Dell Inspiron 2650, with everything working
 

I am really enjoying the Red Hat Linux experience. Took me a couple days and some help from this wonderful Forum, plus a lot of reading but I did it.

The installation went quite well, except for the X configuration, since I have a GeForce 2 Go NVIDIA card chose NVIDIA driver that came with Red Hat and chose Graphical Login OOPs. Had to re-install. This time I used all the defaults got X up but couldn't play Tux Racer due to no Open GL. Downloaded the tar.gz source packages from NVIDIA I am now enjoying 3d graphics and many rounds of Tux Racer, First Success :)

My Network and Internet setup automatically thanks to using a US Robotics Router, however I couldn't use the Print Server, I was not happy, came to this forum found an old thread using search which led me in the proper direction, then I used the redhat-config-printer got this working using the UNIX printer protocol and lpd. Second Success :p

Then decided I would need the modem to work for when I was travelling, fortunately my Dell Laptop came with a Conexant Soft Modem, downloaded the driver hsflinmodem generic RPM, installed then configured the modem using the hsf configuration utility. After a succesful install went into KDE ran kppp, setup and queryed my modem, now I am able to go online while on the road. Third Success :D

Decided I needed a new mouse so I went out and bought a Logitech Marble mouse. Plugged it in Kudzu fired up and installed my new mouse, but then all of a sudden I couldn't use my touchpad, I didn't want to have to carry a mouse around, found a very handy thread editted my XF86Config file, now I am enjoying using both my USB Marble Mouse and touchpad. Fourth Success ;)

Not being one to leave well enough alone I wanted to speed up my PC ran hdparm and saw that I had dma on but running I/O 16 Bit. So tried a command and turned on 32 bit w/sync and eeked out a touch more speed from my hard drive. Went on the next day booted up my PC and 16 bit was enabled again, so I decided to get my hands a little more dirty, went into my sysinit file and added the hdparm command to set 32 bit w/sync to come on at bootup, rebooted the computer kept my fingers tightly crossed and waited, it worked ! Fifth Success :cool:

I would like to issue a big thanks to everybody who has helped on this forum and the moderators for doing such a wonderful job.

Keep up the good work and we may get more Linux converts.

JayCnrs,

Thanks for a great post. I have myself an Inspiron 2650. It's a P4 1.8Ghz, 385Mb 30Gb Hitachi with probably the same internal winmodem and I also have the GeForce Go 2 card. I got the latest video drivers 1.0.49xx (whatever ver they are again) and got the GL working on it cool. Celestia looks cool on it.

I notice you go the drive using 32-bit? Did you change it in /etc/sysconfig/harddisks eventually? Cool job for a laptop eh? :)

To set 32 bit I added this line into /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit under the comment Setting Kernel Parameters:

action $"Setting 32 bit mode:" hdparm -c3 /dev/hda

Yes, I love my Inspiron 2650, so easy to set Linux up on.

which pakeges you installed for winmodem?

Nakkaya,

Go here: http://www.mbsi.ca/cnxtlindrv/hsf/do...s-rh-i686.html

i ru the listmodem but it said i dont have a connextant modem

Do you have windows on the machine? It should tell you in under hardware devices. Is it a PCI card modem? Check out the chip on the card.

no i dont have windows on the machine

Any info on what kind the card is? Is it external or internal winmodem? If it's a pci card look for a chip on it for a number and make. I always can track an unknown winmodem that way.

fix it thx for help

do you get device busy for /dev/modem after using wvdial is there a way to fix it.

Inspiron 2650 Modem problem!!
 

I have a problem with mi Inspiron 2650 modem. I recently install Suse 8.1 with kernel 2.4.19-4G and I choose the exactly matching kernel version (HSF).
I configure the modem with hsconfig but then I tried to use de Kinternet from the Gnome desktop and nothing happen.
Suse has the Yast configuration tool and the modem has the right location (ttySHSFO) in the modem configuration utility, so the question is:

What program or command should I use to connect to Internet? and how can I be sure that the driver installed correctly?

I have to connect through windows ... please help!

I dont speak english so excuse me about errors on writing.

wvdial works for mine

and in the faq there is way to test your driver using minicom take a look

I have and Inspiron 2650 that I wish to install linux on. I was planning on using Red Hat 9 3 CD Download. Would this be a wise choice? I have had problems with redhat in the past. where alot of the default standard linux command line utilities were not there but it sound like the first user had much success though. A couple questions that I have not seen covered though if I may:

1: Does the battery utilities operate correctly? can I have it so that when I close the lid it will hibernate? Does linux even support Hibernation?

2: Is there a distribution that will just get it all correct "battery, modem, Nvidia drivers, nic, and all that kinda stuff on install? if so what?

3: Has anyone tried Lindows or Xandros on one of these yet?

Some quick answers:

1. No battery doesn't work, I used Mandrake 9.1 now and it has ACPI compiled in, then you download AKPI and you will be able to monitor your battery, RH9 I had to compile the kernel for this. I am not sure about the hibernation

2. The Linuxes I have tried I had to download the modem and NVIDIA drivers. Everything else worked right off the start. In RH9 use the Generic NVIDIA driver it works fine except no Hardware Acceleration :(

3. Never tried either one but I have been happy with Mandrake 9.1

HTH :)

ok hmm I have redhat with only the modem and battery left to get fixed
 

ok hmm I have redhat with only the modem and battery left to get fixed

how do I chack the HD to make sure I have it in 32 bit mode as you were discussing earlier

never mind got the HD now I just gotta figure out the battery and modem
I got the RPM installed but it says that I have no /dev/modem/ I looked and I don't. Any pointers?

After you have the modem RPM installed you will need to run the following command as root:

hsfconfig this will setup your modem and link it to /dev/modem

As for the battery monitor you will have to recompile your kernel, if you feel you are ready for this you can follow the way I compiled my kernel found here
I used the kernel config with .i686 on the end.

This is a Mini-Howto that explains the kernel compile question in detail
How-To :)

If you don't feel up to compiling a kernel just watch for your laptop battery light to go orange then you know it is time to charge your battery.

HTH :D

Well I tried that and used those exact directions
 

Well I tried that and used those exact directions. However, Klaptop still did not work. it said that it looked like I had only Partial ACPI support.??? Is there another battery meter that I can use or something?

Hard to believe that linux is just now getting this inacted. ACPI has been around for a few years.

I will try what you said for my modem

I installed the RPM but...
 

Ok I installed the Modem RPM however when I goto run the command to configure the modem the "hsfconfig" I a command not found. what directory is it in?

To run hsfconfig you have to be root.

As for the battery meter the GNOME battery monitor will work or if you are using KDE you will need to download and install AKPI found here:

AKPI RPM

Then once you have installed the AKPI RPM type in the run box akpi. That should bring up a battery monitor.

HTH

was logged in as root

Which RPM did you download for your modem ?

If it is the newest RPM it may be ready to go, if you are using KPPP try to go to setup and then under I believe it is the modem tab, click on Query Modem, see if anything shows up.