting the computer lock, the scrolling and tapping to click functionality came back. Maybe it has something to do with screen locking? I will get back to you if I determine that is the case.

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:24 am Post subject:

Ah yes, forcing a lock of the screen made the scrolling and tap to click functionality disable. I am not sure why that might be. I am using the kde plasma desktop and the Haenau lock screen.

My guess is that it came back after the computer went to sleep and then I unlocked it. I'll get back to you if I find that to be true.

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

I strongly suggest you to upgrade to the latest kernel (4.15.2 and above), unless there is a special reason to stay on 4.14.

You haven't enabled all yours gear (maybe it was on purpose):

From "lspci -nnk" and https://cateee.net/sources/lkddb/lkddb-4.15.list:

I suppose that you don't have an LPC-ICH bridge driver in kernel:

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:54 pm Post subject:

Wow! Thanks so much for your very helpful and detailed reply.

I didn't have all my gear enabled because I am a n00b. This is only my third gentoo, and I only started using gentoo last september. Thanks for helping me learn how to find out what I need to turn on in my kernel configuration.

I upgraded to 4.15.2 and turned on those configurations that you recommended. It seems to have fixed the problem. I don't lose the functionality when the computer locks, and it hasn't lost the functionality in the last 2 hours I have been using it. Hopefully that means it is fixed, but I will let you know if the problem arises again.

If I don't see the problem in a week of use, I will change the title to have a solved tag.

How come you think that the Intel TXE should be disabled?

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

Thank you for your kind words, but telling the truth I am a noob too (and always will be) [One cannot know everything - Horace].
I have founded the LKDDB stuff reading this forum (very useful tool for the kernel configuration).

When it comes to IME(TXE) this is the same "evil" as AMD's PSP ie.:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/01/researcher-finds-another-security-flaw-in-intel-management-firmware/

https://www.coreboot.org/Intel_Management_Engine

https://hardenedlinux.github.io/firmware/2016/11/17/neutralize_ME_firmware_on_sandybridge_and_ivybridge.html

http://me.bios.io/ME:About

BTW it can not be disabled totally on how much you would try.

EDIT:
It was Horace not Cicero. I was cite from my memory which sometimes fails me :oops:

.

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:37 pm Post subject:

Well this did not solve the problem. I still lose functionality when I lock the screen. I enabled SYNAPTICS_I2C and RMI4_I2C, but I still get the same message in dmesg about my mouse supporting another bus.

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

In your new .config have you enabled CONFIG_HID_RMI? If not please, enable this option and check your dmesg.

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:36 pm Post subject:

HID_RMI is enabled and I still get the message.

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

Hmmm..
could you please post once again your kernel .config file by wgetpase after changes?

TheMachinesTeacher · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:03 pm Post subject:

No problem. Here it is

PrSo · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 01 Jun 2017 Posts: 136

You could try to enable two more drivers:
# CONFIG_MOUSE_ELAN_I2C is not set
# CONFIG_HID_ALPS is not set

EDIT:
If the above drivers does not work for you (and telling the truth I would be surprised if they do), I suppose that you should do what kernels message says, or open a bug report on kernel's bugzilla webpage in "drivers -> input devices", because I am afraid that this touchpad is to new, and isn't supported on rmi bus yet.