This is weird. I'm sure ej's 2nd post of the night wasn't between 857 and Scylla's post when I looked earlier.

Many thanks for the explanation and the link. The problem arises in my Mint 9 persistent flash drive install - which is otherwise the best persistent install I've come across. Without paying attention, I introduced a keyring which demands the router's WEP access code every time. It connects fine, but the cursor stops responding to the Eee PC's touchpad for the rest of the session. An external mouse works fine. An interesting irritation.

Scylla, you have my sympathies. Passwords in Linux can cause annoyance - but do help to keep things safe. Out of interest, which two did you set up? I thought Ubuntu just needed one - unlike the separate user and root passwords favoured by most distros. Next time you install a new Ubuntu-based distro, keep an eye out for the automatic log-in option. I've not used it, but would assume it gets you straight to your account without signing in - presumably you just need your password for operations requiring further privileges.

Mint 9 works beautifully on both the Eee PC (horrible 7" screen with a max resolution of 800x480 - but Mint accommodates this just as well as the original Xandros does) and battered Aspire One (8.9" screen - amazing how much better than the Eee's screen that is - still tiny.) It also works a treat on this old desktop, with its 17" 1280x1024 screen. (Wish manufacturers would go back to 5:4 screens - I honestly prefer it to the "wide screen" aspect ratio - 'tho I suppose the latter allows 8.9" screens to accommodate most web pages, at least laterally.)

Although LXDE and Fluxbox are tempting, I'm really impresses at how effective Mint 9 is on lower-spec machinery.