We’re gearing up to test out a new ticketing system at work. We’ll be scanning barcoded tickets using an inexpensive USB Adesso Barcode Scanner. Unfortunately, on my Ubuntu (9.04 jaunty) netbook, the scanner would disable itself immediately after I scanned a barcode. Here’s how I fixed it:

1) Add the following lines to the bottom of your /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist file:

# these drivers are very simple, the HID drivers are usually preferred
#blacklist usbmouse
#blacklist usbkbd
blacklist usbhid

2) Add the following line to the bottom of your /etc/modules file:

usbkbd