Last updated: 16 October 2006
16 October 2006: I just noticed that it is no long necessary to pass no_timer_check
to the kernel.
25 January 2006: I finally have Direct Rending working! See instructions below.
Hardware Components
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Status under Linux
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Notes
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AMD Athlon(TM) 64 4000+ (2.4GHz/1MB l2 Cache) | Works | no_timer_check to kernel at boot time, or the clock runs at 2x.
This is a problem only when processor is being used in 64-bit mode, which is what we're doing here.This doesn't seem to be necessary any more. |
15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800) Display | Works | No special procedure required during installation |
128MB ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory(TM) | Works |
There are ebuilds in portage for using ATI's proprietary drivers that simplify installation and upgrades. I'm using ati-drivers 8.27.10-r1, the latest stable version in portage at time of writing. Some earlier versions almost work but most are very unstable for me. Simply install the latest proprietary driver with:
Set things up to use direct rendering with:
Use the included tool
Very Important: There is a bug with the R4000 that requires you to set your BIOS onboard graphics option to use "UMA + Sideport". Last I checked no one knew for certain where the bug lies (graphics card, BIOS, ATI's driver, linux kernel, etc.) But if you don't change that BIOS setting the machine freezes up when it enters graphics mode with ATI's driver. References:Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ |
2.0GB DDR SDRAM (2x1024MB) | Works | No special procedure required during installation |
80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive | Works | Enable CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATIIXP when you compile the kernel to support the IXP chipset and have DMA working. |
DVD+/-RW/R & CD-RW Combo w/Double Layer Support | Works | No special procedure required during installation. |
Touchpad | Works |
No special procedure required during installation. It's possible that this mouse section in my xorg.conf helps. It's there for my optical travel mouse, but the touchpad works perfectly. I haven't ever run X.org without this section, so I can't say if it's necessary or not:
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6-in-1 Media Reader | Unknown | Haven't tried. But from what I've researched, it is unlikely this can be made to work in the near future. |
1394 (Firewire) Port | Works | Just enable the relevant options when you compile your kernel. |
PCMCIA Slot | Unknown | Haven't tried. |
Integrated Network Card | Works | Enable CONFIG_8139TOO when you compile the kernel to support the RealTek RTL-8139 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter. |
Internal 56k Modem | Unknown | Having serious issues getting this working. Haven't tried with the most recent kernel. More research is warranted, as it seems a user-space program is necessary to fully enable this (apparently win-) modem. |
54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth | Works | 1) Compile a kernel with wireless support enabled. 2) Install the latest ndiswrapper:
3) Download the proprietary 64-bit Windows wireless driver from Broadcom 4) Install the wireless driver with ndiswrapper, (something like
5) Load the driver with:
6) Set up your wireless network:
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12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery | Works | No special procedure required during installation |
Integrated Sound Card | Works | Enable ALSA and |
This laptop is operating under the linux kernel version 2.6.17-gentoo-r8
If you have any questions, suggestions, or noticed any errors on this page, please let me know: [email protected]
My web programming business site: darshancomputing.com