I've just recently had to reinstall Linux on my Dell Mini 10V which for years was running Zorin OS 6, a spin' of Ubuntu 12.04.
As you may know the spec for this little machine is modest, Intel Atom N270 processor, 160GB HDD. This example does have 2GB RAM, upgraded from the original 1GB.
For the reinstallation I decided to go for a laptop-friendly Ubuntu, not too old, but not too new either, and decided upon Lubuntu 16.04. This installed nicely but I have one problem. Although the touchpad on this machine is a 'clickpad' in which the left and right mouse buttons are under the front corners of the touchpad, the OS seems to be reading it as though it is a conventional touchpad with physically separate buttons between the touchpad and the front edge of the machine. Because of this, click and drag doesn't work. The finger I use to hold down the left mouse button is also being read as a finger planted on the touchpad.
If I try 'synclient' the ClickPad state is reported as '0' - not a ClickPad. If I change this with 'synclient ClickPad=1' I then find that the touchpad behaviour is as it should be, including click-and drag. However this is only temporary. I don't know how to force this setting to '1' permanently.
The nearest old post I can find describing my problem and a solution is this one:-
How to fix the Dell Mini 10v (1010) touchpad with Ubuntu 12.04.1
Ironically the touchpad was working correctly for me in Zorin OS 6, which is a 12.04 'spin'. I tried creating /etc/X11/xorg.conf to box the position detection zone of the touchpad into a smaller area, like this
Section "InputClass"
Identifier "SynPS/2 Synaptics Touchpad"
MatchProduct "SynPS/2 Synaptics Touchpad"
MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "AreaBottomEdge" "4210"
EndSection
The output of 'cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep range' reports x axis range=1472-5590 and y axis range 1408-4710. The intention of the above is therefore to move the bottom edge of the active area of the touchpad to a line somewhere above the upper edges of the hidden buttons so that the OS does not see a touchpad touch at the same time as the left or right hidden buttons are pressed.
However, the OS seems to be ignoring my xorg.conf as nothing I do with that setting is making any difference. Even after a reboot the touchpad still tracks my fingertip across its full vertical height from top edge to bottom edge. Is this solution (of editing or creating /etc/X11/xorg.conf) still valid in Ubuntu / Lubuntu 16.04?
Some more info:
0
Some more info:
Relevant entries from Xorg.0.log
[ 32.866] (II) LoadModule: "evdev"
[ 32.867] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/evdev_drv.so
[ 33.058] (II) Module evdev: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 33.058] compiled for 1.19.3, module version = 2.10.5
[ 33.058] Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
[ 33.058] ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 24.1
[ 33.231] (II) config/udev: Adding input device SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad (/dev/input/event5)
[ 33.231] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Applying InputClass "evdev touchpad catchall"
[ 33.231] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Applying InputClass "evdev touchscreen catchall"
[ 33.231] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Applying InputClass "Dell Inspiron embedded buttons quirks"
[ 33.231] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Applying InputClass "touchpad catchall"
[ 33.231] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Applying InputClass "Default clickpad buttons"
[ 33.231] (II) LoadModule: "synaptics"
[ 33.232] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/synaptics_drv.so
[ 33.247] (II) Module synaptics: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 33.247] compiled for 1.19.3, module version = 1.9.0
[ 33.247] Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
[ 33.247] ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 24.1
[ 33.247] (II) Using input driver 'synaptics' for 'SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad'
[ 33.247] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 33.247] (**) Option "Device" "/dev/input/event5"
[ 33.284] (II) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: ignoring touch events for semi-multitouch device
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: x-axis range 1472 - 5590 (res 58)
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: y-axis range 1408 - 4710 (res 121)
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: pressure range 0 - 255
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: finger width range 0 - 15
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: buttons: left right double triple
[ 33.284] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Vendor 0x2 Product 0x7
[ 33.285] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 33.285] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: always reports core events
[ 33.316] (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input6/event5"
[ 33.316] (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" (type: TOUCHPAD, id 11)
[ 33.316] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) MinSpeed is now constant deceleration 2.5
[ 33.316] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) MaxSpeed is now 1.75
[ 33.317] (**) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) AccelFactor is now 0.038
[ 33.317] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) keeping acceleration scheme 1
[ 33.317] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration profile 1
[ 33.318] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration factor: 2.000
[ 33.318] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: (accel) acceleration threshold: 4
[ 33.318] (--) synaptics: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: touchpad found
[ 33.320] (II) config/udev: Adding input device SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad (/dev/input/mouse0)
[ 33.320] (**) SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad: Ignoring device from InputClass "touchpad ignore duplicates"
Device entries for keyboard and Touchpad:
I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0001 Product=0001 Version=ab41
N: Name="AT Translated Set 2 keyboard"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio0/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input3
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=sysrq kbd event3 leds
B: PROP=0
B: EV=120013
B: KEY=1500f 2902000 8380307c f910f001 feffffdf ffefffff ffffffff fffffffe
B: MSC=10
B: LED=7
I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0002 Product=0007 Version=01b1
N: Name="SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio1/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input6
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse0 event5
B: PROP=9
B: EV=b
B: KEY=6420 0 30000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B: ABS=2608000 11000003
Input devices reported by XINPUT
⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]
⎜ ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad id=11 [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)]
↳ Power Button id=8 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Integrated Webcam: Integrated W id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard id=10 [slave keyboard (3)]
