Wacom Tablet X Error

In Ubuntu, by default the X server configuration file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) contains configuration information for a Wacom Tablet. If a Wacom Tablet is not installed in the system, a harmless error will be seen in Xorg.0.log, .xsession-errors and on the terminal when starting some X applications:

X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
   Major opcode: 145
   Minor opcode: 3
   Resource id: 0x0
 Failed to open device
 X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
   Major opcode: 145
   Minor opcode: 3
   Resource id: 0x0
 Failed to open device

To remove this annoying error the user needs to manually edit the xorg.conf file.

Example

1. First of all, make a back of your xorg.conf file in case something goes wrong:

• Open a Terminal (in Ubuntu: Menu->Accessories->Terminal)

• Type: sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.backup

• Enter your password if required

2. Then edit the xorg.conf file:

• Fire up your preferred text editor with superuser privileges. For instance:

  • sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

• Locate the following lines (these might differ slightly, use your best judgment):

Section "InputDevice"
   Driver "wacom"
   Identifier "stylus"
   Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                                # /dev/input/event
                                # for USB
   Option "Type" "stylus"
   Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver "wacom"
  Identifier "eraser"
  Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                               # /dev/input/event
                               # for USB
  Option "Type" "eraser"
  Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver "wacom"
  Identifier "cursor"
  Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                               # /dev/input/event
                               # for USB
  Option "Type" "cursor"
  Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Either delete the lines, or add a # character in front (this will comment them out) like this:

#Section "InputDevice"
#   Driver "wacom"
#   Identifier "stylus"
#   Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                                # /dev/input/event
                                # for USB
#   Option "Type" "stylus"
#   Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
#EndSection

#Section "InputDevice"
#  Driver "wacom"
#  Identifier "eraser"
#  Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                               # /dev/input/event
                               # for USB
#  Option "Type" "eraser"
#  Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
#EndSection

#Section "InputDevice"
#  Driver "wacom"
#  Identifier "cursor"
#  Option "Device" "/dev/wacom" # Change to
                               # /dev/input/event
                               # for USB
#  Option "Type" "cursor"
#  Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
#EndSection

Now repeat this for the following lines in the "ServerLayout" Section:

InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"

So, for instance, make it looks like this:

#InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
#InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
#InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"

3. Check-it out, save and exit. Close any open application and restart the X server by logging out and back in, or typing sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart.

Check if everything works as it should and that the error is gone.

Troubleshooting

If anything went wrong, try to locate the error you made in the xorg.conf file. Most probably you won't be able to do it in a graphical mode, so just restart in Recovery Mode (from the boot menu) and at the prompt give this command:

nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

To edit the file use the arrow keys and the special keys shown at the bottom (^X means CTRL+X, etc.). Check what you did wrong, correct, save and exit. If you are unable to recover the error, just restore your backup (and be happy to live with the error being displayed):

cp -f /etc/X11/xorg.backup /etc/X11/xorg.conf

(remember to prefix it with sudo if you are NOT in Recovery Mode).

Now, start the X server with startx or /etc/init.d/gdm start.

CategoryWacom