Getting new laptop, probably Toshiba P200-ST2061
 

I'm looking at getting a new laptop, and I'm looking at a Toshiba P200-ST2061. I think I'm going to get this configuration:
- Core 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz)
- 1024 MB RAM (upgrade to 1 x 1024 instead of 2 x 512; I have another 1024 stick to add)
- 1680 x 1050 WSXGA+ display
- ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 256MB
- 80GB primary HDD
- No secondary HDD
- Standard DVD+/-RW drive
- Intel 3945ABG wireless card
- harman/kardon speakers (have to get these with ATI graphics card for some reason)
- 9-cell battery

Does anyone have any experience using one of these with any flavors of Linux? I use Kubuntu 7.04 now, but I'm considering switching to Gentoo or Fedora, but that's probably a topic for another thread.

I have read that the webcam does not work in Linux, but I don't really need it, so it doesn't bother me. I don't know what the state of the Intel 3945ABG in Linux is - I read on the intellinuxwireless.org site that the regulatory-daemon-requiring driver is stable, but that the one with updated microcode that does not require the daemon is not.

I'm still open to other possibilities of laptops if anyone has had good experiences with Linux on them.

Thanks!

Never used one but sounds like it should work. For what you get it seems a bit high but the ATI may be throwing off my thoughts on cost. Like you say camera may not work. The wireless should be fine. Many post on this chipset. Just basic need the module and firmware and should be ready to go.

One would need to install the OS and then you will need to install the ATI drivers for X to work. You can use Vesa till ATI drivers are compiled if you need to use the gui.

I myself am using an Acer 5100-5840. Works quite well except camera and media slots. I don't use either anyways.

Brian

Thanks! I figure the graphics drivers probably aren't great now, but they will become more stable with coming releases. I have installed the fglrx driver in Kubuntu a couple times, so that shouldn't be too hard. I hear that AIGLX should be supported in the next fglrx drivers, too :D

I just got Fedora 7 working (for the most part) on a Toshiba "Satellite" notebook. I want to say it's the P200, but mine has the Nvidia GeForce 7600 video chip-set in lieu of the ATI.

The wireless (3945ABG) is not a problem. Mine works like a charm, although it did require a post-OS-installation effort. Ditto for the sound card. I have not tried the SD, firewire, or the modem ports. I have not (and will not) pursue activating the built-in web cam nor the fingerprint reader.

Thanks for the info!

Which wireless driver did you use? I was thinking I'd try the newer (development) one that does not require the daemon, since I'm not a big fan of having to run a binary blob daemon, but if that doesn't work, then I'd be OK going with the daemon-using one for now until the newer one is more stable.
I'm not worried about the webcam, fingerprint reader, modem, FireWire or SD card reader. I have a USB media card reader that works perfectly in Linux, and I figure if I ever need FireWire (unlikely) I can get an ExpressCard one.

I just purchased a Toshiba Satellite P205-S6337. It came with Mobile Intel Graphics 945GM/GU and an Intel 4965 wireless NIC.

PCLinuxOS 2007 would not boot. It hangs.

Knoppix 5.1.1 booted but didn't automatically start the X software. It finished booting in text console mode. I ran startx and the X software ran fine.

System Rescue CD booted into text console mode okay but I couldn't run X or X applications even though I tried with and without framebuffer.

I installed Debian Etch on it. The X software did not automatically configure. There are fatal X errors such as unable to find a screen.

So that's it for now. Having a bit of trouble getting this Toshiba to work with Linux. Nothing that can't be solved but it isn't as simple as one would hope.

Edit: 24 September 2007
I copied the xorg.conf file from the Knoppix 5.1.1 running system to the Debian Etch system disk. That fixed the X software. It is running fine now.

Here's the contents of my /etc/modprobe.conf:

alias eth0 r8169
alias scsi_hostadapter ata_piix
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-card-0 index=0
options snd-hda-intel index=0
options snd-hda-intel model=3stack
alias wlan0 iwl3945

As you can see, I'm using the iwl3945 driver for the wireless, and the r8169 (realtek?) for the wired. To get the sound card to work, I had to add the "options" line that defines the 'model=3stack'.

Other than that, F7 detected the video-chip set and the wired ethernet interface.

Thanks for all the info!

I'm still looking around to see if there are any other options, and I may have found one other option, a notebook based on the MSI MS-171A. Its page on AVADirect is here: http://www.avadirect.com/product_det....asp?PRID=9129
The only thing that I wonder about on this computer is the MSI MN54G wireless card. I can't find any information about what chipset it uses, so I don't know if it's Linux-friendly. I would guess that it is, since AVADirect will sell this computer with Linux preinstalled, but I'm not 100% sure. Does anyone have any experience with this card or this computer?

By the way, MSI's page for the wireless card is here: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?f...o=&prod_no=112
Thanks!

EDIT: I downloaded the drivers from MSI's page, and upon extracting the files from the installer, it appears to be a RT2500, RT2561, or RT2661, as these are the chipsets indicated by the INF's. (Well, there's a USB chipset too, but this one is obviously not USB). If I remember correctly, RT2500-series chips are fully supported, so that shouldn't be a problem.