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SuSE 8.2 Linux on a Compaq Presario 2170US
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Specifications:
Intel Celeron 2.0 GHz
256 MB RAM
DVD/CDRW
Ports: Parallel, Serial, VGA, S-Video, 2 USB, PS/2, Ethernet
Internal Modem
ATI Mobility Radeon 4X AGP video--64MB shared RAM
15" TFT Display--1024x768
PC Card Slot--Type I/II/III--32bit card bus
7.5 lb./12.96"x10.72"x1.62"
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This notebook came with WindowsXP Home Edition preinstalled. I decided to dual-boot, with SuSE being the default OS. I used Partition Magic to resize the NTFS partition to make room for Linux. There are Open Source utilities that can do this, but I used PM in the past and felt more comfortable with it.
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Once the partitions were set up, installation went without a hitch. All of the hardware including ethernet and touchpad were detected. Video was set up with no changes needed.
Other people have reported problems on other laptops with legacy USB support enabled in the BIOS. I disabled it before installation just in case.
ACPI took some doing. SuSE 8.2 has ACPI patched into the kernel. However, the acpid daemon is not automatically started at boot time. You must go into the runlevel editor in YAST and start it there. Don't forget to specify which runlevel to use (check boxes a the bottom of the list of daemons). I didn't do that the first time and could not understand why it didn't start up.
The BIOS will automatically detect an external mouse connected to the PS/2 port, and disable the touchpad. I am using the Logitech MouseMan Traveler, which is an optical mouse that comes with USB and PS/2 plugs.
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My only current problem is the ethernet connection not initializing on boot up. I connect to a DSL line through a router at home and the office using DHCP. The card fails to get an IP address from the router. I can get the connection working through YAST. It works fine, but is a pain to do every time I boot. I haven't researched the problem thoroughly yet, but I am sure there is an answer.
07/18/2003: I found out by chance today that my ethernet connection is working fine even though the boot messages say that it failed to initialize. At least now I don't have to go into YAST and reset it. I am still struggling to get my Netgear MA401RA wireless card to work. I have scoured the newsgroups and boards for help. Many people have got it working, but no one posts a clear cut answer or method. I will keep trying.
7/24/2003
I now have my wireless card up and working. It did take some work. I followed the instructions from the SuSE support database article on
Wireless LANs (http://sdb.suse.de/en/sdb/html/wavelan.html). In YAST I configured the card as wireless but NOT pcmcia. The card was then named eth1. The following is my /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth1 file:
BOOTPROTO='dhcp'
DHCLIENT_SET_DOWN_LINK='yes'
MTU=''
REMOTE_IPADDR=''
STARTMODE='hotplug'
UNIQUE=''
WIRELESS='yes'
WIRELESS_ESSID='mynet'
WIRELESS_KEY=''
WIRELESS_MODE='managed'
WIRELESS_NICK='Prism I'
WIRELESS_NWID=''
CHANNEL='1'
The STARTMODE hotplug option prevents the system from trying to initialize the eth1 connection before the pcmcia service is started.
After bootup I issue the following commands as root (I have them in a shell script with a desktop icon for one click access)
ifconfig eth1 up
dhcpcd eth1
The card is then up and running.
Getting DVD's to play took a little bit of doing. I followed instructions for xine, but could not get it to work. I tried MPlayer, and it worked once, then quit. Ogle seems to work fine. I followed the instructions from the ogle site using the RH rpms. I did have to enable DMA on the DVD drive to get rid of choppy video.
Burning a CD was painless. Kb3 recognized the DVD/CDRW immediately, and all permissions were set automatically.
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 zvan@sbcglobal.net
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