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Full-featured low-cost laptop from HP Compaq. It is really the same as the Compaq R3000Z series but this version never comes with the 64bit support in the CPU enabled, and also less on-chip cache. The laptop is well equipped with a bright LCD widescreen 15.4" display, USB 2.0, Firewire IEEE1394, 802.11b/g WLAN, 10/100 Ethernet, DVD/CDRW combo, modem and also a 5-in-1 card reader for various common storage cards like SD, CF and Memorystick (plus 2 more).
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): $1,197.00 | Rating: 7
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6.7-gentoo-r13-alps-idefix
Distribution:
Gentoo
This laptop really is full featured, and at a good price too. I got mine with 512MB RAM, a 60GB 4200rpm disk and a DVD/CDRW-combo drive. The CPU is a AMD "Athlon XP Mobile 3000+" which is very misleading. It is actually an AMD64 core without 64bit processing disabled and with only 256KB cache, running at 1.6GHz:
vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 15
model : 4
model name : AMD Athlon(tm) XP Processor 3000+
stepping : 8
cpu MHz : 1595.964
cache size : 256 KB
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 syscall mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow
bogomips : 3153.92
I wasn't gunning for pure CPU power though and at the price I got it (in Sweden - it's probably even less expensive in the US) this one is hard to beat considering the amount of features they've wedged into it.
I will need Windows for some work stuff so I removed XP home and installed XP Professional on the first partition (about 15GB). I proceeded to grab the latest Gentoo LiveCD, currently 2004.2, and booted. The 1024x768 framebuffer was not a problem since the 1280x800 LCD did a great job of stretching the screen with minimum fuzz. All the functionality needed for installation - network, DMA for disks, and so on - worked out of the box and I had a DHCP lease so that didn't pose a problem. My stage1 installation went fine but during long periods the machine made a whole lot of noise with the fan - not too surprising though, and I won't be compiling or doing other heavy load work all the time so it's not a problem for me.
My problems started when I rebooted into my newly built system - the network controller (which is an Realtek 8101, using the 8139too driver module) started timing out on me during big transfers. Restarting networking and removing/inserting the module did nothing and only a reboot would cure the situation. That was a nasty surprise, and things got worse as I also had DMA timeouts which lasted for 10-15 seconds every time and once a minute or so. After doing some reading and discussing with R3000z users I just added "noapic" to the boot parameters and the problems were gone instantly. I have now used it for more than a week without having a single problem.
The graphics device is an NV17 - "GeForce 420 Go" with 32MB dedicated memory. It works well with nvidia's own drivers, and to get 1280x800 working properly you need to add a modeline to your X configuration (Monitor section):
ModeLine "1280x800" 101.92 1280 1312 1696 1728 800 816 825 841
The only Display section I have (default bit depth is 24) looks like this:
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800" "1024x768"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
With this setup and the nvidia module loaded I have no problems with hardware acceleration or anything similar. It works better than I expected.
Another quirk with this laptop is that it uses an ALPS touchpad, which was a little tricky to set up. First off, you need to use the Synaptics [2] mouse driver, but you also need to patch your kernel using a file included in the Synaptics distribution. This may be a bit steep for novice Linux users but for most it shouldn't be a problem since the patch applies cleanly against all 2.6 kernels (up to and including the 2.6.7 kernel, at least).
You will also need to have tsdev (touchscreen!) and evdev (event interface) support in your kernel, and PS/2 mouse support as a module. I couldn't make the ALPS touchpad work without loading and unloading the psmouse, so if you're rolling your own keep this in mind. There is an traditional init script to load and unload the psmouse module at boot, but in Gentoo just putting "rmmod psmouse; modprobe psmouse" in /etc/conf.d/local.start works well enough (I first load it using the /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 config file).
Sound works perfectly well using the snd-intel8x0 ALSA module, it didn't give me any trouble at all.
Viewing DVD's and writing CD's works perfectly well - as expected.
CPU frequenzy scaling works perfectly well using the powernow-k8 feature in the kernel. This helps a ton when you really need to run on batteries.
The Broadcom BCM4306 802.11b/g WLAN module works fine with the evil [3] ndiswrapper [4] software. I would personally love to see a real driver for it but as far as I have understood it is not likely to appear anytime soon, if at all.
I now have everything I need working perfectly, and no suspicious errors in my syslog, so I'm happy. I rate it a 7/10 on compatibility, with minus for the tricky ALPS touchpad, the tricky PCMCIA and the non-supported media card reader. Plus for pretty much everything else!
What I have yet to try:
- PCMCIA. It is rumored to be a little tricky and that you need to load yenta_socket with some memory allocation options but this is outlined on several R3000z pages so it's not something you will have figure out yourself.
- Firewire. Need to get some firewire devices first.
- The 5-in-1 media card reader. I don't think it is supported at all at this time.
References:
[1] R3000z (basically the same machine) mailing list: http://quanta.homeip.net/mailman/listinfo/linuxr3000
[2] Synaptics (and ALPS) touchpad driver: http://w1.894.telia.com/~u89404340/touchpad/
[3] Why ndiswrapper is evil: http://acx100.sourceforge.net/ndis_cludge.html
[4] ndiswrapper project: http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/
Edit: Of course I meant to say 64bit processing is _disabled_, not enabled. :-o
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): None indicated | Rating: 7
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6.3-9mdk
Distribution:
Mandrake Linux 10 amd64 rc1
It appears that compaq/hp likes to assign a whole range of laptops to the same model number. It was really difficult to find details on how to configure X on it since most reviews refer to my laptop as having a 1280x800 resolution which is not the case (at least for my own). Mine has a resolution of 1680x1050 (thats an 1.6:1) widescreen super wxga display.
After fiddling around for a couple of days it worked by adding/changing the following settings to my X config file (/etc/X11/XF86Config-4):
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): None indicated | Rating: 7
Kernel (uname -r):
Distribution:
Fedora Core 3
For hot-buttons I'm using http://lineak.sourceforge.net
In Preferences->Sessions->Startup Programms have added lineakd.
Working.
Hope to enable Firewire and CardReader
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): $2,250.00 | Rating: 9
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6.10-1.770_FC3
Distribution:
Fedora Core 3 x86_64
Hi all,
I thought a post some additional contents of the xorg.conf file in /etc/X11
Since i never configured this before (did not need to) it took me a while (about 45 minutes) to find the right place to put the settings. Yes, RTFM and you will learn something, but i am to lazy to do so, and so are many others.
:)
So below a complete copy of my xorg.conf file to help other linux dudes and dudettes with HP nx9105 laptops:
-------------------------------File begin---------------------------
Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "fbdevhw"
Load "glx"
Load "record"
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"
Load "dri"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# To disable the XKEYBOARD extension, uncomment XkbDisable.
# Option "XkbDisable"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# Or if you just want both to be control, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:nocaps"
#
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): $1,480.70 | Rating: 10
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6.11-gentoo-r3
Distribution:
Gentoo (amd64)
Excellent laptop. very linux compatible, altho I haven't touched USB, modem, wireless network, firewire, the odd laptop connection port I've jsut noticed on the side, printer port, external monitor or the card reader yet.
Sound works using the intel8x0 under alsa (the official nvidia's are OSS only, despite it being deprecated). Altho I had to compile these as a module - they won't work when built-in to the kernel for some reason.
lineakd should be configured to use the Compaq R3000Z keyboard.
Key elements from my xorg config:
Section "InputDevice"
# You can use synclient to change settings on the fly - then add them here to make them default
Driver "synaptics"
Identifier "Touchpad"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "TouchpadOff" "2" # Only tapping is off
Option "SHMConfig" "on"
Option "MaxSpeed" "0.5"
Option "AccelFactor" "0.05"
EndSection
RenderAccel is off due to a problem with a particular version of the nvidia drivers - they've actually released a new version already so I can probably turn it back on.
My grub line for this kernel:
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.11-gentoo-r3 root=/dev/hda2 video=vesafb:ywrap,mtrr vga=0x317
Would you recommend the product? yes | Price you paid? (in USD): None indicated | Rating: 0
Kernel (uname -r):
2.6
Distribution:
gentoo 2006.0
Hello, thanks for this information; it helped me alot!
For anyone using Xorg, and (for some reason) stuck at configuring xorg; here is my xorg.conf file.
# File generated by xorgconfig.
#
# Copyright 2004 The X.Org Foundation
#
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
# copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
#
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
#
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
# The X.Org Foundation BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF
# OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
#
# Except as contained in this notice, the name of The X.Org Foundation shall
# not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other
# dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from
# The X.Org Foundation.
#
# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the xorg.conf(5x) man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************
# **********************************************************************
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# **********************************************************************
#
Section "Module"
# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection
# This loads the font modules
Load "type1"
# Load "speedo"
Load "freetype"
# Load "xtt"
# This loads the GLX module
# Load "glx"
# This loads the DRI module
# Load "dri"
EndSection
# **********************************************************************
# Files section. This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# **********************************************************************
Section "Files"
# The location of the RGB database. Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db"). There is normally
# no need to change the default.
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)
#
#
# The module search path. The default path is shown here.
# ModulePath "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
EndSection
# **********************************************************************
# Server flags section.
# **********************************************************************
Section "ServerFlags"
# Uncomment this to cause a core dump at the spot where a signal is
# received. This may leave the console in an unusable state, but may
# provide a better stack trace in the core dump to aid in debugging
# Option "NoTrapSignals"
# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><Fn> VT switch sequence
# (where n is 1 through 12). This allows clients to receive these key
# events.
# Option "DontVTSwitch"
# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><BS> server abort sequence
# This allows clients to receive this key event.
# Option "DontZap"
# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> mode switching
# sequences. This allows clients to receive these key events.
# Option "Dont Zoom"
# Uncomment this to disable tuning with the xvidtune client. With
# it the client can still run and fetch card and monitor attributes,
# but it will not be allowed to change them. If it tries it will
# receive a protocol error.
# Option "DisableVidModeExtension"
# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local xvidtune client.
# Option "AllowNonLocalXvidtune"
# Uncomment this to disable dynamically modifying the input device
# (mouse and keyboard) settings.
# Option "DisableModInDev"
# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local client to
# change the keyboard or mouse settings (currently only xset).
# For most OSs the protocol can be omitted (it defaults to "Standard").
# When using XQUEUE (only for SVR3 and SVR4, but not Solaris),
# uncomment the following line.
# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"
Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# These are the default XKB settings for Xorg
# Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# Option "XkbLayout" "us"
# Option "XkbVariant" ""
# Option "XkbOptions" ""
# HorizSync is in kHz unless units are specified.
# HorizSync may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
# VertRefresh is in Hz unless units are specified.
# VertRefresh may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
# The chipset line is optional in most cases. It can be used to override
# the driver's chipset detection, and should not normally be specified.
# Chipset "generic"
# The Driver line must be present. When using run-time loadable driver
# modules, this line instructs the server to load the specified driver
# module. Even when not using loadable driver modules, this line
# indicates which driver should interpret the information in this section.
Driver "vga"
# The BusID line is used to specify which of possibly multiple devices
# this section is intended for. When this line isn't present, a device
# section can only match up with the primary video device. For PCI
# devices a line like the following could be used. This line should not
# normally be included unless there is more than one video device
# intalled.
# BusID "PCI:0:10:0"
# VideoRam 256
# Clocks 25.2 28.3
EndSection
# Device configured by xorgconfig:
Section "Device"
Identifier "** NVIDIA (generic) [nv]"
Driver "nv"
#VideoRam 32768
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection
# Any number of screen sections may be present. Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen. A single specific screen section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen 1"
Device "** NVIDIA (generic) [nv]"
Monitor "My Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
# Any number of ServerLayout sections may be present. Each describes
# the way multiple screens are organised. A specific ServerLayout
# section may be specified from the X server command line with the
# "-layout" option. In the absence of this, the first section is used.
# When now ServerLayout section is present, the first Screen section
# is used alone.
Section "ServerLayout"
# The Identifier line must be present
Identifier "Simple Layout"
# Each Screen line specifies a Screen section name, and optionally
# the relative position of other screens. The four names after
# primary screen name are the screens to the top, bottom, left and right
# of the primary screen. In this example, screen 2 is located to the
# right of screen 1.
Screen "Screen 1"
# Each InputDevice line specifies an InputDevice section name and
# optionally some options to specify the way the device is to be
# used. Those options include "CorePointer", "CoreKeyboard" and
# "SendCoreEvents".
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