topic Re: Linux and xt375 laptop in Operating System - Linux

Linux and xt375 laptop

William G. James — Wed, 16 Oct 2002 01:09:58 GMT

I have had limited success installing linux on an xt375.

I used the following boot parameters on SUSE and Mandrake:

linux ide=nodma idebus=66

and the following parameters on redhat 8.0:

linux ide=nodma idebus=66 noapm noapic

I have not been able to get the integrated wireless adapter to work (it is recognized by mandrake but I don't have a clue how to configure it, the orinco driver included with mandrake doesn't support it). I was able to configure a DLINK DWL-650 wireless pcmcia card.

The major problem that I have is an inability to set up XFREE86 so that it will reliably sync the LCD. I have tried Mandrake 9.0, RedHat 8.0 and SUSE 8.0. All have problems with the adapter/LCD combo. Neither Mandrake or Redhat can probe the LCD. RedHat 8.0 properly recognizes the graphics chip as a mobility radion M6. I used a monitor setting of generic 15inch LCD. X will sync the monitor....some of the time.

I have seen some users on the web that have had some amount of luck substituting vesa driver for radeon. It did not help for the xt375.

Does anyone know what the LCD is in a xt375 (brand and model) or what the frequency specifications are?

Does anyone know what the embedded wireless adapter is? Know how it is connected (PCI or PCMCIA..)?

Has anyone had better luck with video with linux on the xt375?

Thanks for any help.

williamgjames@cox.net

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Chris Duckworth — Sun, 23 Feb 2003 18:54:24 GMT

I am having the same problems with the xt375.

Here is a fix for the wireless lan card, for red hat 8.0
edit the fiel: /etc/rc.d/rc.local

add this line to the file:
modprobe orinoco_pci

I got that from another messege board, sorry that I dont have a proper reference.

I have not been able to find the proper monitor sync for the LCD.
Please let me know if you find any thing.
cnd

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Bruce Copeland — Sun, 23 Feb 2003 19:29:51 GMT

The problem is XFree86 and ATI radeon hardware--not the distro. Have either of you tried using 'Generic Laptop Display Panel 1024x768' for your monitor ModelName? In principle you shouldn't need any modelines or timing specifications (and including the wrong ones just further confuses things).

Bruce

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Chris Duckworth — Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:50:26 GMT

Yes, I am loading "Generic Laptop Display Panel 1024x768" and the problem still occurs. LCD monitor type, brand, model, sync specs are not known. Knowledge of these specs would probably solve the problem, xfree86 seems to work fine and the graphics card is recognized as an ATI Mobility M6, which is correct.
CND

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Bruce Copeland — Mon, 24 Feb 2003 03:41:48 GMT

Chris:

I have seen reports from a few notebook users who find that turning off radeon acceleration gives clean (although slower) video. Do you have acceleration enabled or disabled?

Bruce

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Chris Duckworth — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 20:58:46 GMT

Yes, software accelaration is turned off. If that is not the same as radon accelaration, then how do i turn it off?
Thank you,
CND

Re: Linux and xt375 laptop

Tony Freeman_1 — Mon, 24 Mar 2003 23:01:08 GMT

A week ago I installed Mandrake 9.1 on my Pavilion xt375. My installation problems turned out to be bad CDs . . . once I got some good iso images written to CD the install went very well. It automatically configured everything that I was worried about; ex: wireless, firewire, usb, video, etc.

The only things I have to do or check now is the IR port and get the hotkeys working.

Mandrake 9.1 is still in beta, but it seems to be doing a very good job for me :-)