I've recently updated a HDD install to 'unstable' and installed gnome-desktop-environment. After a problem with 'initscripts' which I overcame using a tip on here to try the command 'dpkg --force-overwrite -i <filename.deb>' I found the mouse wouldn't work. The boot-time readout stuff seemed to imply that USB devices weren't being scanned. The USB mouse certainly didn't come up as a choice in 'dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86'.

I'd noticed that 'hotplug' had been removed; reinstalling it enabled the mouse, but several Gnome components were uninstalled! Any ideas, or am I stuck waiting for an upgrade to the Gnome stuff with better USB support?

Regds, RM