I'm having the same exact problem with my optical mouse. I have to (very slowly) pull the usb mouse cord out of the usb port that is located on the back of my computer, then, (very slowly) plug the cord back into the usb port that is located on the back of my computer. This way, the mouse cursor will move when I move the mouse instead of staying motionless in the middle of the screen after I boot up to Knoppix 5.1.1 desktop.

I do this slowly because I don't want to cause a spark between the usb port and the usb mouse cord connector. I have been told by competent technicians that we shouldn't connect or disconnect any electrical wires or hardware without first turning the computer off and disconnecting the power cord from the back of the computer's power source box.

I really would like to know why my optical mouse never initializes until I unplug it and then plug it back in after completely booting up to Knoppix 5.1.1?!!!

US