Laptop problem your having is the samething that I am stuck in now while we speak. Hopefully the tricks you guys posted will work on my laptop (already have a desktop server up and running, that went pretty well, laptop has been a bit hairy, but then again it is Dell...)

Ok so I grabbed that rpm package and ran thru the install like the README said only it didn't do anything. I can only select the 640x480 resolution and 0hz refresh rate in Gnome and xfce x windows. "system-config-display" from terminal allows me to pick 1024x768 (thats actually what it is currently set to although I still have the small screen with giant blackbox around it) but nothing happens on reboot.
Any other ideas? Wouldn't even mind if it crashed on reboot like fuseal's system at this point...

EDIT:
So just to make sure I went to uninstall the rpm: (From Failsafe Term)
rpm -e packagename
package packagename is not installed
rpm -i packagename
package packagename is already installed
SWEET!
Any ideas on how the heck that could happen (hoping thats the problem)

Ok well I figured since I managed to figure it out that I should update the thread. The FIRST thing you should do is to upgrade your BIOS. After I flashed the BIOS I didn't need to do anything else, didn't need to upgrade the graphics card to Intel 915 (although I am going to try that now and see what happens) and didn't need to edit my xorg.conf. So anyone having problems with a Dell Inspiron 1100 should definitley try flashing their BIOS (off a CDROM) first.

how does one flash bios?

I just downloaded the new BIOS from Dell's website (from windows), and executed the file from there. When you reboot, go into options, and from there you can choose to allocate 8M of memory to video.

hey if i would have found this thread sooner i could have hlped...
all u have to do for the Connfiguring kernel parameters: thing is whenever you boot and it displays the FEDORA GUI and has the 3 second countdown pressany button...
then press "e" , then chose the second line and press "e" the erase rhgb or w/e frum the line and it shld work

worked 4 me!!!!
ok im going to go try to update my BIOS
*EDIT* lol nvm sorry