laptops can be an issue due to proprietary drivers in ms world not having open source equal.
you need to post more specific details pls.
when you run dreamlinux live cd, you can run
su
lspci > /lspci.txt
lsmod > /lsmod.txt
save these files somewhere but lsmod may be large and turn off readers it is better to upload it to a free storage site like
www.ripway.com if you do not have one already.
it would be handy to link the other files
/var/log/dmesg
/var/log/syslog
and if you are having video resolution issues
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
2) make model of laptop and details of your motherboard pls....a link to its specification is handy as its the chipsets and connections that give us a guide to what drivers you may need.
you can always search the HCL yourself once you know these specs.
be aware that internal modems can be problematic search term linmodems
but so called multi task on board sound modems are even worser.
good luck