Issue:
Laptop keyboard and touchpad fail caused by "tablet-mode".
Notebook, laptop, linux misconfiguration in distro Ubuntu and Fedora and
others for "tablet-mode".
LUKS can not be decrypted due to failing
keyboard.
Work around for Laptop Fujitsu Lifebook under linux are possible.
The issue about Keyboard and/or Touchpad not working is caused by "tablet-mode".
To analyze events triggering "tablet-mode" (sudo libinput debug-events) see here, please:
Why is my laptop's keyboard screwed up since kernel 5.4.0-47 till 5.8.0-20?
I experience issues with several different Laptops Fujitsu Lifebook E Series (Fujitsu LIFEBOOK E4511, E5510, ...) Same issues with Dell, Sony, Lenovo, ...
I never managed to eliminate tablet mode completely.
I experience the same issue with Ubuntu and Fedora (recent versions).
I worked around the issue successfully. All Laptops I dealt with have circumvented these (two different) issues.
Try solutions bit by bit, never as a watering can. Analyze.
All information compiled from other sources. Thanks a lot to the people willing to share solutions and hints.
In rare cases problem arises even when using USB-thumb-stick (this normally works fine - proof it is no systemic / unresolvable issue).
keyboard
Missing keyboard is related to an early kernel module. Reason: The error occurs during boot process (long before X Window initialization): LUKS pwd can not be keyed in. Even function keys are "disconnected".
touchpad
A touchpad not working has other reasons.
It seems to be the case, there are
- missing kernel modules or
- modules blocking functionality because they are active.
quick workaround for instant help:
If it is possible to reach X Window mode it often helps to close the lid and(!) wait until some sleep mode steped in. Waking up the laptop almost always activates keyboard and most times the touchpad.
remediation or work around
One or a combination of these steps helped me to work around the issue:
- load hid modules
- block intel module
- block elan module
- install recent kernel
- grub process modules differently
Of course there are more ways to resolve it. Please document them in "comments" or your own contribution, please.
block intel module
In
/etc/modprobe.d/
create a new file:
/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-intel_vbtn.conf
with the following two lines in it:
# bug in module breaks keyboard, so do not load it (askubuntu.com 127820)
blacklist intel_vbtn
block elan module (ELAN - touchpad)
The elan_i2c module can block the keyboard in some cases of "tablet mode".
Block elan_i2c module in grub. Change
/etc/default/grub
and set
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="initcall_blacklist=elants_i2c"
(back up and eliminate all previous stuff between quotes)
and check for deviations in spelling of the module!
load hid modules
This frequently helps with the touchpad.
For spontaneous remediation after successful boot invoke terminal and execute
sudo modprobe i2c-hid
sudo modprobe i2c-hid-acpi
To make your solution persistent amend or create file
/etc/modules
Just add a comment and the two lines
i2c-hid
i2c-hid-acpi
More recent installations use location
/etc/modules-load.d/
This helped with many touch pads like the „DesignWare“ Touchpad in a Lifebook E5511.
It is possible to use grub for this means:
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="i2c_hid" (but failed for me)
grub process modules differently
at least one case of "tablet mode" keyboard failure was avoided by reconfiguring modules in boot process using grub.
In grub (
/etc/default/grub
) change line as
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="i8042.reset i8042.nomux i8042.nopnp i8042.noloop"
This may need combination with recent kernel installation.
install recent kernel
in one case it helped to install a recent kernel.
Just take the latest stable one. This should do the job. Configure grub to support fallback mode etc.!
used source:
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/mainline/
FF!
PS: In grub always use
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=countdown
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=false
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=false
GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU=false
to support analysis.
All information retrieved from other sources, thanks a lot to the people willing to share solutions and contribute help.
