HowTo fix TapClick on Synaptic Touchpad - Knpx3.4 Krnl2.6.5

On several versions of kernel 2.6.x I have had a problem using the Synaptics Touchpad on my Dell Inspiron (5150) :cry:.

It moves the mouse in x and y as expected, but I cannot tap the pad to generate a mouse click. After googling around a bit, it seems that this is a known problem in 2.6 and while several fixes and workarounds are proposed, the one that seems most useable for Knoppix 3.4 (kernel 2.6.5) is to include the following as a "cheatcode" parameter to the kernel:

psmouse.proto=imps

such that your Knoppix 3.4 CD boot cmdline might look something like:

knoppix26 lang=us dma xmodule=vesa screen=1280x1024 psmouse.proto=imps

hope that helps :)
rgds,
Dave L.

thanks this worked like a charm

Where exactly would this information go? I just installed Knoppix a couple days ago. :?

If you are booting from CD, add it to the boot parameters when you type:

"knoppix lang=us dma ... psmouse.proto=imps"

If you have already installed it to your harddisk, modify the file /etc/lilo.conf and include this in the 'append' parameter for your boot selection in that file. (don't forget to run 'lilo' to install the changes after changing the file)

Dave L.