Touchpad gestures and holding keys does not work
I am facing very weird problem on which I cannot find solution. One time touchpad gestures stopped working along with keyboard keys holding. Touchpad is moving the cursor but nothing more. When I am holding keyboard keys they appear only once, although in my setting it is set up to repeat keys.
$ uname -r
4.13.0-26-generic
Many have reported problems with Kernel 4.13.0-26
Around January 11, 2018 many Ubuntu users began reporting problems with Kernel 4.13.0-26 automatic update:
- After latest kernel, keyboard shortcuts stop working
- Strange laptop arrow keys, backspace and touchpad
- Touchpad gestures and holding keys does not work
- Keys don't repeat anymore, touchpad tap and touchpad two-finger scroll don't work anymore
- Touchpad and keybord not working properly
- Inconsistent Trackpad Movement
- All input is extremley unreliable after kernel upgrade
- Key repeat acting strangely
- Key stops repeating randomly
- Keyboard freezes and spams the last button
- Involuntary key repeat in Ubuntu 16.04
- Dell Latitude E7470 touchpad and touchstick sentitivity and behavior problem on Xubuntu 16.04
- Keyboard and Synaptics touchpad features stopped working after xenial software update
- Lenovo ideapad320 laptop(amd a9 processor) touchpad stop working - Ubuntu 17.10
- Touchpad double tap and two finger scroll is only working when press Window Keys/SuperKey on Ubuntu 16.04
- How to prevent installation of kernel 4.13 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
- 16.04 external mic or headphone jacks no longer detected since last HWE update
- How to do emergency upgrade to kernel 4.14.13?
These are issues reported over the last few days. Not all of these issues have been verified as caused by Kernel 4.13.0-26.
January 27, 2018 Update: Check your Intel Microcode
The Intel Microcode Update 2018-01-08 to address speculative execution branching security holes broke some systems. This effected many Ubuntu systems from January 8th to January 21st. On January 22, 2018 Ubuntu released an update that puts back older Microcode from 2017-07-07.
If you experienced problems with updates, reinstalled Ubuntu and turned off updates between 2018-01-08 and 2018-01-22 you may want to try Ubuntu automatic updates again. Check the link in the preceding paragraph for more information.
How to find out your kernel version
Open a terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T. Then type:
uname -r
Since the terminal is open already, get your Ubuntu release using:
lsb_release -a
To close the terminal use:
exit
Easiest solution boot with older Kernel
When you boot your computer at the Grub menu select Advanced Options then select an older kernel to see if you problems go away. If so keep regularly updating to newer kernels as they are offered in Ubuntu LTS and check them until one works. Make sure you don't run sudo apt auto-remove which could make your working older kernel disappear.
Fixing Keyboard repeat problems in Kernel 4.13
With the introduction of Kernel 4.13.0-26 Ubuntu LTS update around January 11, 2018 and old bug from September 2017 resurfaced. The developer recommended trying Kernel 4.14 (described in the next session) but a quicker fix seems to be disabling PEAQ WMI Hotkeys.
Verify PEAQ WMI Hotkeys is loaded
As discussed in Unix & Linux the first step is to ensure it is loaded:
$ xinput list
⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]
⎜ ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ Dell Dell KM632 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse id=11 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ Dell Dell KM632 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse id=12 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad id=16 [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)]
↳ Video Bus id=8 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Sleep Button id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Dell Dell KM632 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse id=10 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Lenovo EasyCamera: Lenovo EasyC id=13 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Ideapad extra buttons id=14 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard id=15 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ Dell Dell KM632 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse id=18 [slave keyboard (3)]
↳ PEAQ WMI hotkeys id=17 [slave keyboard (3)]
Note the last line above
If you have it loaded you can disable it with an xinput command but we'll use the work around suggestion in the bug report above:
Disable PEAQ WMI Hotkeys for current session
sudo rmmod peaq_wmi
Disable PEAQ WMI Hotkeys Permenantly
Using your favourite sudo editor, edit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf. At the end of the file insert two lines:
#spams ^@
blacklist peaq_wmi
Save the file and exit.
Fixing Synaptics Touchpad in Kernel 4.13
Temporary Fix
According to this Debian Bug Report a short term fix is to use:
sudo rmmod psmouse
sudo modprobe psmouse
Try this in the terminal and then test your Touchpad.
Permanent Fix
If the temporary fix works then edit the file /etc/rc.local with sudo powers. Add the following lines:
/sbin/rmmod psmouse
/sbin/modprobe psmouse
From now on when you reboot the fix will be permanent.
Note this hasn't been tested yet when resuming from suspend. If you have any problems in that department post a comment below.
Install newest mainline / stable kernel 4.14.xx
It's been confirmed that 4.14.13 improves Touchpad and Keyboard for users of Kernel 4.13.0-26. However as of January 20, 2018 4.14.14 is now the newest kernel and it includes Spectre support but runs 2% slower.
January 23, 2018 - Kernel 4.14.15 released. January 31, 2018 - Kernel 4.14.16 released.
In the bug report above a developer recommends trying the most current mainline (stable) kernel. In some cases an OP wants to go to a higher kernel number rather than a lower one. This section focuses on how to move up to the latest mainline (stable) kernel.
There are instances going back to August 2017 where the touchpad didn't work that is unrelated to Kernel 4.13.0-26 automatic Ubuntu LTS upgrade but one of the answers still require Kernel 4.14 anyway: Touchpad not detected on Lenovo Ideapad 320 with Kubuntu 17.04.
On January 10, 2018 the latest stable mainline kernel was 4.14.13. If you choose to manually install it you should know:
- Older LTS kernels will not get updated until they are greater than the main menu first option titled Ubuntu.
- Manually installed kernels are not removed with the usual
sudo apt auto-removecommand. You need to follow this: How do I remove old kernel versions to clean up the boot menu? - Monitor developments in the older kernels for when you want to get back on the regular LTS kernel update method. Then delete the manually installed mainline kernel as described in the previous bullet point link.
- After manually removing the newest mainline kernel run
sudo update-gruband then Ubuntu's latest LTS kernel will be the first option called Ubuntu on Grub's main menu.
Now that the warning are out of the way, to install the latest mainline kernel (4.14.13) follow this link: How to update kernel to the latest mainline version without any Distro-upgrade?
Periodically watch the LTS kernel updates you missed
If you have updated to the latest kernel it's important to see the older kernels you've missed using this command:
$ apt-cache search . | grep 'image-4.13.0-..-generic'
linux-image-4.13.0-16-generic - Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
(... SNIP ....)
linux-image-4.13.0-26-generic - Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
linux-image-4.13.0-31-generic - Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
linux-image-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
(... SNIP ....)
When you see a newer supported kernel offered by Ubuntu Kernel Team you should install it and test it. For example to see what to install for 4.13.0-32 use:
$ apt-cache search . | grep '4.13.0-32-generic'
linux-cloud-tools-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel version specific cloud tools for version 4.13.0-32
linux-headers-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel headers for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
linux-image-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
linux-image-extra-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
linux-signed-image-4.13.0-32-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-tools-4.13.0-32-generic - Linux kernel version specific tools for version 4.13.0-32
Most users won't need all these packages. Usually just headers, image, image-extra and signed-image.