warty install problem

[Thomas Gill]

As a Linux newbie, I have been trying for about 2 years now to install a 
Linux version that works. Have tried Mandrake, SUSE, Fedora  and others 
... something always fails  and further discourages me from moving to 
Linux.
A few days ago I tried Ubuntu and everything seemed  to be going  fine 
until  the unstall was complete and I got to the log-on screen ... NO 
MOUSE SUPPORT! Nothing  I could do but shut it down and return to XP.
The very same thing happened a while back when I tried to install FC2 
... no mouse function.
Nothing unusual about my system: ASUS P4S533X , P1.7, 256Mb, 
Dexxa/Labtec optical mouse on PS2 port.
Any suggestions appreciated.