LinuxQuestions.org - Advice whether I should buy a more Linux friendly laptop.

I have an Acer Aspire 7715z laptop which has a BIOS bug affecting video modesetting. I reported the bug through a local Acer agent and I know it was forwarded so that Acer would provide a BIOS fix. However, this fix did not materialise and I am still experiencing problems running the new versions of the Linux kernel (>= 2.6.37).

To workaround the modesetting bug I have to run the setpci -s command as root as soon as the system boots. I am doing that automatically through rc.local. The bug also effectively prevents the laptop from sleeping. Instead, it prepares for sleep but at the end, turn off the power.

Do you think, I should sell this laptop with Linux removed and Windows 7 installed to buy another one which properly supports Linux?

Some useful information:

Code:

vendor_id      : GenuineIntel

cpu family      : 6

model          : 23

model name      : Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU      T4400  @ 2.20GHz

stepping        : 10

microcode      : 0xa07

cpu MHz        : 1200.000

cache size      : 1024 KB

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 09)

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09)

00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09)

00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 03)

00:1a.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)

00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)

00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)

00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)

00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)

00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)

00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)

00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 03)

00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)

00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 93)

00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ICH9M LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)

00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801IBM/IEM (ICH9M/ICH9M-E) 4 port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 03)

00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)

04:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43225 802.11b/g/n (rev 01)

05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR8132 Fast Ethernet (rev c0)

Loaded Kernels Modules:

Code:

Module                  Size  Used by

acpi_cpufreq          12935  0 

mperf                  12453  1 acpi_cpufreq

cpufreq_powersave      12454  0 

cpufreq_conservative    13147  0 

cpufreq_stats          12866  0 

cpufreq_userspace      12576  0 

parport_pc            22364  0 

ppdev                  12763  0 

lp                    17149  0 

parport                31858  3 parport_pc,ppdev,lp

bnep                  17567  2 

rfcomm                33656  0 

bluetooth            119406  10 bnep,rfcomm

uinput                17440  1 

fuse                  61981  1 

xt_tcpudp              12570  50 

ip6table_mangle        12540  0 

iptable_nat            12928  1 

nf_nat                18242  1 iptable_nat

nf_conntrack_ipv4      14078  19 iptable_nat,nf_nat

nf_defrag_ipv4        12483  1 nf_conntrack_ipv4

xt_TCPMSS              12670  4 

ipt_LOG                12605  45 

ipt_REJECT            12502  0 

iptable_mangle        12536  0 

xt_multiport          12548  0 

xt_state              12503  16 

xt_limit              12638  47 

xt_conntrack          12681  0 

nf_conntrack_ftp      12605  0 

nf_conntrack          52720  6 iptable_nat,nf_nat,nf_conntrack_ipv4,xt_state,xt_conntrack,nf_conntrack_ftp

ip6table_filter        12540  1 

ip6_tables            22175  2 ip6table_mangle,ip6table_filter

iptable_filter        12536  1 

ip_tables              22042  3 iptable_nat,iptable_mangle,iptable_filter

x_tables              19073  15 xt_tcpudp,ip6table_mangle,iptable_nat,xt_TCPMSS,ipt_LOG,ipt_REJECT,iptable_mangle,xt_multiport,xt_state,xt_limit,xt_conntrack,ip6table_filter,ip6_tables,iptable_filter,ip_tables

nfsd                  211858  2 

nfs                  312191  0 

lockd                  67328  2 nfsd,nfs

fscache                36739  1 nfs

auth_rpcgss            37143  2 nfsd,nfs

nfs_acl                12511  2 nfsd,nfs

sunrpc                173671  6 nfsd,nfs,lockd,auth_rpcgss,nfs_acl

loop                  22641  0 

snd_hda_codec_realtek  188748  1 

snd_hda_intel          26345  2 

snd_hda_codec          78031  2 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel

snd_hwdep              13186  1 snd_hda_codec

snd_pcm_oss            41081  0 

snd_mixer_oss          17916  1 snd_pcm_oss

snd_pcm                63900  3 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_pcm_oss

snd_seq_midi          12848  0 

snd_rawmidi            23060  1 snd_seq_midi

snd_seq_midi_event    13316  1 snd_seq_midi

arc4                  12458  2 

snd_seq                45093  2 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event

snd_timer              22917  2 snd_pcm,snd_seq

snd_seq_device        13176  3 snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq

brcmsmac              473849  0 

mac80211              192768  1 brcmsmac

uvcvideo              57744  0 

videodev              70889  1 uvcvideo

i915                  355983  3 

media                  18148  2 uvcvideo,videodev

v4l2_compat_ioctl32    16655  1 videodev

snd                    52850  15 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device

brcmutil              12905  1 brcmsmac

cfg80211              137140  2 brcmsmac,mac80211

drm_kms_helper        27227  1 i915

crc8                  12426  1 brcmsmac

soundcore              13065  1 snd

drm                  167670  4 i915,drm_kms_helper

joydev                17266  0 

i2c_i801              16870  0 

i2c_algo_bit          12841  1 i915

i2c_core              23876  6 videodev,i915,drm_kms_helper,drm,i2c_i801,i2c_algo_bit

snd_page_alloc        13003  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm

cordic                12313  1 brcmsmac

iTCO_wdt              17081  0 

ac                    12624  0 

battery                13109  0 

iTCO_vendor_support    12704  1 iTCO_wdt

acer_wmi              26081  0 

mxm_wmi                12473  0 

pcspkr                12579  0 

psmouse                64455  0 

evdev                  17562  18 

power_supply          13475  2 ac,battery

sparse_keymap          12760  1 acer_wmi

button                12937  1 i915

serio_raw              12931  0 

rfkill                19012  4 bluetooth,cfg80211,acer_wmi

wmi                    13243  2 acer_wmi,mxm_wmi

video                  17628  1 i915

processor              28106  3 acpi_cpufreq

ext4                  350411  1 

mbcache                13065  1 ext4

jbd2                  62015  1 ext4

crc16                  12343  2 bluetooth,ext4

sd_mod                36136  3 

crc_t10dif            12348  1 sd_mod

sr_mod                21899  0 

cdrom                  35401  1 sr_mod

usbhid                36379  0 

hid                    81288  1 usbhid

uhci_hcd              26865  0 

ahci                  24997  2 

libahci                22860  1 ahci

libata                140589  2 ahci,libahci

scsi_mod              162458  3 sd_mod,sr_mod,libata

ehci_hcd              40215  0 

thermal                17383  0 

thermal_sys            18040  3 video,processor,thermal

atl1c                  32258  0 

usbcore              128498  5 uvcvideo,usbhid,uhci_hcd,ehci_hcd

usb_common            12354  1 usbcore