Bug 136908

Summary:	Boot fails when USB keyboard is enabled in BIOS
Product:	[openSUSE] SUSE Linux 10.1	Reporter:	Jiri Dluhos <jdluhos>
Component:	Basesystem	Assignee:	Torsten Duwe <duwe>
Status:	RESOLVED INVALID	QA Contact:	E-mail List <qa-bugs>
Severity:	Normal
Priority:	P5 - None	CC:	duwe
Version:	Alpha 3plus
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	x86-64
OS:	Other
Whiteboard:
Found By:	Other	Services Priority:
Business Priority:		Blocker:	---
Marketing QA Status:	---	IT Deployment:	---
Attachments:	Hardware info as seen by YaST

Description Jiri Dluhos 2005-12-05 14:29:48 UTC

The system fails to boot on my machine (please find the attached hardware description) when the USB keyboard support is enabled in BIOS. This happens even if no USB keyboard is physically connected; only the BIOS switch matters.

The behavior is as follows.

Up to the GRUB screen, everything works as normal. (If an USB keyboard is connected, it works; a PS/2 one works as well.)

After the system starts booting, the keyboard becomes unresponsive (regardless of whether it is an USB or a PS/2 one), not even the NumLock key reacts. If the console is in framebuffer mode, the screen goes all black. However, the system is still booting, which is visible when the console is run in VGA mode; normal kernel bootup messages appear, but very slowly.

After about 10 minutes, the initial startup screen (the blue one) appears. After this, the system seems to freeze completely. Maybe it still does something, but it is hard to say because the keyboard is unresponsive (regardless of whether it is an USB or a PS/2 one; disconnecting and reconnecting also does not help) and the machine does not respond to pings.

When the USB keyboard support is disabled in BIOS, everything works correctly.

Comment 1 Dr. Werner Fink 2005-12-05 14:36:37 UTC

IMHO this is a BIOS bug.

Comment 2 Jiri Dluhos 2005-12-05 14:47:32 UTC

Created attachment 59826 [details]
Hardware info as seen by YaST

Comment 3 Jiri Dluhos 2005-12-05 14:52:29 UTC

I don't think it is a BIOS bug. When I attach an USB keyboard to the machine, it works in BIOS, and it still works in GRUB. The failure occurs after the OS takes control, not before.

Even if it is a BIOS bug, I believe it would be useful to know why it manifests itself in such a strange way. I am ready to provide any data I can get.

Reopening the bug, please don't hit me.

Comment 4 Dr. Werner Fink 2005-12-05 14:55:57 UTC

Torsten? Olaf?

Comment 5 Torsten Duwe 2005-12-05 15:52:29 UTC

The USB keyboard emulation happens in _hardware_, not much you can influence through software. If it works with the emulation disabled, then use that.
"Still works in grub" "after OS is loaded" definitely not a grub bug, BTW.

You problem is caused by the BIOS misprogramming your hardware. You have three ways to get around this:

1. complain to your board manufacturer. You paid money for this crap(?)
  From my knowledge this is by 99% chance fixable via a BIOS update.

2. Use a PS/2 keyboard, and switch the USB emu off.

3. If you need to use an USB kbd, live with it being non-functional until the
   module is loaded.