Go to "Edit/Preferences/Input Devices". Click on the button "Configure Extended Input Devices" on the right side. Select your current device (mice, track point, etc.) in the "Device :" list and set the working mode for it to either "Window" or "Screen" using the "Mode :" list. Click the "Save" dialog button to apply your changes, then click "Close" to close the window and "OK" in the parent, preferences window.
  
  Create a new image or open an existing one. Use "Window/Dockable Dialogs/Device Status" menu item to invoke "Device Status" window. Take the Brush (P) tool and find it doesn't work properly: the device pointer is moving while pressing down the #1 button doesn't make any change to the image and the brush size is not indicated by the pointer. The "Device Status" window should indicate that the current device you are using isn't the virtual "Core pointer" but a specific device you have enabled.

  Try to use the "Bucket Fill Tool" (Shift + B) and find that it isn't permitted for some reason to fill the image as indicated by the cursor icon. Take the "Rectangular Selection Tool" (R), click on the image and find that the area automatically selected is point in the the upper left corner of the image. 

*** Notice the terrible negative coordinate number at the status bar. ***

  Take the "Zoom" tool (Z) and find it working relative ot the upper left corner of the image.

  SUMMARY

  It seems that the coordinates for the XInput events are incorrectly translated as can be seen in the status bar ('x' is -214748364 in my case) so you always try to work outside of the image.

  BUG EFFECTIVE AREA

  Probably it isn't the Gimp only bug for it behaves the same in the Inkscape, for instance. Possibly it is the GTK/GDK bug.