ALPS touchpad not detected at all in 'Sony VAIO F13 and F12'

[Lukasz Olszewski]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

Tested on Vaio F1290x and F1390x models. Confirmed on others thanks to http://code.google.com/p/vaio-f11-linux/issues/detail?id=1. On a clean installation touchpad is not detected at all. After adding GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="i8042.nopnp" it is possible to get it to work but it is incorrectly detected as "ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse" so we get only basic functionalities of a generic wheel mouse.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics 1.2.2-2ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-23.40-generic 2.6.35.7
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-23-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 256.53 Fri Aug 27 20:27:48 PDT 2010
 GCC version: gcc version 4.4.5 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.4.4-14ubuntu5)
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Nov 26 11:55:27 2010
DkmsStatus: nvidia-current, 256.53, 2.6.35-23-generic, x86_64: installed
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
MachineType: Sony Corporation VPCF1390X
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-23-generic root=UUID=0a9d93d9-414c-4222-9472-a3ee68458db1 ro i8042.nopnp quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=pl_PL.utf8
 SHELL=/usr/bin/zsh
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
dmi.bios.date: 09/03/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R0180Y9
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR0180Y9:bd09/03/2010:svnSonyCorporation:pnVPCF1390X:pvrC607147L:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: VPCF1390X
dmi.product.version: C607147L
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: maverick
 architecture: x86_64
 kernel: 2.6.35-23-generic

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

Hi Lukasz,

Thanks for reporting the bug and helping to make ubuntu better. As per the link in the bug description, the bug seems to be in the linux package instead. Please upload the devices file using..

cat /proc/bus/input/devices >devices

Secondly what do you mean by touchpad not detected at all. Is it completely unusable(no cursor movement)?

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

Hi, thanks for quick response!
I've attached the devices file you asked for.
By "not detected at all" I mean that before adding GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="i8042.nopnp" to /etc/default/grub the touchpad was completely unusable - there was no cursor movement no reaction from buttons and it wasn't listed in gpointing-device-settings.

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

Just to confirm, Lukasz, I guess you have a mouse attached to your computer when you took the log of your devices file or is it the touchpad wrongly detected?

I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0002 Product=0005 Version=0000
N: Name="ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio2/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio2/input/input8
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse2 event8
B: EV=7
B: KEY=70000 0 0 0 0
B: REL=103

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

Yes I had a mouse attached while reporting this problem but the lines you quoted stand for the touchpad. My mouse is detected correctly as "Ci25m Notebk Optical".

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

@Lukasz

Ok, then the log will work here. Please let me know the model your touchpad as well.

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

OK, so Windows identifies the touchpad as follows:
Alps Pointing-device
Alps Electric
Driver version 7.105.529.104
ACPI\SNYALP0012
PNP0F13

This is very brief so I pulled the inf file from the windows drivers delivered by sony. It's called "oem22.inf" and hopefully you'll find all the necessary information in it :) If you require anything else I'll be glad to help!

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

Lukasz the bug is almost triaged now, only thing you can help us with is test your computer with these mainline kernels(all installable as simple .deb files). Use these mainline kernel builds and test whether your touchpad works well in any one of them. This will be very helpful for us.

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/daily/

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

OK so, using linux-image-2.6.37-999-generic_2.6.37-999.201011171042_amd64 the touchpad works and there is no need to add i8042.nopnp to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX! Sadly it is still wrongly detected as ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse...

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

@Lukasz
You should try more builds.. if someone works out..
Till then I will check upstream for some bugs of this sort already....

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

Well I'd be glad to do this but I can't find image files for most of the builds in 'daily'. For instance in daily/current there is only one deb file with headers... As far as I remember there should be also deb's with images for both architectures or am I wrong??

[Gursimran singh (simar)]

install linux-image-2.6.37-999-generic_2.6.37-999.201011171042_i386.deb from this address http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/daily/2010-11-17-maverick/ and find similar files in other folders here http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/daily/2010-11-17-maverick/

[Alex Lowe (lengau)]

Is this a duplicate of bug 641324?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/641324

[xjcook (xjcook)]

This bug also affect Sony Vaio F11 series, but without need of hack i8042.nopnp.

[Lukasz Olszewski (olszewskil)]

With the latest stable maverick kernel it is no longer necessary to use i8042.nopnp hack.
I've just tested the latest daily build and the touchpad is still wrongly detected as ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse.