Dell Inspiron 8200
I purchased the computer in February 2003, and so far I have been very happy with it. I repartitioned the hard drive shortly after receiving it in the mail and installed Windows and Linux. See the Dual-boot section for a complete description of that setup.The basics:
- P-4 Mobile 2.0 GHz
- Intel 845MP chipset
- 512 MB DDR SDRAM
- 30 GB hard drive
Video
The video is provided by an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 with 64 MB RAM. Don't confuse it with the standard Radeon 9000. I started out using the XFree86 radeon driver, but I couldn't get it to do what I wanted, so I switched to the proprietary ATI driver. The main problem I had with the radeon driver was getting the same output on my laptop display and on the external VGA port.
TV-Out doesn't work, but I never use it anyway. 3-D acceleration works, but I haven't tested it with any games.
Gentoo has an easy to follow How-to at Hardware 3D Acceleration Guide.
If you're having problems getting DRI to work and dmesg shows mtrr errors, have a look here.
Here's how I got it working:
1. Configured and installed a new kernel and its modules. Here's the graphics support snippet from my kernel .config file.
# # Graphics support # CONFIG_FB=y # CONFIG_FB_PM2 is not set # CONFIG_FB_CYBER2000 is not set # CONFIG_FB_IMSTT is not set CONFIG_FB_VGA16=m CONFIG_FB_VESA=y CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y # CONFIG_FB_HGA is not set # CONFIG_FB_RIVA is not set # CONFIG_FB_I810 is not set # CONFIG_FB_MATROX is not set # CONFIG_FB_RADEON_OLD is not set # CONFIG_FB_RADEON is not set # CONFIG_FB_ATY128 is not set # CONFIG_FB_ATY is not set # CONFIG_FB_SIS is not set # CONFIG_FB_NEOMAGIC is not set # CONFIG_FB_KYRO is not set # CONFIG_FB_3DFX is not set # CONFIG_FB_VOODOO1 is not set # CONFIG_FB_TRIDENT is not set # CONFIG_FB_VIRTUAL is not set # # Console display driver support # CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y # CONFIG_MDA_CONSOLE is not set CONFIG_DUMMY_CONSOLE=y CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y CONFIG_PCI_CONSOLE=y # CONFIG_FONTS is not set CONFIG_FONT_8x8=y CONFIG_FONT_8x16=y # # Logo configuration # CONFIG_LOGO=y CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_MONO=y CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_VGA16=y CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_CLUT224=y
2. Emerged the ATI software:
emerge ati-drivers ati-drivers-extra
3. Configured OpenGL to use the ATI driver:
opengl-update ati
4. Configured XFree86 to use the new driver.
Return to topDisplay
The display is a UXGA Dell Ultrasharp with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. At first it was hard for me to get used to the super-fine resolution, but now I can't imagine computing without it.
Return to topSound
The sound is provided by an Intel AC97. Here's how I got it to work:
1. Configured sound and ALSA as modules in the kernel. Here's my kernel .config Sound snippet. Note that I omitted the most of the commented-out items in the snippet below.
# # Sound # CONFIG_SOUND=m # # Advanced Linux Sound Architecture # CONFIG_SND=m CONFIG_SND_TIMER=m CONFIG_SND_PCM=m CONFIG_SND_RAWMIDI=m CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER=m # CONFIG_SND_SEQ_DUMMY is not set CONFIG_SND_OSSEMUL=y CONFIG_SND_MIXER_OSS=m CONFIG_SND_PCM_OSS=m CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER_OSS=y CONFIG_SND_RTCTIMER=m # CONFIG_SND_VERBOSE_PRINTK is not set # CONFIG_SND_DEBUG is not set # # Generic devices # CONFIG_SND_MPU401_UART=m # # PCI devices # CONFIG_SND_AC97_CODEC=m CONFIG_SND_INTEL8X0=m
2. Copied the new kernel to my /boot directory and rebooted the computer.
3. Emerged the necessary alsa packages:
emerge alsa-lib alsa-oss alsa-utils
4. Edited /etc/modules.d/alsa:
# ALSA portion alias char-major-116 snd # OSS/Free portion alias char-major-14 soundcore ## ## IMPORTANT: ## You need to customise this section for your specific sound card(s) ## and then run `update-modules' command. ## Read alsa-driver's INSTALL file in /usr/share/doc for more info. ## ## ALSA portion alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0 ## alias snd-card-1 snd-ens1371 ## OSS/Free portion alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0 ## alias sound-slot-1 snd-card-1 ## # OSS/Free portion - card #1 alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss ## OSS/Free portion - card #2 ## alias sound-service-1-0 snd-mixer-oss ## alias sound-service-1-3 snd-pcm-oss ## alias sound-service-1-12 snd-pcm-oss alias /dev/mixer snd-mixer-oss alias /dev/dsp snd-pcm-oss alias /dev/midi snd-seq-oss # Set this to the correct number of cards. options snd cards_limit=1
5. Updated my /etc/modules.conf with:
modules-update
6. Since the ALSA modules are compiled from the kernel sources, we don't need the alsa-driver package. However, portage will try to install it to meet dependencies for other packages. You can stop this with the following command:
emerge -i media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.3
7. Added alsasound to my boot runlevel with the following command so everything gets loaded automatically:
rc-update add alsasound boot
8. Turned off the error message FATAL: Module snd_intel8x0 already in kernel. by inserting "-q" after modprobe in my /etc/init.d/alsasound file. The modprobe commands should look like this:
/sbin/modprobe -q ${DRIVER}
9. Started the sound service with:
/etc/init.d/alsasound start
10. Unmuted the channels with:
amixer set Master 100 unmute amixer set PCM 100 unmute
11. Tested the sound with:
aplay /usr/kde/3.1/share/sounds/pop.wav
12. Turned off the KDE aRTs sound server. See Audacity for more information.
Return to topDVD-CDRW Drive
The drive is a Mashita CDRW/DVD. I can watch movies, burn CDs, rip CDs, etc. See the Software section for more information.
SCSI emulation is no longer required to make the burner work. See SCSI for more information.
Return to topPCMCIA
The pcmcia-cs package will not work without the proper PCIC option set. Here's my /etc/conf.d/pcmcia configuration file:
CARDMGR_OPTS="-f" SCHEME="home" PCIC="yenta_socket" PCIC_OPTS="" CORE_OPTS=""
I couldn't get pcmcia-cs to compile against kernel 2.6.1 after I trashed my partition table and reinstalled Linux. I had to boot with 2.4.23 and then emerge the package, but it works with 2.6.1.
Return to topUSB
Unfortunately, only USB 1.1 is supported. So far I've only used the USB port for syncing my handheld and running my mouse.
Here's my USB kernel .config using make menuconfig:
Device Drivers --->
USB support --->
<*> Support for Host-side USB
[*] USB verbose debug messages
--- Miscellaneous USB options
[*] USB device filesystem
[*] Enforce USB bandwidth allocation (EXPERIMENTAL)
[ ] Dynamic USB minor allocation (EXPERIMENTAL)
--- USB Host Controller Drivers
< > EHCI HCD (USB 2.0) support
< > OHCI HCD support
<*> UHCI HCD (most Intel and VIA) support
--- USB Device Class drivers
<M> USB Audio support
< > USB Bluetooth TTY support
<M> USB MIDI support
<M> USB Modem (CDC ACM) support
<M> USB Printer support
<M> USB Mass Storage support
[ ] USB Mass Storage verbose debug
[ ] Datafab Compact Flash Reader support (EXPERIMENTAL)
[ ] Freecom USB/ATAPI Bridge support
[ ] ISD-200 USB/ATA Bridge support
[ ] Microtech/ZiO! CompactFlash/SmartMedia support
[ ] HP CD-Writer 82xx support (EXPERIMENTAL)
[ ] SanDisk SDDR-09 (and other SmartMedia) support (EXPERIMENTAL)
[ ] SanDisk SDDR-55 SmartMedia support (EXPERIMENTAL)
[ ] Lexar Jumpshot Compact Flash Reader (EXPERIMENTAL)
--- USB Human Interface Devices (HID)
<M> USB Human Interface Device (full HID) support
[*] HID input layer support
[ ] Force feedback support (EXPERIMENTAL)
[*] /dev/hiddev raw HID device support
USB HID Boot Protocol drivers --->
< > Aiptek 6000U/8000U tablet support
< > Wacom Intuos/Graphire tablet support
< > KB Gear JamStudio tablet support
< > Griffin PowerMate and Contour Jog support
< > X-Box gamepad support
< > ATI USB RF remote control
--- USB Imaging devices
<M> USB Mustek MDC800 Digital Camera support (EXPERIMENTAL)
<M> Microtek X6USB scanner support
<M> HP53xx USB scanner support (EXPERIMENTAL)
--- USB Multimedia devices
< > DABUSB driver
--- Video4Linux support is needed for USB Multimedia device support
--- USB Network adaptors
< > USB CATC NetMate-based Ethernet device support (EXPERIMENTAL)
< > USB KLSI KL5USB101-based ethernet device support
< > USB Pegasus/Pegasus-II based ethernet device support
< > USB RTL8150 based ethernet device support (EXPERIMENTAL)
< > Multi-purpose USB Networking Framework
--- USB port drivers
< > USS720 parport driver
USB Serial Converter support --->
--- USB Miscellaneous drivers
< > EMI 6|2m USB Audio interface support
< > EMI 2|6 USB Audio interface support
< > Texas Instruments Graph Link USB (aka SilverLink) cable support
< > USB Auerswald ISDN support (EXPERIMENTAL)
< > USB Diamond Rio500 support (EXPERIMENTAL)
< > USB Lego Infrared Tower support (EXPERIMENTAL)
< > USB LCD driver support
< > USB LED driver support
< > USB testing driver (DEVELOPMENT)
USB Gadget Support --->
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USB Mouse
I have a Logitech Traveler USB optical mouse with a scroll wheel that works great. It sure beats using the touchpad. I originally compiled the necessary driver as modules; however, that was not possible with kernel 2.6. Here's how I got it working:
1. Configured the kernel. The important sections are Userland interfaces and everything between USB support and USB Imaging devices.
2. Edited two files, /etc/hotplug/usb.rc and /etc/hotplug/usb.handmap, by commenting out all references to mousedev. This eliminated an error message during startup because hotplug couldn't find the mousedev modules (now they are compiled in the kernel.
3. Added a new section to my /etc/X11/XF86Config file:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "USB Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Name" "AutoDetected"
Option "Vendor" "AutoDetected"
EndSection
4. Added a new line to the server layout section in my /etc/X11/XF86Config file:
InputDevice "USB Mouse" "SendCoreEvents"
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IRDA
The infrared chip is a SMC that supports both fast and slow IR. I've only used it to sync my Sony handheld.
Here's what I did:
1. Enabled FIR support in the BIOS.
2. Configured the kernel. Here's the kernel .config IRDA snippet.
# # IrDA (infrared) support # CONFIG_IRDA=m # # IrDA protocols # CONFIG_IRLAN=m CONFIG_IRNET=m CONFIG_IRCOMM=m CONFIG_IRDA_ULTRA=y # # IrDA options # CONFIG_IRDA_CACHE_LAST_LSAP=y CONFIG_IRDA_FAST_RR=y CONFIG_IRDA_DEBUG=y # # Infrared-port device drivers # # # SIR device drivers # CONFIG_IRTTY_SIR=m # # Dongle support # # CONFIG_DONGLE is not set # # Old SIR device drivers # CONFIG_IRPORT_SIR=m # # Old Serial dongle support # # CONFIG_DONGLE_OLD is not set # # FIR device drivers # # CONFIG_USB_IRDA is not set # CONFIG_SIGMATEL_FIR is not set # CONFIG_NSC_FIR is not set # CONFIG_WINBOND_FIR is not set # CONFIG_TOSHIBA_FIR is not set CONFIG_SMC_IRCC_FIR=m # CONFIG_ALI_FIR is not set # CONFIG_VLSI_FIR is not set # CONFIG_VIA_FIR is not set
3. Installed the irda-utils package.
4. Have the following added to my /etc/modules.conf file.
# IRDA Syncing with Palm alias char-major-161 ircomm_tty alias ircomm0 ircomm alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty_sir alias irda0 smsc-ircc2 options smsc-ircc2 ircc_dma=3 ircc_irq=3
5. Wrote an irda runscript.
Return to topFirewire
I don't have any IEEE 1394 devices, so I haven't tried the firewire port.
Return to topEthernet (on-board)
The on-board LAN is a 3Com Corporation 3c905C-TX/TX-M [Tornado] chip that uses the 3c59x module.
Return to topDell Truemobile 1180 WLAN Card
The mini-PC WLAN card from Dell is based on a Broadcom BCM4301 chip. You have two options to get the card working. Unfortunately for me I bought a $20 license for the Linuxant solution described below before the open-source driver ndiswrapper supported WEP.
ndiswrapper
I've been using ndiswrapper since version 0.4, and it works great. I always had problems with the Linuxant driver when I changed anything such as my network setup or updated my kernel; however, ndiswrapper is exceptionally user-friendly. Here's how to do it:
1. Install the wireless-tools package.
2. Download the package and unpack it.
3. You'll also need access to some Windows drivers. I use the ones I downloaded from Dell. If you don't have access to a Windows machine, you can download a driver tarball here.
4. cd to the ndiswrapper-0.5 directory and follow the instructions in the INSTALL file. It's quick and dirty.
5. Copy /etc/init.d/net.eth0 to /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 and edit the file so that it loads and unloads the module and sets the wireless options. The changes I made in the script begin with
# Start Ken Entries
6. Edit /etc/conf.d/net and add the proper settings for iface_wlan0.
7. Make sure the following is added to your /etc/modules.conf. This is needed for the script in step 5 to remove the ndiswrapper module.
alias wlan0 ndiswrapper
Linuxant
I installed the driverloader from Linuxant. If you're a Linux purist, you definitely don't want to use this driver. It's not open-source; it requires a license (about $20.00); and it requires a Windows driver. However, it does work, and here's how I did it:
1. Installed the wireless-tools package.
2. Followed the install instructions that come with the driver. You can compile the driver against only one kernel. Since I use 2.6.1 (mostly) and 2.4.24 (rarely), I always got error messages when 2.4.24 booted up. The next section solves that problem with a kernel version check.
3. Inserted the following lines in /etc/init.d/net.eth0 directly after the line that reads checkconfig || return 1 in the iface_start() section.
# Start Ken Entries
KERNEL=`uname -r | cut -c3`
if [ ${KERNEL} -eq 6 ]; then
/usr/sbin/iwconfig ${IFACE} essid mySSID # Change mySSID to match yours.
/usr/sbin/iwconfig ${IFACE} nickname "Dell TrueMobile" # Not really needed.
/usr/sbin/iwconfig ${IFACE} key 1234-5A6B-78 # Change to match your WEP key.
fi
# End Ken Entries
4. Linked the file above to net.eth1 with:
ln -s /etc/init.d/net.eth0 /etc/init.d/net.eth1
5. Removed all instance of net.eth0 and net.eth1 from all runlevels. Check with:
rc-update -s
6. The kernel starts the appropriate NIC every time. Since I use only DHCP, I make sure I have my cable plugged in before booting with 2.4.24.
Return to topBelkin F5D6020 WLAN PC-Card
I've only used this setup with kernel 2.4.20, but I suspect it'll work with 2.6.1.
The F5D6020 Version 2.0 PC-card works with Linux. The range seems to be just as good as the Dell TrueMobile with the built-in antenna running under Windows. You can find a detailed How-to at House of Craig. Here's how I did it, although I've not been able to get the xvnet application to work.
1. Installed the wireless-tools package.
2. Installed the ATMEL WLAN Drivers.
3. Added this to /etc/pcmcia/wireless.opts.
# Belkin 6020 Version 2
*,*,*,00:30:BD:*)
INFO="Belkin 6020 V2"
ESSID="mySSID" # Change mySSID to match yours.
MODE="Managed"
RATE="auto"
KEY="1234-5A6B-78" # Change to match your WEP key.
;;
4. Added this to /etc/pcmcia/atmel.conf.
card "Belkin 6020 Version 2" manfid 0x01bf, 0x3302 bind "pcmf502rd"
5. Restarted pcmcia and inserted the card. Checked status with ifconfig and iwconfig.
Return to topModem
The modem is a softmodem using a Conexant chipset. Unfortunately, the Gentoo hsflinmodem package does not work with kernel 2.6. Linuxant offers a free 2.6 compatible driver, but it's limited to 14.4Kbps data. Their fully functional version sells for around $15.00.
Return to topKeyboard
The keyboard is a standard German 88-key device. Here's how I got the multimedia keys to work.
1. Developed a keyboard patch for my kernel.
2. Applied my patch with the following command. Be sure to change the x in the patch's file name and in the following command to match your kernel version.
patch -p0 < /path/to/file/atkbd.c.2.6.x.diff
3. Compiled and installed the new kernel image.
4. Created a file called .Xmodmap in my home directory. Note that the actions correspond to those found in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XKeysymDB.
5. Added the following to my startup script, which has a soft link in ~/.kde3.1/Autostart/ and is called every time KDE starts:
/usr/X11R6/bin/xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap
6. Ran the startup script and tested the keycodes with xev.
7. Emerged lineakd.
8. Changed /etc/lineakkb.def to read:
[DI8K]
brandname = "Laptop/notebook"
modelname = "Dell Inspiron 8xxx"
[KEYS]
Play = 149 # Previous value was 129
Previous = 154 # Previous value was 131
Next = 155 # Previous value was 132
Stop = 150 # Previous value was 130
VolumeUp = 176
VolumeDown = 174
Mute = 160
[END KEYS]
[END DI8K]
# end Dell Inspiron 8xxx Laptop
9. Ran the following command as a normal user to setup the lineakb.conf file in my home directory:
lineakd -c DI8K
10. Edited the newly created lineakd.conf in my ~/.lineak/ directory. Note that this setup will only work with KDE.
11. Added the following to my startup script:
/usr/bin/lineakd &Return to top
Touchpad
Both the touchpad and the pointing device work fine. See my XF86Config file for the configuration details.
Return to topmodules.conf
My entire modules.conf file.
Return to topmodules.autoload
My kernel-2.6 file from the /etc/modules.autoload.d directory.
Return to topMuvo MP3 Player
Adding support for a Creative Muvo was simple. Here's how:
1. Have the following line added to my /etc/modules.conf:
alias /dev/sda1 usb-storage
2. Update modules with:
modules-update
3. Added the following line to my /etc/fstab file:
/dev/sda1 /mnt/muvo vfat umask=000,noauto,users,quiet 0 0
Now it's just a matter of mounting the device and copying, deleting files.
Return to topSony CLIE
I have a Sony CLIE, model PEG-N610C, that works great with Linux. I sync my data using both the IRDA and the USB ports and KPilot. See IRDA for more information on setting up the IR port.
USB Syncing
Here's how to setup the handheld for USB syncing:
1. Make sure USB is configured properly. See USB.
2. Test the USB connection. I tested mine by placing the handheld in the cradle, issuing the following command, and then pressing the sync button:
tail -f /var/log/messages
If all is working properly, you will see something like this (I deleted the date and host columns):
drivers/usb/host/uhci-hcd.c: bf80: wakeup_hc hub 1-0:1.0: port 1, status 101, change 1, 12 Mb/s hub 1-0:1.0: debounce: port 1: delay 100ms stable 4 status 0x101 hub 1-0:1.0: new USB device on port 1, assigned address 2 usb 1-1: new device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0 drivers/usb/core/message.c: USB device number 2 default language ID 0x409 usb 1-1: Product: Palm Handheld usb 1-1: Manufacturer: Palm, Inc. drivers/usb/core/usb.c: usb_hotplug usb 1-1: registering 1-1:1.0 (config #1, interface 0) drivers/usb/core/usb.c: usb_hotplug visor 1-1:1.0: usb_probe_interface visor 1-1:1.0: usb_probe_interface - got id usb 1-1: palm_os_4_probe - error -32 getting connection info visor 1-1:1.0: Handspring Visor / Palm OS converter detected usb 1-1: Handspring Visor / Palm OS converter now attached to ttyUSB0 (or usb/tts/0 for devfs) usb 1-1: Handspring Visor / Palm OS converter now attached to ttyUSB1 (or usb/tts/1 for devfs)
3. I use the following devices for syncing. See udev for more info.
devfs: /dev/usb/tts/1 udev: /dev/tts/USB1
IRDA Syncing
Here's how I set everything up:
1. Set up IRDA on the computer and created a soft link for IR syncing with the following command:
ln -s /dev/ircomm0 /dev/pilot-ir
2. Set up the handheld Prefs -> Connection -> IR to a PC/Handheld -> Edit... -> Details...:
Speed: 115,200 bps Flow Ctl: Automatic
3. Reset the handheld. I don't know why this helps, but it does. I had everything set up properly, but I couldn't sync. After triple checking everything, I finally remembered reading about this tip a long time ago, and, sure enough, it worked.
You can test this setup with pilot-link and the following command:
pilot-xfer -p /dev/pilot-ir -l
This command will list all the files on your handheld.
Mounting the Memory Stick
Mounting a Memory Stick was a little easier with kernel 2.4.20. Here's how I did it with 2.6.1:
1. Have the following line added to my /etc/modules.conf:
alias /dev/sda1 usb-storage
2. Update modules with:
modules-update
3. Added the following line to my /etc/fstab file:
/dev/sda1 /mnt/clie vfat umask=000,noauto,users,quiet 0 0
4. Start the handheld's MSImport program and mount the Memory Stick with the following command:
mount /mnt/clieReturn to top
Brother DCP-8025D MFP
I use the CUPS printing system with this multi-function laser printer. Printing works as well with Linux as it does with Windows and its standard driver. Unfortunately, the scanner is not supported with Linux. Here's how I set up the printer:
1. Copied BR8025_2.ppd (the PPD file) from the CD-ROM to /usr/share/cups/model/.
2. Restarted CUPS /etc/init.d/cupsd restart, pointed my browser to http://localhost:631 and added the printer. After selecting Brother and clicking Continue, this printer shows up as the only option.
3. Started the OpenOffice Printer Administration tool, clicked on New Printer..., Next >>, Import..., clicked Browse...and entered /usr/share/cups/model. Then I clicked on Brother DCP-8025D BR-Script3, checked out the different options, printed a test page, and made it my default printer.
4. Started the KDE Printer Control and made the printer my default there as well. The printer works very well with every program I use: GIMP, Ghostview, etc.
Note that the printer didn't worked with MozillaFirebird 0.7.0. After spending much too long trying to figure it out, I finally did emerge -C mozilla-firebird and downloaded the latest nightly build. Printing now works, but a couple of other things stopped working, so now I'm using Mozilla 1.5. It's gotten a lot faster since 1.4!
Return to topEpson Stylus Color 800
I use the CUPS printing system with both the standard CUPS and the gimp-print drivers. I have had problems in the past with gimp-print. Here's how I did it:
1. Edited my /etc/make.conf and added foomaticdb and ppds to my USE variables.
2. Emerged foomatic and gimp-print.
3. Restarted CUPS:
/etc/init.d/cupsd restart
4. Installed the PPD driver:
foomatic-configure -s cups -p Epson-Stylus_Color_800 -c file:/dev/lp0 -n Epson_Stylus-Color-800_GIMP -d gimp-print-ijs
5. Pointed Mozilla to http://localhost:631 and finished the configuration.
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