[Dell Latitude E7440] Touchpad out of sync

[Colin Taylor]

The touchpad repetitively gets out of sync, causing the mouse to jump around and randomly click things:

[ 399.788431] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 399.798582] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.

WORKAROUND: Loading the psmouse driver with proto=exps largely avoids the problem, but has the side effect of merging the trackpad and the nub together as one input device (so you can't disable the trackpad and just use the nub).

Setting reset after on the driver does fix the random moving and clicking, but causes the CPU to thrash as it constantly disconnects and reconnects to try to "resync."

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-37-generic 3.13.0-37.64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-37.64-generic 3.13.11.7
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-37-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.5
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: taylocj1 2947 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: taylocj1 2947 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Oct 17 18:50:28 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=f364f93e-bbb2-4f84-aa9c-6ae3a0f6b182
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-10-03 (14 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140722.2)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude E7440
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.13.0-37-generic root=UUID=d5a9e110-1f9c-446f-84b8-e57ddf7afca6 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-37-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-37-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.7
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 06/26/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A10
dmi.board.name: 07F3F4
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA10:bd06/26/2014:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeE7440:pvr01:rvnDellInc.:rn07F3F4:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude E7440
dmi.product.version: 01
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Colin Taylor, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Could you please test the latest upstream kernel available from the very top line at the top of the page (not the daily folder) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested exactly shown as:
kernel-fixed-upstream-3.17.1

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[Colin Taylor (cjntaylor)]

Still occuring on 3.17.1, with a slightly different message:

[ 8877.531367] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 8877.532382] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 8877.542599] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 8877.543627] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 8877.544657] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 8877.545700] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 8882.014731] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost synchronization, throwing 1 bytes away.
[ 8882.526622] psmouse serio1: resync failed, issuing reconnect request

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Colin Taylor, could you please test the latest mainline kernel via http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.18-rc1-utopic/ and advise to the results?

[Colin Taylor (cjntaylor)]

Sorry for the delay. I'm testing with 3.18-rc1 and will report back shortly.

Given the amount of time that elapsed, I also see that 3.18-rc2 is out. I don't want to conflate issues, but, I did try to load rc2 as well and can't do any testing, as I'm unable to boot the kernel. It seems that something regarding cryptsetup / LUKS changed in rc2 and the system never asks to unlock my root partition. If you want further testing on that version, I'm blocked on resolving that. How do I report that as a bug, given that its so early in boot?

[Colin Taylor (cjntaylor)]

Problem still exists in 3.18-rc1. Seems to be more agressive - I got a bunch of the sync error messages immediately after turning on the driver; they would have kept going if I didn't re-disable it (psmouse proto=exps):

[ 56.283673] input: DualPoint Stick as /devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input19
[ 56.295610] input: AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad as /devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input18
[ 58.670012] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.676120] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.688536] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.694635] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.713045] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.719235] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.737414] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.743696] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.762360] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.768661] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.780640] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.786832] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.804990] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.811273] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.829380] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.835567] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.855249] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.861458] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 58.879629] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 6
[ 58.885957] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 72.216960] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.217996] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.221050] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 72.257263] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.258301] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.259318] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.269321] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 - driver resynced.
[ 72.270320] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.271346] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchPad at isa0060/serio1/input0 lost sync at byte 1
[ 72.272377] psmouse serio1: DualPoint TouchP...

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Colin Taylor, the issue you are reporting is an upstream one. Could you please report this problem to the linux-input mailing list by following the instructions _verbatim_ at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/kernel ?

Please provide a direct URL to your e-mail to the mailing list once you have made it so that it may be tracked.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Niels Holmgaard (niels-holmgard)]

Christopher,

Even after updating the bios to A15 (using Ubuntu kernel 3.19), the driver still looses sync in bursts about once per 1000-2000 seconds on my machine.

However, it seems to me that the severity is less - I have not noticed any random clicking on things in the single work day the computer has been running with the new bios code.

           /Niels

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Colin Taylor, as per http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/latitude-e7440-ultrabook/drivers/advanced an update to your computer's buggy and outdated BIOS is available (A15). If you update to this following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate does it change anything?

If it doesn't, could you please both specify what happened, and provide the output of the following terminal command:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette .

Please note your current BIOS is already in the Bug Description, so posting this on the old BIOS would not be helpful. As well, you don't have to create a new bug report.

Once the BIOS is updated, and the information above is provided, then please mark this report Status Confirmed.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]