List and install driver(s) for touchpad on Thinkpad T400s

There is no need to open a new thread every four days for the exact same problem: https://trisquel.info/forum/mouse-click-problems-using-trisquel-8-t400s

In GNU/Linux operating systems, drivers are part of the operating system's kernel (named Linux) aren't normally installed separately. Unless it's some driver that isn't included in Linux to begin with. Getting a newer driver, for example, really means getting a newer kernel. I maintain a public repository for people to get newer kernels. Information and instructions are available at https://jxself.org/linux-libre/

There's no harm in experimenting with a new kernel and it can always be removed later but it might also be good if you were to write about your problems more in depth.

Thank you for your replies:

> There is no need to open a new thread every four days for the exact same problem:
I figured the question about how to list/install/uninstall drivers in Trisquel was a separate topic not directly related to the mouse click problem I have. I wanted to find out more generally how drivers and kernel modules can be found and installed in Trisquel.

>In GNU/Linux operating systems, drivers are part of the operating system's kernel (named Linux) aren't normally installed separately. Unless it's some driver that isn't included in Linux to begin with. Getting a newer driver, for example, really means getting a newer kernel. I maintain a public repository for people to get newer kernels. Information and instructions are available at https://jxself.org/linux-libre/

Thank you for this information. I did upgrade to 4.19 and that did not help the touchpad issue I am having.

I thought, however, you could install kernel modules separately using something like modprobe and there is a module that provides a driver for the touchpad ? Or am I barking up the wrong tree there?

Thank you very much again for your reply.

It seems that the synaptics driver is already installed:

apt list --installed | grep xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

xserver-xorg-input-synaptics/flidas,now 1.8.2-1ubuntu3 amd64 [installed]

Not sure how the configuration is working, but if I add the config file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-touchpad.conf (which did not already exist) it does not seem to make any difference.

There are two files related to the configuration here:
/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/51-synaptics-quirks.conf
/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-synaptics.conf

I found an example configuration for /50-synaptics.conf here:
http://www.alexenglish.info/2016/09/synaptics-clickpad-configuration-thinkpad-t440s/

and tried using that in the 50-synaptics.conf file, but again no difference.

I'm really starting to think there may be something up with the hardware and will contact the people I purchased the laptop from, but in case there is something obvious I am missing I have added some further information. (Not sure if adding /dev/input/mouse1 is confusing things ?)

My input device list looks like:
# xinput --list
⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]
⎜ ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ HID 1241:1177 id=10 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint id=13 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad id=12 [slave pointer (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard id=3 [master keyboard (2)]
↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard id=5 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Power Button id=6 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Video Bus id=7 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Sleep Button id=8 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Integrated Camera: Integrated C id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard id=11 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ ThinkPad Extra Buttons id=14 [slave keyboard (3)]

xinput --list-props 12
Device 'SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad':
Device Enabled (165): 0
Coordinate Transformation Matrix (167): 1.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 1.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 1.000000
Device Accel Profile (290): 2
Device Accel Constant Deceleration (291): 4.000000
Device Accel Adaptive Deceleration (292): 1.000000
Device Accel Velocity Scaling (293): 12.500000
Synaptics Edges (314): 1781, 5579, 1646, 4582
Synaptics Finger (315): 30, 50, 0
Synaptics Tap Time (316): 125
Synaptics Tap Move (317): 245
Synaptics Tap Durations (318): 180, 100, 100
Synaptics ClickPad (319): 1
Synaptics Middle Button Timeout (320): 0
Synaptics Two-Finger Pressure (321): 282
Synaptics Two-Finger Width (322): 7
Synaptics Scrolling Distance (323): 111, 111
Synaptics Edge Scrolling (324): 1, 0, 0
Synaptics Two-Finger Scrolling (325): 0, 0
Synaptics Move Speed (326): 1.000000, 1.000000, 0.035842, 0.000000
Synaptics Off (327): 1
Synaptics Locked Drags (328): 0
Synaptics Locked Drags Timeout (329): 5000
Synaptics Tap Action (330): 2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
Synaptics Click Action (331): 1, 0, 0
Synaptics Circular Scrolling (332): 0
Synaptics Circular Scrolling Distance (333): 0.100000
Synaptics Circular Scrolling Trigger (334): 0
Synaptics Circular Pad (335): 0
Synaptics Palm Detection (336): 1
Synaptics Palm Dimensions (337): 10, 200
Synaptics Coasting Speed (338): 0.000000, 50.000000
Synaptics Pressure Motion (339): 30, 160
Synaptics Pressure Motion Factor (340): 1.000000, 1.000000
Synaptics Resolution Detect (341): 1
Synaptics Grab Event Device (342): 0
Synaptics Gestures (343): 0
Synaptics Capabilities (344): 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Synaptics Pad Resolution (345): 105, 75
Synaptics Area (346): 0, 0, 2400, 0
Synaptics Soft Button Areas (347): 4121, 0, 0, 2400, 3238, 4121, 0, 2400
Synaptics Secondary Soft Button Areas (348): 3680, 0, 4308, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
Synaptics Noise Cancellation (349): 30, 30
Device Product ID (285): 2, 7
Device Node (286): "/dev/input/event6"

information related to synaptics in /var/log/Xorg.0.log
[ 12.312] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 12.312] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 12.351] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input6/event6"
[ 12.351] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" (type: TOUCHPAD, id 12)
[ 12.351] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) MinSpeed is now constant deceleration 1.0
[ 12.351] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) MaxSpeed is now 1.00
[ 12.351] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) AccelFactor is now 0.036
[ 12.351] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) keeping acceleration scheme 1
[ 12.351] (**) Option "ConstantDeceleration" "4"
[ 12.351] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) constant deceleration by 4.0
[ 12.351] (**) Option "AccelerationProfile" "2"
[ 12.352] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration profile 2
[ 12.352] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration factor: 2.000
[ 12.352] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration threshold: 4
[ 12.352] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 12.352] (II) config/udev: Adding input device SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad (/dev/input/mouse1)
[ 12.352] (II) No input driver specified, ignoring this device.
[ 12.352] (II) This device may have been added with another device file.
[ 12.353] (II) config/udev: Adding input device TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint (/dev/input/event7)
[ 12.353] (**) TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint: Applying InputClass "evdev pointer catchall"
[ 12.353] (**) TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint: Applying InputClass "trackpoint catchall"
[ 12.353] (II) Using input driver 'evdev' for 'TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint'

I've attached a copy of /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/51-synaptics-quirks.conf and /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-synaptics.conf

I disabled the conf files, but still see the problem.

Removing synaptics and installing libinput:

sudo apt remove xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-libinput

makes the problem worse - right clicks pop up more often, left clicks do not work at all. Fn F8 also no longer enables/disables the touchpad (I'm guessing you can do this using xinput, but have not found out how to do that yet).

I was hoping that re-installing synaptics may clear it up, but again no luck.