Bug 255663

Summary: keyboard does not work in installation setup
Product: [openSUSE] openSUSE 10.2 Reporter: Jana Schaarschmidt <jana.s>
Component: InstallationAssignee: Steffen Winterfeldt <snwint>
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE QA Contact: Jiri Srain <jsrain>
Severity: Critical    
Priority: P5 - None CC: dusan.peterc, snwint
Version: Final   
Target Milestone: ---   
Hardware: x86   
OS: SUSE Other   
Whiteboard:
Found By: Other Services Priority:
Business Priority: Blocker: ---
Marketing QA Status: --- IT Deployment: ---

Description Jana Schaarschmidt 2007-03-18 11:30:15 UTC
Hello,

I cannot install OpenSUSE 10.2 on my Dell Dimension 9200 system, because the USB keyboard does not work in the install setup. I can choose to boot from CD-ROM (here the keyboard still works) and then the openSUSE install screen starts. But then I cannot choose the install options because the arrow keys do not work!
Thats a totally unexpected bug. I have worked with SUSE (version 6 or 7) before on other systems and never encountered such a problem.
Is this problem related to the dual core processor? Is there a solution?
Comment 1 Matej Horvath 2007-03-19 13:29:20 UTC
Could you please write the keyboard model name? Which keys do not work (including the arrows)? Please start installation with the keyboard, unplug it then plug it in and then unplug again, then please replace it with some else and post your /var/log/messages and output of 'dmesg'.
Comment 2 Matej Horvath 2007-04-02 07:20:40 UTC
Please reopen the bug if you can provide the needed information, thanks.
Comment 3 Dusan Peterc 2007-04-27 20:21:55 UTC
We have a customer with the same problem.
The customer is not an expert and can not provide any logs and stuff...
Plus, the keyboard does not work!?!
Maybe Uri Geller can make the logs for you.

This is the customer's PC specification, as ordered from Dell:

List D03925b Dimension 9200
Dimension 9200 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz, 1066MHz, 2MB)
Free 15 month McAfee Security SW upgrade
Free Upgrade - 320GB SATA - 500GB SATA
English Documentation Dimension 9200 with English Power Cord
MS Vista Capable Logo. If you choose to install Vista, this system is capable of running it
Dimension 9200 Resource CD
Memory Dual Channel 2048MB (2x1024) 667MHz DDR2
Media Card Reader 13-in-1 Internal
Hard Drive 500 GB (2x250GB) Serial ATA (7200 Rpm) Dual HDD Config. Raid 0 Stripe
DVD+/-RW (read/write) 16x
PowerDVD 5.1 Software (No Recovery CD)
Sonic Software for DVD/RW+R (Read/Write+ Reader) (No Recovery CD)
FP/BL - UK/Irish Wide Flat Panel 2007WFP 20" (TCO99) Ultrasharp (DVI-D) Black Height Adjustable ARB Only
Graphics Card Single 256MB Nvdia GeForce 7900GS (2xDVI, 1xS-Video) output
Adapter Card IEEE 1394 PCI
Audio Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital capability
Speakers Not Included
Modem Not Included
Belkin F5D7050 Wireless USB Adapter (802.11g)
Mouse Dell Optical (not wireless) USB (2 buttons scroll) Black
Mouse & Pad Dell logo
UK/Irish Keyboard Dell Enhanced Multimedia USB (QWERTY) Black
English - Genuine Windows XP Home SP2 including Media
English Microsoft Works 8.0 (Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Outlook Express, Powerpoint Viewer) (With Recovery CD)
Corel Snapfire Starter Edition
Corel PSP Photo XI- 60 day trial
English Adobe Reader 7.0.8 (No Recovery CD)
UK Internet Service Provider - Tiscali (w/CD) & Orange (w/Doc)
Dell Support 3.2 (No Recovery CD)
Network Assist 1.2 - 90day
English Antivirus McAfee 7.0 Security Centre 15 Month Subscription (with Recovery CD)
Svc Basic Lite 2Yr NBD + 30D on-line access to Multi media training

Comment 4 Jana Schaarschmidt 2007-04-28 10:37:36 UTC
My Dell keyboard model: L100
Standard USB keyboard for a new Dell system.

All keys (including the arrows) do not work.

Un- and Re-plugging does not solve the problem.

Playing around with BIOS USB setting does not help either.

I cannot send you the logs because I cannot install SUSE on the system.

(quote) Maybe Uri Geller can make the logs for you.
I would love to comment on this, but I have things to do.
Comment 5 Martin Vidner 2007-05-03 10:59:21 UTC
I assume that it is the text mode Linuxrc program, not yet YaST.
Comment 6 Steffen Winterfeldt 2007-05-03 11:18:31 UTC
I'll assume you talk about the boot loader here.

The it looks like a dup of bug 241316 (though this is about an Optiplex 620).
In short: there is a bug in one of Dells BIOS version leading to problems with
usb keyboards. You can either downgrade or upgrade to a fixed version.

See e.g.
http://syslinux.zytor.com/archives/2007-March/008161.html
for a similar case.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 241316 ***
Comment 8 Dusan Peterc 2007-05-03 12:25:23 UTC
If a bug 241316 contains solution, I can not see it,
as I am not authorised to access bug #241316.

We can play the blame game, but why does Windows work,
and only SUSE manifests this problem, while other Linux
versions work?
How can a customer, who does not know what is BIOS, upgrade the BIOS?
How can she get the right BIOS version, if the outsorced DELL
support center does not know what is Linux, and cant/wont help
with it?
Or is the fact that only SUSE 10.2 can't be installed on most
common computer somehow Dell's problem?
Comment 9 Steffen Winterfeldt 2007-05-03 12:55:36 UTC
You should be able to view that bug now.

If you would have cared to follow the link in comment 6 you might have
noticed that it is not a SuSE specific problem and that apparently
Dell has fixed the bug meanwhile.
Comment 10 Dusan Peterc 2007-05-03 18:15:59 UTC
I am only interested in helping a customer.
I do not care who is to blame, I just need a solution.
Rumors are downgrading bios helps, but installing a
different distribution or OS also helps.
I did not see an official Dell's reply and instructions
to fix this specific problem, just some e-mails
and claims from unofficial sources.

As a small level of damage control, I would at least
add this among the most annoying bugs for SUSE 10.2
and provide a link to official Dell's solution, if it exists.
Since Dell was still selling computers with such BIOS
one week ago.
Comment 11 Steffen Winterfeldt 2007-05-04 09:44:39 UTC
You can press SHIFT to get the (working) textmode screen.
But for BIOS issue you have to talk to Dell.