Touchpad/Trackpad freezes then eventually unfreezes (repeatedly)

[mash]

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
Release: 16.04

Several times yesterday and today (April 28-29, 2016) the touchpad (trackpad) on the Dell XPS 13 9343 has frozen. Other functions (keyboard, screen, etc.) have been fine but the pointer has been frozen in place. Then after 1-3 minutes functionality returns.

Thank you very much for your assistance and I'd be happy to provide more information.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-22.38-generic 4.4.8
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-22-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
BootLog:

CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,cube,rotate]
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: GNOME-Flashback:Unity
Date: Fri Apr 29 16:09:32 2016
DistUpgraded: 2016-04-27 15:53:13,798 DEBUG icon theme changed, re-reading
DistroCodename: xenial
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 bcmwl, 6.30.223.248+bdcom, 4.2.0-36-generic, x86_64: installed
 bcmwl, 6.30.223.248+bdcom, 4.4.0-22-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Broadwell-U Integrated Graphics [8086:1616] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Broadwell-U Integrated Graphics [1028:0665]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-08-06 (267 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422)
MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS 13 9343
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.4.0-22-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-04-27 (2 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 07/14/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A05
dmi.board.name: 0TM99H
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA05:bd07/14/2015:svnDellInc.:pnXPS139343:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0TM99H:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: XPS 13 9343
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.12.2+16.04.20160415-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.67-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.1-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.7.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20160325-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.12-1build2
xserver.bootTime: Wed Apr 27 15:54:22 2016
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:
 product id 5152
 vendor SHP
xserver.version: 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2

[mash (mash-econs)]

Maybe this has been resolved? No recurrences for 3 days.

[mash (mash-econs)]

Nope -- hasn't been resolved. Is there anything I need to do to move this forward? Thanks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[shashank mehra (shashankmehraster)]

I also have a Dell XPS 13 and ever since I updated the trackpad is freezing up randomly for me too. External mouse works fine.
The trackpad isn't exactly freezing, you can move the pointer by simultaneously pressing down left click on the trackpad and moving that finger. My trackpad however doesn't fix itself in a couple of mins. It only resets after a reboot.

[pgaskell (pgaskell)]

This is an issue for me as well. Same behavior as the previous post.

[mash (mash-econs)]

Is there any way to nudge this issue forward? It continues and it's highly disruptive. Thanks.

Best,
Michael

[mash (mash-econs)]

Is there anything I can do to help with the solution? The problem is driving me crazy. Thanks.

[mash (mash-econs)]

The touchpad restart:

sudo modprobe -r psmouse
sudo modprobe psmouse

does *not* work for this problem.

In fact some of the touchpad continues to operate (click, drag while clicked, double-click, etc.) it's only basic moving the pointer that temporarily breaks).

[shashank mehra (shashankmehraster)]

It seems the problem had existed before in Ubuntu 14.04 and Dell recommended using proprietary drivers for trackpad. Here is the Dell KB with the info: http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN297219/EN

Just to experiment I tried doing the same with my Ubuntu 16.04 and installed the drivers as instructed in the link. I haven't faced any issues yet (its been two days).

[mash (mash-econs)]

Thank you very much, and I'd like to understand more before I try this.

The downloaded files are:

unzip -l factory-fix-for-dino_052215.zip
Archive: factory-fix-for-dino_052215.zip
  Length Date Time Name
--------- ---------- ----- ----
     1814 2015-05-07 11:00 somerville-platform-dino_1_all.deb
   224982 2015-05-22 12:58 synaptic-i2c-hid-3.13.0-32-backport-dkms_1.6.3_all.deb
     2678 2015-05-07 11:00 workaround-native-backlight-trusty_10_all.deb
     2978 2015-05-07 11:00 workaround-set-acpi-osi_1.3_all.deb
--------- -------
   232452 4 files

One of these is labeled "trusty" -- will it work on xenial?

What files will these replace? In summary, what do they do?

Is it a problem that they are older than the xenial installation?

Thank you very much.

[shashank mehra (shashankmehraster)]

I know as much as is mentioned in the KB. The problem got worse enough for me to experiment so I tried this even though it was for an older version. Unfortunately you can ignore this workaround, the problem has resurfaced.

[mash (mash-econs)]

Thank you very much for the update. I've had no luck with my
investigations. Neither Xorg.0.log nor "xinput -test 11" yields anything
that I can interpret.

On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 12:44 AM, shashank mehra <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> I know as much as is mentioned in the KB. The problem got worse enough
> for me to experiment so I tried this even though it was for an older
> version. Unfortunately you can ignore this workaround, the problem has
> resurfaced.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576844
>
> Title:
> Touchpad/Trackpad freezes then eventually unfreezes (repeatedly)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1576844/+subscriptions
>

--
Michael Ash, Chair, Department of Economics
Professor of Economics and Public Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Email <email address hidden>
Tel [phone] Twitter https://twitter.com/michaelaoash

[mash (mash-econs)]

Can I ask about progress on this bug? It has been marked Confirmed and High Importance. It has not been assigned. Please let me know if I can offer additional information -- I don't fully understand what happens at this point. Thank you very much.

[mash (mash-econs)]

On the advice of Chris Penalver (thank you, once again), I upgraded my Dell XPS 13 (9343) from BIOS A05 to BIOS A07 (see thread above for guidance on how to make the upgrade. I downloaded the new BIOS 9343_BIOS_Rev_A07.exe from http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=28M21 and followed the instructions above.

The following command(s) report the BIOS and release date:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

which are, after the upgrade:
A07
11/11/2015

The new BIOS appears to have resolved the problem, or at least I've had no recurrences since making the BIOS upgrade

Thank you.

[mash (mash-econs)]

No, the problem is not resolved. It seems as if the lock-ups are shorter, but it is still happening.

[mash (mash-econs)]

From /var/log/Xorg.0.log

(EE) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Read error 19
[ 12554.829] (II) config/udev: removing device SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad
[ 12554.844] (II) UnloadModule: "synaptics"

[penalvch (penalvch)]

mash, to clarify, did this issue not occur in a Ubuntu release prior to 16.04?

[mash (mash-econs)]

Thank you and that's correct. This issue arrived for the first time with
the upgrade to 16.04.

Michael

On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, Christopher M. Penalver <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> mash, to clarify, did this issue not occur in a Ubuntu release prior to
> 16.04?
>
> ** Changed in: xorg (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Low => Medium
>
> ** Changed in: xorg (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> ** Tags removed: bios-outdated-a07
> ** Tags added: latest-bios-a07
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576844
>
> Title:
> Touchpad/Trackpad freezes then eventually unfreezes (repeatedly)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1576844/+subscriptions
>

--
Michael Ash, Chair, Economics
Professor of Economics & Public Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Email <email address hidden>
Tel [phone]

[penalvch (penalvch)]

mash, to further root cause, could you please boot into an older kernel from a prior install where this wasn't reproducible and advise to the results?

[mash (mash-econs)]

Chris, I'm willing but not sure how to "boot into an older kernel". Please
advise.

Best,
Michael

On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 3:12 AM, Christopher M. Penalver <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> mash, to further root cause, could you please boot into an older kernel
> from a prior install where this wasn't reproducible and advise to the
> results?
>
> ** Tags added: regression-release
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576844
>
> Title:
> Touchpad/Trackpad freezes then eventually unfreezes (repeatedly)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1576844/+subscriptions
>

--
Michael Ash, Chair, Department of Economics
Professor of Economics and Public Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Email <email address hidden>
Tel [phone] Twitter https://twitter.com/michaelaoash

[penalvch (penalvch)]

mash, check https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2 .

If you don't have any, then use https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds .

[mash (mash-econs)]

I'm sorry -- I can't follow either of those pages. They're written beyond
my capacity.

ASIDE: I also have trouble with older kernels because the default
partitioning by Dell made /boot too small. So I constantly need to apt-get
remove old linux-image-'s to make room for new ones. So I probably do not
have any older kernels on my computer.

I am willing to do the experiment, but I will need more guidance, i.e., how
to install and then how to boot an older kernel. Thank you very much.

Best,
Michael

On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 8:53 AM, Christopher M. Penalver <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> mash, check https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2 .
>
> If you don't have any, then use
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds .
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576844
>
> Title:
> Touchpad/Trackpad freezes then eventually unfreezes (repeatedly)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1576844/+subscriptions
>

--
Michael Ash, Chair, Department of Economics
Professor of Economics and Public Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Email <email address hidden>
Tel [phone] Twitter https://twitter.com/michaelaoash

[mash (mash-econs)]

This bug has accelerated in severity recently. I am now getting touchpad freeze-ups on a regular basis, at least once per hour.

[mash (mash-econs)]

The bug continues to affect me. This Redhat (is it bad form to cite the competition) bug report seems related: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1188439

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Paul Mackinlay (paul-webotech)]

These are the symptoms that I have. It happens since ubuntu 16.04 and it affects 2 laptops that I own. Laptop 1 is an asus zenbook core i5 and the other is lenovo B50-50 core i3. Both laptops are less than 1 year old.

Anyhow when ubuntu starts sometimes (lets say 10% of the time) the touchpad does not work. I login without using the mouse. Then I go into sleep mode by pressing the power button and close the lid for a few seconds. When I re-open it, the screen comes back to life with the logon prompt and usually the touchpad is working again. Sometime I have to repeat this procedure a couple of times before it starts working - basically the way I see it this procedure forces the driver to re-initialise.

[Dane Mutters (dmutters)]

I've also been having this problem since 16.04. Dell XPS 13" 2015, model L321X. The issue persists in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, as well as Ubuntu Mint 18.04 LTS. Dell's support page indicates that this issue existed in 14.04, but disappeared in 15.04. This may be a regression.

https://www.dell.com/community/Linux-General/UPDATE-Ubuntu-14-04-Touchpad-Freezing-Fix-XPS-13-2015/td-p/4587485

[kinwolf (kinwolf)]

I went to Linux Mint 19(ubuntu 18.04) and got this bug now. I was using kernel 4.11 in mint 18 without problem. This look like a regression

[Juno (arauccaria)]

I have recently acquired an used Latitude model and I'm having the same issue on Ubuntu 18.04. This E6420 model has a trackpoint/pointing stick on it, which works fine, moving the cursor around, but the pad won't work for something between 30 seconds to over a minute. Everything else is running fine during that touchpad freeze. I still have not updated the BIOS.

[Michał Suchecki (michal-suchecki)]

Same issue with Ubuntu 19.04 and Dell Latitude 5500.

[Vincenzo (vingenzino)]

Same problem here with Ubuntu 20.04. I have an Asus ZenBook Flip S (UX370UA). I tried two kernels: 5.6.11 and 5.4.2

[Shraman (shraman23)]

Was getting the same problem on Ubuntu 20.04 on Dell Vostro 5401 (and on other distributions such as fedora on the same laptop). Have tried upgrading to Ubuntu 20.10 now.

[florin (florin-arjocu)]

It still exists in Ubuntu 22.04. I have been having this bug on my old Toshiba laptop and really hoped to get rid of it on the new Dell XPS. This evening I am on a deadline and the touchpad does not work properly (scrolling works, hard buttons work, but the touch part does not work). I booted Windows and everything works just fine, so it is not a hardware problem. PS: I discovered that sometimes it works when I have a heavy-touch, but not always. Sometimes it worked to have one finger on the spot and other moving the cursor, like someone else said.

[Célian Godefroid (celiangodefroid)]

Also affects on 22.04.2, been encountering this bug for the 2 years I've been having my Dell XPS 17.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu. Ubuntu 16.04 (xenial) reached end-of-standard-support on April 29, 2021.

Because this kind of bug will have different causes for each model of laptop, anyone still experiencing similar issues should log their own separate bug.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Also most Ubuntu installations do not use Xorg anymore. Please start by reporting input bugs with:

  ubuntu-bug gnome-shell