[Bug 67734] Re: Mouse pointer freezes in Dell Dimension E521 / nForce 430

[Irios]

I compiled a pristine 2.16.18.2 kernel using the config file used by
Ubuntu Edgy 2.6.17 kernel; the only option I changed in the config menu
was selectin optimisation for Athlon. There were no nasty surprises
during compilation, and everything worked fine the first time.

I unplugged the USB hub and plugged my wireless mouse/keyboard combo
directly into a USB port and rebooted. My computer booted the new kernel
just fine, and unlike Edgy's 2.6.17, it reached GDM with a fully
functional mouse and keyboard, which was already an improvement on the
previous situation (reaching GDM with BOTH already locked).

The system has ran for a whole day, and I have been using it for about
three hours with no mouse or keyboard lockups happening.

What I don't know is what functionality have I given up by not running
Ubuntu's kernel. What patches have they added to 2.6.17 that are absent
from 2.6.18.2?

Unfortunately not everything works OK off the bat:

    * NTFS-3g works OK (an advantage of user-mode drivers).

    * ALSA does not work, and sound is output via the OSS driver, so
there is no mixer and only one app can use sound at any one time.

    * The nVidia proprietary driver needs to be recompiled (which I have
not done yet) and for some reason the open-source nvidia driver does not
go further than 1024x768.

    * The built-in ethernet works fine, but my Ralink PCI wifi card does
not.

    * The system activity monitor reports only one processor (just like
with Edgy's 2.6.17, actually), so I think the system is half as fast as
it could be.

More testing is really necessary, but right now it seems as though the
kernel hackers have done their job and the problem is fixed upstream.
Now the ball is in Ubuntu's court, and the fixes should be identified
and backported to Edgy's and Dapper's kernels. I would be willing to
help if I only knew where to start.

By the way, is there anybody listening to this thread beyond the
damnified?

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Mouse pointer freezes in Dell Dimension E521 / nForce 430
https://launchpad.net/bugs/67734