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Linux - Laptop and Netbook Having a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).

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Old 03-14-2004, 04:21 AM   #1
Thetargos
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Presario 1200, Fedora 1 and Kernel 2.6 questions.


Hi, as of recent dates, my girlfriend wanted to get rid of Windows ME on her Laptop (a Presario 1200). Here's the problem(s):

This particular Laptop models is a HELL to get proper hardware information for! For starters, we do not know the specific model of this laptop, and what's worse is the immense varieties of this particular model out there in the wild! I mean the only number you see on the Laptop itself is a (quite confusing) 1200 on the TFT panel. The problem is that my girlfriend took out all the stickers on the laptop (except for those pertaining to FCC and patent warnings), fortunately she saved those (except for those on the cover (just above the speakers) which enumerates the features of the machine). Anyway, we've been looking every where for information about her model, all we know is the following:
  • AMD Athlon4 processor @ 850 MHz
  • 128 Mb RAM.
  • Via 82xxx audio controller.
  • VIA system chipset.
  • 20 Gb HDD.
  • ATi Rage Mobility 2x AGP.
  • 1024x768 TFT
The BIOS looks like joke, there are (virtually) no options at all! And hence features information is unknown. I tried looking at Compaq/HP's web page (which BTW is a HELL to navigate!) just to find all the brans of these models (ranging from 366 celerons to 2GHz Athon XPs and P4s), that freaking 1200 number is a JOKE!

The information using Window's tools is quite misleading, because the Modem is listed as a Compaq miniModem, the Ethernet card has also the Compaq name on it. Looking for information around the Net I've been able to gather that this series uses the Conexant Modem/NIC combo, that this particular models suffer from a hang during installation (or any attempt to run the system from the CD's of any distro) and one guide (the first result actually when looking Presario 1200 in google.com/linux) suggeested to pass the boot arguments to the kernel of nopcmcia and nousb, in the practice I found that only the nousb argument was necessary.

Anyway, we went on with the plan and tossed out Windows ME (leaving room still for a slim install of Windows [2k most probably]) just as fall back for her while she gets used to Linux. The installation went OK, just a slight glitch: Kudzu (the HW detection program from Red Hat) froze the computer, easily solved by entering interactive startup and not allowing it to run, then disabled the service. So we've managed to get her a functional (though not fully functional) Linux installation into this Laptop. I found out (by taking a look into modules.conf) that the NIC uses the Tulip driver, and confirmed that it's a Conexant Modem/NIC combo (by taking a look from lspci and cat /proc/pci. Still the NIC has a problem with its networking connections (exhibited the same problem in Windows also): It simply runs too damn slow... From windows it took me almost three hours to get all the backup we needed to do (included the SystemSav partition) to my computer using SMB (FTP was slower still!) at an approximate rate of ~160KB/s.

Well until now I've just told our story of just getting Fedora installed... Now I'd like to install into this computer (like in my own system) kernel 2.6.4 and maybe it would benefit from the new 2.6 features, but being HW information so sparse my questions here are:
  • What device drivers to compile?
  • What kernel features should be off? Thus far I know I wouldn't want APIC/IOAPIC, but what about ACPI or APM? (I think I read somewhere that APM may have adverse effects).
  • Will the computer be able to get back USB functionality?
  • What are the best modules (2.6 modules) to load from modprobe.conf, eg what Tulip driver to use?
  • Do you have any experiences at all with this presario model and a 2.6 kernel (despite the distribution)?
Sorry if I've got too many questions about this issue. However I'm pretty excited about this endeavor (just to play with Linux in a new platform is enough reason for me )
 
Old 03-14-2004, 05:27 AM   #2
Thetargos
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Ok folks, the 2.6.4 experiment went... Just fine! I'll do a series of tests with the computer later (right now it's 5:30 in the morning!!). So far I've managed to have a fully functinoal PC (loading the usb drivers manually after boot), I'll have to further test the USB functions, but up until now they work just fine, using a USB mini-mouse!!

As far as I can tell Power Management works well (using ACPI), I'm so excited!!

Last edited by Thetargos; 03-14-2004 at 05:37 AM.
 
Old 03-14-2004, 02:53 PM   #3
Thetargos
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What's the deal with this specific NIC model?? The speed it yields is still as crappy as with the Windows ME installation (with Compaq default install drivers!) Any suggestions? I'll post this at the HW forum also.
 
Old 03-15-2004, 08:12 PM   #4
Thetargos
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Well I can safely say now that after upgrading the stock Fedora kernel to 2.6.4 (custom made), this Laptop works (mostly) with Linux. Kernel 2.6.x is mandatory for USB connectivity, plus no hangups with Kudzu. Only downside is the lack of support (via the mousedev interface) of the built-in touch pad. Other than that I can proudly say that this Compaq now is a Linpaq.

The built in conexant modem works great with the Linuxant drivers

Remaining problems:
  • LAN NIC not very well supported (only thgrough Tulip driver)
  • Trouchpad not working at 100% (i.e tap-click is not functional in 2.6, at least not without the mousedev driver [basic set of USB functions] support])

/me looks at the thread and thinks Wow!, talk about a monologue

Last edited by Thetargos; 03-15-2004 at 08:13 PM.
 
Old 03-19-2004, 09:53 AM   #5
d-river23
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Can you help me with my 1200 install

Thetargos, I am still somewhat new to linux., especially on a laptop everytime I tried a new distro came out I would try it on my laptop but it wouldn't be totally functional. I own a Presario 1210CA. Duron 800 with 20GB HD and the same HFC NIC/MODEM. I found information as well to disable kudzu. But with the stock kernel my pcmcia isn't functional and my NIC isn't working. Could you give a few steps and show me which options you picked when you compiled your new kernel. It would help alot.
 
Old 03-19-2004, 12:42 PM   #6
Thetargos
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Re: Can you help me with my 1200 install

Quote:
Originally posted by d-river23
Thetargos, I am still somewhat new to linux., especially on a laptop everytime I tried a new distro came out I would try it on my laptop but it wouldn't be totally functional. I own a Presario 1210CA. Duron 800 with 20GB HD and the same HFC NIC/MODEM. I found information as well to disable kudzu. But with the stock kernel my pcmcia isn't functional and my NIC isn't working. Could you give a few steps and show me which options you picked when you compiled your new kernel. It would help alot.
Sure... At the moment I'm not at the computer I described above (BTW, the exact model of this nightmarish laptop was 1211LA ), as soon as I have an opportunity, I'll post here for your authorization to send you the config file for the kernel (2.6.4) via e-mail.
 
Old 05-06-2004, 02:52 AM   #7
Apsurdas
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Thetargos said: (BTW, the exact model of this nightmarish laptop was 1211LA )


How did you finally find the exact model of your girlfriend's laptop? I have the same problem, not finding it.
 
Old 05-06-2004, 05:13 AM   #8
Thetargos
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Quote:
Originally posted by Apsurdas
Thetargos said: (BTW, the exact model of this nightmarish laptop was 1211LA )


How did you finally find the exact model of your girlfriend's laptop? I have the same problem, not finding it.
in the most absurd way... by trial and error in the driver's page at Compaq... looking what do the different driver sets had and what hardware did the computer have... that way I found out... It's supposed to be a small sticker at the bottom of the computer, but such sticker was never found on the computer I described (my GF removed all Compaq/Windows stickers, but she's sure she never removed any from the bottom of the computer other than the Windows license).
 
Old 06-20-2004, 02:02 PM   #9
tisource
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Your description fits my laptop exactly. Compaq Presario 1210us.

Linux works for the most part, except usb, modem (unless you want to pay linuxant) and cardbus. usb is the catch. If I try to use my external usb mouse (logitech), my os will freeze up. The 2.6 kernel does handle the usb problem much better than 2.4.

If you're still having trouble, let me know. I will explain what I have done, and maybe that will help you (Fedora Core 1 was a mess on my laptop, and I have no desire to install FC2... ). I prefer Mandrake/SuSE. I'm running Mandrake 10 Official right now, and the machine runs quite well.

Good luck!
 
Old 06-20-2004, 02:45 PM   #10
Thetargos
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Thank you very much, but I finally got it working with FC1. The only trick to install it was to disable USB sacanning at install time, right after installation, I upgraded to a self built 2.6.4 kernel, which has worked flawlessly. I did buy the Linuxant drivers, and let me tell you that they work incredibly!! The USB port works beyond expectations, I was even able to attach a digicam to it, and if it wasn't seen as a camera device it was mountable as a an external storage device, allowing us to copy/edit/remove photos from the digicam's memory unit. Add to that, that the ALSA drivers work incredible too (these laptops have a very nice sound system!).

The only quirk in all this is the ethernet/modem combo, the Linuxant drivers work quite well for the modem part, but the ethernet part behaves strange to say the least, it simply lacks performance (if you find acceptable ~200Kb/s transfer rates on LAN, then there should be no problems). I found that this chipset uses the tulip driver, and I don't know if any newer kernel revison would have an updated version of the driver. For the rest, the computer works pretty well, though a little short on memory for the requirements of FC1, all in all, I think can give this computer a Linux Compatibility Score (LCS, invented in this very moment) of 4.5 out of 5.
 
Old 06-20-2004, 02:59 PM   #11
Thetargos
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Re: Can you help me with my 1200 install

Quote:
Originally posted by d-river23
Thetargos, I am still somewhat new to linux., especially on a laptop everytime I tried a new distro came out I would try it on my laptop but it wouldn't be totally functional. I own a Presario 1210CA. Duron 800 with 20GB HD and the same HFC NIC/MODEM. I found information as well to disable kudzu. But with the stock kernel my pcmcia isn't functional and my NIC isn't working. Could you give a few steps and show me which options you picked when you compiled your new kernel. It would help alot.
I know it's been a long time since this took place, I apologize

Did you manage to install a 2.6.x kernel?
 
Old 09-07-2005, 04:12 PM   #12
thomsany
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Regarding this topic, I am trying to install Mandrake 10.1 on my dv1000 laptop, but after install,it boots and then it freezes on "entering non interactive startup".
For some reason I can't get passed that. IS there a way to fix this?
Thanks much in advance,

Teo
 
Old 09-07-2005, 07:43 PM   #13
Thetargos
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Are you able to boot into rescue mode and does the rescue mode finds your installation?

Maybe you could try to boot into a different runlevel, like 3, and then see what happens, this would only boot you into a console login, but with all the bells and whistles. You could also try to pass some arguments to the kenrel like pci=noacpi, and others see what happens.
 
Old 09-08-2005, 12:58 AM   #14
thomsany
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Hi!!
I just start and when it does it hangs in that message.
I tried the managed start and disabled acpi and other stuff and then I get to a screen where it said linux login or something.
It's strange cause it said Linux was compatible with my laptop so I was shocked that it didn't work
Anyways I want it to work and i was wondering if I should get another distro instead of mandrake 10.1.
I am new to linux.

Regards,
Teo
 
  


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