Obligatory Disclaimer!:
If you mess up your system, it's your own fault, no one here takes any responsibility for it!
I'm writing this mainly as a reference guide, my goal is to get as much information about linux related to the Inspiron 9400 crammed in here as I can :)
Also I imagine there arn't alot of linux users with a I9400 yet, so hopefully this will be usefull when you all start getting one :P
Also i'd appreciate any comments on misstakes or things I can add. thanks in advance :)
Install notes:
I installed debian/stable and later "updated" to debian/testing, the only install issue I had was that I had to specify linux26 on the install cd, because the 2.4 kernel on there had some issues which I don't care to bother with anyway, 2.6 is the way to go! :D
Also after I got it installed I did a quick apt-get install linux-image-2.6.15-1-686-smp to get a kernel that supports two processors.
FUJITSU MHV2080B 80GB (5,400 rpm) SATA Hard Drive
SONY 8X DVD+/-RW DW-Q58A Drive
256MB NVIDIA GeForce7800 Go PCI-Express
SigmaTel STAC9200 Audio
Intel Pro WLAN 3945 Wireless
Broadcom BCM4401-B0 10/100Mbit Ethernet
Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 Memory Card Reader
Conexant HDA d110 mdc 56K Modem
Kernel:
http://adoroar.kicks-ass.net/I9400/linux-2.6.15.4-config
This config is mainly for the very minimalistic who think that only exactly what's needed is suppose to be in a kernel.
It's written for 2.6.15.4 but it should still save you alot of time no matter what 2.6 kernel your running, unless your just gona load it up and hit make which I don't recommend :)
Some kernel config notes:
USB Masse storage support as module.
USB HID Support for mouse and keyboard as module
And the only filesystems compiled into the kernel is EXT2 and EXT3, if you want to use something else you'll have to change that(obviously :)
There's also Samba support as a module.
And Native Language Support is, USA and Western Europe.
Under Block Devices I have loopback device(for mounting .ISO's) and Network block device(for VMware)
Under Kernel debugging, Magic SysRq key is enabled(read /usr/src/linux/Documentation/sysrq.txt) this is a really nice little feature to still give you controll over your system no matter what happens(except a hard lockup) like X locking up your display or your kernel oopsing and not letting you continue in any other way.
Under networking Options, I got all iptables(firewall) settings as modules, same with all QoS settings.
Important! see CD/DVD Rom section below on how to make the kernel detect your drive.
Networking:
Ethernet:
b44 kernel module works.
Wireless Card:
Because intel hasn't released any specs for this card, there is no native support yet, but i'm sure we'll see some soon at.
http://ipw3945.sourceforge.net/
Until then you can use the Ndiswrapper, this driver basically uses the windows driver(scary I know!!)
But it does work, not perfect but if you really need wireless it's worth a shot.
The install instructions are here:
http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/Installation
Some notes:
This is the windows drive you'll need for use with the ndiswrapper, w39n51.inf is the file you need to point ndiswrapper to(in the install guide)
http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/cs-010623.htm
You'll need to patch your kernel with this patch before you can use the driver,
http://www.linuxant.com/driverloader/wlan/downloads-patches.php
just download the patch there that corresponds to your kernel version, then go to your kernel source directory and type
patch -p1 < /patch/to.patch
Then you can find the 16K Stack kernel option under "Kernel Hacking -> Kernel Debugging".
Also remember to enable CONFIG_NET_RADIO in the kernel
(in Device Drivers -> Network device support -> Wireless LAN),
or you'll get a symbol error when you try to load ndiswrapper.
X.ORG
Graphics card:
NVIDIA:
If you want direct-rendering you'll have to visit http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_archive.html
and get the latest drivers from there.
S3:
Obviously I can't test this, but it should be straightforward to get direct-rendering with dri.
http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/
If anyone has tested this please post and let us know :)
Synaptics Touchpad:
The Synaptics config below works without any apparent problems for me.
http://web.telia.com/~u89404340/touchpad/ for further info.
Config:
I didn't have any problem letting debian set my resolution to 1920 x 1200 or 1440x900.
A few things I added:
Section "ServerFlags"
Option "DontVTSwitch" "on" # Can't switch to console terminal
Option "DontZap" "on" # Can't kill Xserver with ctrl+alt+backspace
Option "DontZoom" "on" # Can't change res with ctrl + alt + +/-
Option "BlankTime" "15"
Option "StandbyTime" "20"
Option "SuspendTime" "25"
Option "OffTime" "30"
EndSection
CD/DVD:
The best way I found to get this working with DMA enabled was to use the scsi SATA drivers, if your using my kernel config above, you'll have to add libata.atapi_enabled=1 as a kernel parameter or the kernel won't find your DVD drive.
To do this edit your boot loaders config file, either /boot/grub/menu.list or /etc/lilo.conf and add libata.atapi_enabled=1 after the kernel line.
Example for grub:
Change:
title Linux-2.6.15.4
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/bzImage-2.6.15.4 root=/dev/sda1
savedefault
boot
To:
title Linux-2.6.15.4
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/bzImage-2.6.15.4 root=/dev/sda1 libata.atapi_enabled=1
savedefault
boot
HardDrive:
The harddrive works with the scsi SATA(libata) drivers, I don't have any issues with it.
I suggest installing the smartmontools package and setting up the smart daemon to montor your disk for errors, you can set it up to email you if there are any problems.
Check out this article: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6983
Sound:
I used the alsa snd_hda_intel driver, if I just load the module normally I get a crackling sound when I play sound, loading it with position_fix=1 fikses it for me, to do this:
first unload the module
rmmod snd_hda_intel
then load it like this
modprobe snd_hda_intel position_fix=1
You can also type modinfo snd_hda_intel to get other possible options for position_fix.
To make it do this at startup, add options snd_hda_intel position_fix=1 to your modprobe.conf
Example for debian:
echo "options snd_hda_intel position_fix=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/hda_intel
update-modules
now whenever you load that module it will add the paramter automagically.
There is a temporary patch available for 2.6.15.4 that will mute the internal speakers when you connect headphones.
https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1786
I had to connect the headphones while sound was playing to get it to mute properly.
To apply the patch if /usr/src/linux is the root of your kernel source and you've extracted the patch to /tmp/unsol-patch
cd /usr/src/linux/sound/pci/hda
patch -p0 < /tmp/unsol-patch/unsol-2.6.15.4-2.patch
Memory Card drive:
Seems there are some cutting edge drivers on the way :)
http://mmc.drzeus.cx/wiki/Linux/Drivers/sdhci
I wouldn't recommend most user test these until they make it into the mainstream kernel.
But if you do, let us know! :D
USB:
Plug and Play baby!
Everything just works, got a mouse,keyboard and an external hard drive, works with no problems.
Firewire:
I don't have any firewire devices, if someone could test this and tell me what kernel drivers are needed, it would be nice :)
ExpressCard slot:
I don't have a ExpressCard so I can't test it, if anyone has one please post your experiences so I can add it.
Modem:
Havn't tested yet. feedback from someone with a analog phone line would be nice :D
Power Management/Monitoring
Sensors:
NVClock
http://www.linuxhardware.org/nvclock/
This little app will display the sensor info on alot of nvidia cards, it will also let you overclock your card.
ACPI
http://grahame.angrygoats.net/acpi.shtml
running acpi -V will display, Power Cable status, Thermal(not sure what sensor this is) and Battery Charge.
HDDTemp
http://www.guzu.net/linux/hddtemp.php
Hddtemp will display the sensor on your harddisk, type hddtemp /dev/sda
CPU Frequency:
This is a nice way to extend your battery life!
cpufrequtils
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/cpufreq/cpufrequtils.html
cpufreq-info
Will display various settings, including the current cpu frequency for your two processors.
cpufreq-set
example if you wanted to set the frequency to 1000Mhz:
cpufreq -c 0 -g userspace
cpufreq -c 1 -g userspace
cpufreq -c 0 -d 1000 -u 1000
cpufreq -c 1 -d 1000 -u 1000
Fun isn't it? :D
Also check out the cpufreqd package for automatic handling of cpu frequences.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cpufreqd/
Fans:
i8kutils
http://people.debian.org/~dz/i8k/
This utillitie doesn't really support 9400, but it seems to work just fine(famous last words?! :S)
To get it working you need to load the i8k module in the kernel(it comes with the stock kernel).
Since the hardware isn't supported you need to load it with force=1
modprobe i8k force=1
If you don't want to type force=1 everytime you load the module, for debian do
echo "options i8k force=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/i8k
update-modules
Examples of usage:
Setting both fans to high speed.
i8kctl fan 2 2
Setting one to slow and one to off.
i8kctl fan 1 0
More info is in the manual
man i8kctl
Hotkeys:
Lineak
http://lineak.sourceforge.net/
Run lineakd -c DELLI-9200 as a normal user and a ~/.lineak/lineakd.conf file will be created.
open that file in a editor
nano ~/.lineak/lineakd.conf
And change the following lines at the end of the file
Mute =
Next =
Play|Pause =
Previous =
Stop =
VolumeDown =
VolumeUp =
to
Mute =
Next =
Play|Pause = xmms --play-pause
Previous =
Stop = xmms --stop
VolumeDown = amixer -c 0 set Master 5%-
VolumeUp = amixer -c 0 set Master 5%+
bigtrouble77
02-12-2006, 11:12 PM
Good job adoroar. I'm sure all the people with the 9400's will appreciate your effort.
c0bblers
02-13-2006, 06:44 AM
Wireless Card:
First you need http://ieee80211.sourceforge.net installed, then
http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/
Hmm, you sure this works with the new mini PCI-Express cards like the 3945? AFAIK there's no linux drivers available yet.
adoroar
02-13-2006, 07:05 AM
Hmm, you sure this works with the new mini PCI-Express cards like the 3945? AFAIK there's no linux drivers available yet.
Thank you, I didn't actually test it, just assumed :nono:
I'm gona try the ndiswrapper to get it working, i'll update with how that goes.
adoroar
02-13-2006, 09:36 AM
Ok, I updated it with some ndiswrapper notes, it does work, but it's very slow, felt like I was on a 56K modem!
And having windows drivers in a linux kernel is just sick! :p
c0bblers
02-13-2006, 10:25 AM
According to Intel the linux drivers are "expected to be available Q1 2006." so fingers crossed there. I do have to wonder whether the USB2 battery consumption problem that is "supposed" to be a windows bug affects linux as well, if not then viva la linux ;).
tuxrunner
02-22-2006, 01:34 PM
Hi!
The nVidia binary driver is not only for 3D games or direct rendering better, also for a faster 2D desktop and faster xvideo. The opensource nv driver is a more as bad and slow. We all know why...:reallymad
The new Intel WLAN 3945 chip has at this time no driver, also when Intel wrote in Q1/06. :(
The Sigmatel 9750 HD-audio sound is not more working with any version of ALSA > 1.0.10. <-- This version works with a 2.6.15.4 smp kernel here fine, but headphone output is not working. I've tried all versions up2 the ALSA CVS version, now.
The media keys in the front are very easy with the gnome menu configurable.
System --> Settings --> key combinations
et voila. :dance2:
And be sure to install an SMP linux kernel. :w00t: It rocks. :dude:
All in all it is very fine running here with a Fedora Core...
Marcus
litdie
02-22-2006, 04:10 PM
what do you get in glxgears?
and also, if you didnt know. gkrellm can control fans with i8k. gui makes things easier.
adoroar
02-24-2006, 02:20 AM
Yup, take a look at this,
I've finally got my system up and doing work on it, I have this one running for the fans(without it the fans doesn't seem to get on before the GPU temp is like 80++)
The only thing that annoys me is the internal speakers not muting when I plug in external ones, gotta find a solution to that at some point :P
http://adoroar.kicks-ass.net/I9400/gkrellm.png
This is after setting the freq to 1Ghz, seems to be running "cold"
Atleast compared to what i've seen before.
EDIT: Oh and glxgears:
43174 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8634.690 FPS
43089 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8617.678 FPS
43003 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8600.519 FPS
c0bblers
02-24-2006, 10:28 AM
FYI http://ipw3945.sourceforge.net/, it's on the way.
Echilon
02-24-2006, 10:40 AM
Did you manage to get bluetooth working?
tuxrunner
02-24-2006, 11:34 AM
FYI http://ipw3945.sourceforge.net/, it's on the way.
:dude: :dude: :dude:
@ Echilon:
Not yet, next week I will try to connect my Sony-Eric K700i mobile phone with a MSI USB dongle.
New hot pics from my girl-friend.... :wow:
Marcus
litdie
02-24-2006, 11:59 AM
Yup, take a look at this,
I've finally got my system up and doing work on it, I have this one running for the fans(without it the fans doesn't seem to get on before the GPU temp is like 80++)
The only thing that annoys me is the internal speakers not muting when I plug in external ones, gotta find a solution to that at some point :P
http://adoroar.kicks-ass.net/I9400/gkrellm.png
This is after setting the freq to 1Ghz, seems to be running "cold"
Atleast compared to what i've seen before.
EDIT: Oh and glxgears:
43174 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8634.690 FPS
43089 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8617.678 FPS
43003 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8600.519 FPS
hmm my 6800 isnt far behind that 7800.
i was getting around 8100 without o/cing it.
adoroar
02-24-2006, 12:26 PM
I ran it when my processor was speedstepped to 1Ghz, inkluding all sorts of apps running :$
Maybe i'll run it again later today before I shut down.
But for some reason i've always thought that glxgear wasn't a very reliable benchmark.
Just thinking about all the technology it probably doesn't support :)
litdie
02-24-2006, 02:28 PM
glxgears only tests the opengl output on the video card. nothing to do with processor.
atleast thats what i was always told.
the sad thing is, a desktop plain 6800 agp card smashed the 10k fps barrier in glxgears. and its pissing me off cause i cant get mine to break 9k ><
-edit-
what does your 7800 get in 3dmark 05?
and is it overclocked or stock speeds?
adoroar
02-24-2006, 02:34 PM
Ok I got it abit higher, but in the process lost total respect for glxgears as a benchmark :P
Placing the window diffrent places on the desktop would actually make up to 100fps difference,
Top left corner:
44121 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8824.182 FPS
44134 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8826.724 FPS
44113 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8822.560 FPS
44076 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8815.099 FPS
Top right corner:
44355 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8870.906 FPS
44370 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8873.872 FPS
44358 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8871.410 FPS
44350 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8869.945 FPS
Center of screen:
43754 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8750.722 FPS
40355 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8738.915 FPS
43799 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8759.709 FPS
43782 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8756.311 FPS
bottom right corner:
43270 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8653.984 FPS
43282 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8656.392 FPS
43240 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8647.867 FPS
43239 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8647.760 FPS
bottom left corner:
43920 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8783.992 FPS
43955 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8790.961 FPS
43956 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8791.114 FPS
43929 frames in 5.0 seconds = 8785.744 FPS
while typing this in a diffrent virtual window:
61132 frames in 5.0 seconds = 12226.280 FPS
60519 frames in 5.0 seconds = 12103.732 FPS
59929 frames in 5.0 seconds = 11985.717 FPS
51217 frames in 5.0 seconds = 10243.271 FPS
fullscreen, not exactly cause of the window manager(why doesn't glxgears support fullscreen?)
5054 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1010.780 FPS
5054 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1010.667 FPS
5054 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1010.645 FPS
5055 frames in 5.0 seconds = 1010.875 FPS
Ok, so I strongly advice everyone to do rm -f `which glxgears` :thumbdown
c0bblers
02-27-2006, 06:04 AM
Yeah glxgears is a VERY bad benchmark for GFX cards....just try hiding the window behind another window and watch the FPS fly :). Glxgears is a bit like getting a PHD mathematician and a highschool kid to say their times tables as fast as they can, no real indicator of processing power.
Echilon
03-01-2006, 03:02 PM
You said the ethernet works with the b44 kernel module. Is that something that needs to be configured while compiling or can I turn it on afterwards?
tuxrunner
03-02-2006, 02:10 AM
You said the ethernet works with the b44 kernel module. Is that something that needs to be configured while compiling or can I turn it on afterwards?
The ethernet b44 driver should work out of box and stable, nothing you have to compile or to configure with a newer distribution/kernel.
For better real OpenGL benchmarking there is SPECviewperf: http://www.spec.org/gpc/opc.static/viewperf71info.html
:thumbup:
For news what nVidia is planning with Linux GFX drivers in future, read the pdf's here: ftp://download.nvidia.com/developer/presentations/2006/xdevconf
Very nice...seems in March there is coming more better gfx driver? :scratch:
Greetings,
Marcus
adoroar
03-02-2006, 07:10 AM
wee! take a look at this :headbang: https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1786
Thanks to Toshio a temporary patch towards 2.6.15.4 to mute the internal speakers while using headphones.. :thumbup:
What's funny is, because of this issue i've started using USB headphones instead, so I can't even test the patch(atleast not for a little while) lol :rolleyes:
So please test it and let us know.
EDIT:
To apply the patch if /usr/src/linux is the root of your kernel source and you've extracted the patch to /tmp/unsol-patch
cd /usr/src/linux/sound/pci/hda
patch -p0 < /tmp/unsol-patch/unsol-2.6.15.4-2.patch
Then just compile the kernel as normal :D
EDIT 2:
Works great!
adewolf
03-02-2006, 01:05 PM
adoroar:
Please post the modeline of the xorg.conf or the entire xorg.conf, please. I am trying to get Gentoo installed.
Alex
OkydOky
03-02-2006, 01:38 PM
Thanks this will save me a litle bit of a hassle when I get my I9400! :)
digitalboy
03-02-2006, 06:52 PM
Nice post!
Used this nice guide at Gentoo Forums http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-436869-highlight-9400.html
tuxrunner
03-03-2006, 01:00 AM
adoroar:
Please post the modeline of the xorg.conf or the entire xorg.conf, please. I am trying to get Gentoo installed.
I've remembered why I ended up coming back to windows every time I've tried linux. I can't get the wireless driver to work :cursing:
First I had to download the kernel source, then extract the source, then I spent two hours trying to copy things around to satisfy dependancies. The thing just WONT compile. I'll have to wait for an Ubuntu release which includes it or a Synaptic module.
OkydOky
03-03-2006, 05:10 PM
I've remembered why I ended up coming back to windows every time I've tried linux. I can't get the wireless driver to work :cursing:
First I had to download the kernel source, then extract the source, then I spent two hours trying to copy things around to satisfy dependancies. The thing just WONT compile. I'll have to wait for an Ubuntu release which includes it or a Synaptic module.
Can't you plug it in? To get it to work? Install everything including wireless drivers ect, while wired?
tuxrunner
03-13-2006, 01:46 AM
Did you manage to get bluetooth working?
Bluetooth runs. :dance2:
I have put a small MSI USB dongle in the back usb port. Started the Fedora bluetooth services and my Sony-Ericsson k700i finds my inspiron. But at the phone pin control there is an error. Yes, I have no pin to my notebook given...
I checked /var/log/messages and ohh:
[...] org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.bluez.PinAgent was not provided by any .service files
Ah, I checked the config file /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf and commented out like this the dbus_pin_helper:
# dbus_pin_helper;
and use:
pin_helper /usr/bin/bluepin;
the /etc/bluetooth/pin file wants also a pin, ok done and restarted bluetooth services. Et voila: A gnome window opens while I try with my mobile phone to connect, enter the pin and bingo! Connected. :thumbup:
Now it' coming easier...
Downloaded 3 cool themes on my desktop. Then right mouse click on one theme and selected "send to", in the next little nautilus window selected "send as: bluetooth (OBEX)". My K700i appeared in the selection I click on OK and bing bing my mobile phone ask me to accept the file.
:banana: :awdance:
Greetings,
Marcus
Danielg
03-14-2006, 03:32 AM
http://www.rhce.us/i9400/i9400.html
System:
Inspiron 9400, Intel Core Duo Processor T2300 (1.66GHz/667MHz FSB)
17 inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WUXGA, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1GB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950 GM, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 (more on this later)
60GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 9400/E1705
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem, for Inspiron
8X DVD+/-RW Drive, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) for Inspiron 9400/E1705(more on this later)
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
Installation:
Installation was straight forward. I used the DISK 4 of the Fedora set, the rescue disk, and typed "linux" when it gave me the boot splash screen.
Note: choose http install, it takes less than a third as long as the ftp install.
I always do "install all" so I don't have to worry about missing a package I want later that doesn't show up in the dependencies check. With http or ftp install, it's easy as you just walk away for the actual install.
Partition table, these work for me, choose your own:
/dev/sda7 20G /
/dev/sda1 99M /boot
/dev/sda3 9.7G /home
/dev/sda2 19G /usr/local
/dev/sda5 3.9G /var
VIDEO CARD ISSUE:
When the installation is finished, the machine reboots and starts the X configuration.
I set it to "Generic LCD 1900X1200" and Generic Video Card.
The installer will not be able to find a mode it can use and you will be asked if you want to see the logs, extended logs and if you want to run the X configurator. I tried this way, I tried straight booting, and I tried automatic configuration. None work all that well.
Solution, boot into run level three. Here's how:
when you boot and see "Booting Fedora (...) in 5 seconds" hit enter
when you see the menu that comes up, the top kernel will be highlighted, hit the letter "e" (no quotes)
go down to the second line in the new menu and hit the letter "e" again
you are now editing the boot line of this kernel. at the end of the line, type "init 3"
hit the escape key and then the letter "b"
you now boot into command line mode. Log in as root. You've got to do this anyway, so you might as well do it now, type "yum -y update" and let it run. This will take an hour or so depending on your connection.
After the update is done, reboot the machine.
NOW, you'll be able to boot into run level 5, the graphical display. The letters and display will be HUGE. Reset them to 1600X1200 and log out or kill the X server with CTRL+ALT+BKSPCE.
There, we have something that you can actually see and use.
See the 1920x1200 section below for an update
During one of these boots, get into the BIOS (f2 during the DELL splash screen) and disable the wireless hot keys. This will save you a bit of frustration for the next segment.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card Issue:
Notice this laptop does not have PCMCIA card slot? It doesn't. I've tried a couple USB 802.11g adapters to no avail. I didn't try long as an answer came to be the next day.
Go and read the (rather simple) instructions and follow them on this page: Intel's Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Driver for Linux
The installation is painless and the card gets up and running as soon as you type "load" as the last step.
I have mine connected to an 802.11g WAP with WEP encryption by only using the graphical network settings that come with Fedora.
I did this with the development driver included in these files from that Sourceforge page:
ieee80211-1.1.12.tgz
ipw3945-0.0.70.tgz
ipw3945d-0.7.16.tgz
ipw3945-ucode-1.13.tgz
tar zxvf ieee80211-1.1.12.tgz
tar zxvf ipw3945-0.0.70.tgz
tar zxvf ipw3945d-0.7.16.tgz
tar zxvf ipw3945-ucode-1.13.tgz
cd ieee80211-1.1.12
make
(answer yes to all questions)
make install
cd ../ipw3945-0.0.70
make
make install
cd ../ipw3945-ucode-1.13
cp ipw3945.ucode /lib/firmware
cd ../ipw3945d-0.7.16
cp x86/ipw3945d /sbin
./load
Now you can use the graphical networking setup if you wish or manually edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1
UPDATE 1920X1200!!
Thanks to this page I now have 1920X1200 resolution.
Turns out the Dell, or INTEL, video has the modes hard coded into the BIOS. That's why 1920x1200 did not appear to be a legit mode.
If you go HERE and download the latest version of the 915resolution hack, you can rewrite the BIOS offerings.
The latest version, 0.5.2, worked for me without recompile and showed me why I was unable to get full resolution.
Patch mode 3c to resolution 1920x1200 complete
NOW, we can use the 1920x1200. I've tried 24 bit and it looks HORRIBLE. There is what looks like a 1600x1200 black and white screen and it wraps around and redisplays at the right side of the screen.
32 bit doesn't show up at all and gives you the "could not start X, do you want to run the XConfigurator?" prompt
16 works. May not be the most intense graphics around but I'm not doing video editing or any other intense graphics. Pictures show up great and xine plays movies just fine with this setting.
Danielg
03-14-2006, 03:33 AM
Does anybody have any idea why sound works fine but I cannot play a CD nor do I have CD Audio in the alsa mixer? Is there a cable inside the laptop that has come loose or am I missing a driver?
seablade
03-14-2006, 10:08 AM
What software are you using to play the CD? Does that software work fine otherwise(IE Can you play anything else with that software?)
Seablade
Danielg
03-14-2006, 04:56 PM
What software are you using to play the CD? Does that software work fine otherwise(IE Can you play anything else with that software?)
I'm using GRIP and KsCD. I don't think they play other things. The mp3s that I rip play fine and everything else sound-wise works great.
On a desktop, I would think the CD cable was not plugged into the sound card, but on a notebook everything is plugged in that can be plugged in.
DanH
seablade
03-14-2006, 09:03 PM
I would lean towards it might be in your software setup, specificly I dont know if they are attempting to use the correct drivers for audio playback. Does the CD spin up at all like it is playing?
Also have you launched either of them from the console to see if they spit any error messages at you?
I might try to find a program that plays CDs and other things as well, VLC I believe will do this without much problem, and then you can eliminate the software side of things. There are of course tons of other choices as well.
Seablade
fordracerguy
03-23-2006, 01:09 PM
I just ordered an E1705 laptop... I got the Intel 950 video card and Intel Wireless 39xx card... When I read about the Inspiron 9400 I got very excited that linux may run very nicely on my new laptop... Are these two laptops pretty much the same chipset/motherboard wise???
Chris
Nacho
05-02-2006, 07:53 AM
For those of you with the standard graphics chipset (945GM), you'll be interested to know that with a little tweaking the i810 driver works a treat: 24 bit colour, full native resolution, and you can actually watch fullscreen movies!
I also have some instructions on how to modify the X xkb layout to make those play / volume etc buttons natively map to Xorg key codes.
I'll post what I have shortly.
Has anyone had any luck with the WiFi drivers & WPA?
HapiROTT
05-02-2006, 03:36 PM
Suse 10 works great, easy to setup
Nacho
06-12-2006, 09:42 AM
Sorry for the late response, but here is what I did, under FC5:
First of all, to the src xorg-x11-drv-i810, I applied this patch (which I found on some random japanese site)
# FIXME: Remove all libtool archives (*.la) from modules directory. This
# should be fixed in upstream Makefile.am or whatever.
find $RPM_BUILD_ROOT -regex ".*\.la$" | xargs rm -f --
%changelog
* Tue Feb 07 2006 Jesse Keating <jkeating@redhat.com> - 1.4.1.3-3.1
- rebuilt for new gcc4.1 snapshot and glibc changes
* Sat Feb 4 2006 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.1.3-3
- Added 8086:2772 mapping to i810.xinf for bug (#178451)
* Fri Feb 3 2006 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.1.3-2
- Added 8086:2592 mapping to i810.xinf for bug (#172884)
* Wed Jan 18 2006 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.1.3-1
- Updated xorg-x11-drv-i810 to version 1.4.1.3 from X11R7.0
* Tue Dec 20 2005 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.1.2-1
- Updated xorg-x11-drv-i810 to version 1.4.1.2 from X11R7 RC4
- Removed 'x' suffix from manpage dirs to match RC4 upstream.
* Wed Nov 16 2005 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.1-1
- Updated xorg-x11-drv-i810 to version 1.4.1 from X11R7 RC2
* Fri Nov 4 2005 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.0.1-1
- Updated xorg-x11-drv-i810 to version 1.4.0.1 from X11R7 RC1
- Fix *.la file removal.
- Added 'devel' subpackage for XvMC .so
- Added 'BuildRequires: libXvMC-devel' for XvMC drivers.
* Mon Oct 3 2005 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.0-1
- Update BuildRoot to use Fedora Packaging Guidelines.
- Deglob file manifest.
- Limit "ExclusiveArch" to x86, x86_64, ia64
* Fri Sep 2 2005 Mike A. Harris <mharris@redhat.com> 1.4.0-0
- Initial spec file for i810 video driver generated automatically
by my xorg-driverspecgen script.
When you install this, you will need to FORCE the install if you already have 1.4.1.3-3.1 installed
Nacho
06-12-2006, 10:15 AM
Two things:
1. I forgot to mention that this requires the 915resolution hack to still be in place. Also, this change only seems to work in 24-bit colour. This is fine by me, and I'm sure you can probably deal with it too.
2. I changed /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/inet to include the following keymaps to get the keys on the front working:
You will notice that I having cunningly overriden the inspiron 8xxx's keycodes. This can't possibly be a problem for the average installation - though it would be nice to have this change magically put into some upstream release. I tried my own keycodes section but I literally had this working every other time I started my computer - go figure. The nice thing about this installation is you can very easily have the front keys do something useful - especially through KDE.
Nacho
06-12-2006, 10:16 AM
Go Aussies!!! 3-1!!!
daniel69
06-13-2006, 06:49 AM
Power Management/Monitoring
Sensors:
NVClock
http://www.linuxhardware.org/nvclock/
This little app will display the sensor info on alot of nvidia cards, it will also let you overclock your card.
ACPI
http://grahame.angrygoats.net/acpi.shtml
running acpi -V will display, Power Cable status, Thermal(not sure what sensor this is) and Battery Charge.
HDDTemp
http://www.guzu.net/linux/hddtemp.php
Hddtemp will display the sensor on your harddisk, type hddtemp /dev/sda
CPU Frequency:
This is a nice way to extend your battery life!
cpufrequtils
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/cpufreq/cpufrequtils.html
cpufreq-info
Will display various settings, including the current cpu frequency for your two processors.
cpufreq-set
example if you wanted to set the frequency to 1000Mhz:
cpufreq -c 0 -g userspace
cpufreq -c 1 -g userspace
cpufreq -c 0 -d 1000 -u 1000
cpufreq -c 1 -d 1000 -u 1000
Fun isn't it? :D
Also check out the cpufreqd package for automatic handling of cpu frequences.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cpufreqd/
Fans:
i8kutils
http://people.debian.org/~dz/i8k/
This utillitie doesn't really support 9400, but it seems to work just fine(famous last words?! :S)
To get it working you need to load the i8k module in the kernel(it comes with the stock kernel).
Since the hardware isn't supported you need to load it with force=1
modprobe i8k force=1
If you don't want to type force=1 everytime you load the module, for debian do
echo "options i8k force=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/i8k
update-modules
Examples of usage:
Setting both fans to high speed.
i8kctl fan 2 2
Setting one to slow and one to off.
i8kctl fan 1 0
More info is in the manual
man i8kctl
HI! I have a new inspiron 9400. Using KUbuntu Dapper Drake.
I have installed i8k by using ADEPT without problems. But I have to do
>>modprobe i8k force=1
every time I boot.
The problem is here:
>>echo "options i8k force=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/i8k
There is not a file like /etc/modprobe.d/i8k in my system :(
After doing that, I can use
>>i8kmon
and a window appears.
I think center number is cpu temp and the two numbers at left and right are fans, so I can put 0,1,2 to set rpm. Is this right?