Ubuntu
gdm package

Mouse cursor disapear / mouse stops working, when switching user

Bug #1247388 reported by Björn Carlsson
24
This bug affects 5 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
gdm (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

I have upgraded to Ubuntu 13.10 Gnome3 amd64, from Ubuntu 13.04 x86 where I used both Unity, KDE and Gnome, and in the old setup it worked fine.
Now when I select switch user , I come out to the login screen and the mouse cursor is gone.
Switching back to the first user the mouse is back.
If the second user with no cursor runs:
sudo modprobe -r psmouse
sudo modprobe pmouse
the mouse works again, but then it stops working for the first user.

It could alse be that the cursor is still ther but it doesn't move.

I run a Dell laptop with a Synaptics touchpad.

What can I do to provide more information?

See original description
Tags: cursor mouse
Björn Carlsson (b-r-carlsson)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in gdm (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Nathan Palmer (dsblue) wrote :

I am having the same symptoms after upgrading to 13.10. I am running on a HP Envy 15 with the Synaptics touchpad driver.

Revision history for this message
Patrick Marchwiak (pmarchwiak) wrote :

I am having the same symptoms in the Unity desktop environment, running on a Dell XPS 1647.

Revision history for this message
Bruno Nova (brunonova) wrote :

Here is a user in Ask Ubuntu reporting what I think is the same bug: http://askubuntu.com/questions/459570/synaptics-touchpad-not-detected-while-switching-user-on-unity/516716
I also have that problem. When I switch to another user (like the guest session), the touchpad stops working.
The two commands mentioned by the bug reporter enable the touchpad for that user but, of course, admin privileges are required.

I'm using an Acer laptop with a Synaptics touchpad, Ubuntu 14.04 and lightdm (not gdm).
The bug doesn't affect my wireless mouse.
Also, the symptoms change when I start the guest session though lightdm vs directly in the top right cog menu or when I disconnect my mouse before starting the guest session.

Revision history for this message
Henning Moll (drscott) wrote :

Same problem with an Acer Extensa 5635z. Is any additional information needed to solve this problem?

Revision history for this message
Henning Moll (drscott) wrote :

The workaround (reloading psmouse) apparently solves the problem that the touchpad (/dev/input/eventX) is grabbed by the wrong XServer:

This can be observed by running:
sudo lsof /dev/input/eventX

First XServer: Touchpad works. (as the devide is grabbed by the process of the first XServer.
Switching to second XServer
Second XServer: Touchpad does not work. The device is still grabbed by the first Server
sudo rmmod psmouse
sudo modprobe psmouse
Second XServer: Touchpad works. The device is now grabbed by the second Server.

Can anybody explain how the normal procedure of grabbing/releasing of devices works?
If i repeat the above test with an USB mouse, this procedure works...

Revision history for this message
Henning Moll (drscott) wrote :

I did an temporary hack to overcome this problem. You can find it here: http://askubuntu.com/a/527239

Revision history for this message
Bruno Nova (brunonova) wrote :

This issue no longer exists in 16.04, probably due to systemd.

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