Fedora Is Awesome!

Pheo · #1 5th May 2009, 10:07 PM

My name is Daryl. I'm a student at North Carolina State and am majoring in Math and Physics.
For the last year, almost continually, i've been attempting to get Linux installed on my laptop.

I have an HP dv9000,
Marked underneath as a dv9700 or a dv9910us <where did they come up with their hardware numbering scheme?>

This particular laptop is a rather impressive piece of machinery out of the box, BUT:
It uses the Atheros AR242x wireless network adapter.
This beast has been the bane of my health and sanity for quite a while now...

But now it works.

After trying Ubuntu <got the card to work with ndiswrapper <which is buggy and insercure>> Debian <no luck> Gentoo <!> and Several versions of Fedora <FC10 x86_64 detected the wireless card but Xorg malfunctioned> things now finally work.

Yesterday i installed the Preview for Leonidas.

Everything worked out of the box. Everything. Perfectly.

And i'm ecstatic!

The Open software community stands as a marvel of post-modern good will. Brilliant and hard working individuals world round have developed a cross platform compatible, robust, adaptive, functional, and user-friendly collaboration, and "donated" it to the common well being.

My best regards, and humble thanks, to the masterminds who have allowed me to throw my Vista discs in trash with confidence!

(Thanks)+(Thanks)-(frustration)+(Thanks)^2
-Pheo

***Dan*** · #2 5th May 2009, 11:05 PM

ROTFLMAO!

Awright, Pheo!

Man, after all the sittin' and stinkin' that usually goes on here ... that was a breath of fresh air!

I know what you mean about the dv9000 series, though. I just got a dv9904ca (with the 715 Nvidia video chipset) and F11 (beta) x86_64 was the only fedora release to actually come to GUI off the liveCD without a lot of fiddling around. I didn't get quite so lucky on the wireless, (Mine has the broadcom version) but thanks to FIrewing1, that problem was one yum-install away from gone.

However, interesting to note that both PCLOS 2009 and MINT 6 booted clean and were an easy install on the same machine. If I were you, I'd DL and burn a copy of both and poke them into the toolbag.

Now all I have to do is buy another briefcase. <..

..> This beast is just too wide to fit into my old one. <..

..>

PatMcLJr · #3 5th May 2009, 11:37 PM

Hold on!
Hang on to those Vista disks, you might want them to put up your in your VM?

Sure sounds like F11 is going be a very solid release from day 1 I have seen a lot of nice posts about the betas and prerelease versions.

If you insist on dumping that Vista disk, put it up on CraogsList and donate the cash to your favorite open source project. That's go further then simply tossing them.

Good Luck,
Pat Jr.

thunderogg · #4 6th May 2009, 12:08 AM

Yes, hang on to your vista disks. You might need them to make BIOS updates. AFAIK the only way to make BIOS updates is through Windows. At least that how it is with my HP notebook.

***Dan*** · #5 6th May 2009, 12:52 AM

Hmmm.

My solution to that was to invest $45.00 USD in a new HDD, and just pop the old Vista drive into a desk drawer. It's there if I ever need it, right along with the recovery partition.

In a related and interesting development, while chatting with HP tech support about the availability and interchangeability of several different models of wireless card for this beast, (there are 5 available, so if the one you've got won't play well with Linux, you can order a replacement which will.) I asked about the possibility that running Linux might void the warranty. His reply was, "No. However, if you send it in for warranty service, and there's a suspected software issue, they'll probably wipe the drive and re-install Vista before they send it back."

Weeeeell, knowing the state of the gene pool and the varying knowledge level and mindset of the average mass market tech farm ... it's a safe bet I'd get one of the service jerks on the floor who is a dyed in the wool Windows® Kool-Aid® drinker ... and he'd not only blitz my fedora ... but probably blame a plainly existing hardware issue on Linux and send the dang thing back unfixed.

Ergo, a replacement drive.

The thought of some Windows® powered widget of a techno-twit blasting my hard won Linux installs into magnetic chaos ... and replacing it with Vista® just makes my skin crawl! <..

..>

JN4OldSchool · #6 6th May 2009, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheo

My name is Daryl. I'm a student at North Carolina State and am majoring in Math and Physics.
For the last year, almost continually, i've been attempting to get Linux installed on my laptop.

I have an HP dv9000,
Marked underneath as a dv9700 or a dv9910us <where did they come up with their hardware numbering scheme?>

This particular laptop is a rather impressive piece of machinery out of the box, BUT:
It uses the Atheros AR242x wireless network adapter.
This beast has been the bane of my health and sanity for quite a while now...

But now it works.

After trying Ubuntu <got the card to work with ndiswrapper <which is buggy and insercure>> Debian <no luck> Gentoo <!> and Several versions of Fedora <FC10 x86_64 detected the wireless card but Xorg malfunctioned> things now finally work.

Yesterday i installed the Preview for Leonidas.

Everything worked out of the box. Everything. Perfectly.

And i'm ecstatic!

The Open software community stands as a marvel of post-modern good will. Brilliant and hard working individuals world round have developed a cross platform compatible, robust, adaptive, functional, and user-friendly collaboration, and "donated" it to the common well being.

My best regards, and humble thanks, to the masterminds who have allowed me to throw my Vista discs in trash with confidence!

(Thanks)+(Thanks)-(frustration)+(Thanks)^2
-Pheo

Dont worry, if tradition is any indication they will be sure to break it the first update after release.

Loki1950 · #7 6th May 2009, 02:06 AM

You get use to the nose bleeds as the work arounds always seem to teach a bit more about our favourite toy

and grin when the other distros roll out the results of our blood and trickery.Though at times i have been tempted to jump ship i haven't though i tend to stick with a release till EOL.

Enjoy the Choice

scottro · #8 6th May 2009, 02:53 AM

JN4, don't ever change. For one thing, you'll save a fortune on dry cleaning.

That particular card, in my experience, has always tended to work better on RH based systems than on Ubuntu/Debian based ones. I have no idea why. Actually, with the older, MadWifi snapshots, it was probably equal, but for whatever reason, Fedora's implementation of the necessary ath5k kernel module has always seemed to work a little better for me.

That card was a real pain until 2008 though, which is when FreeBSD's Sam Leffler came up with a 64 bit version of the MadWifi snapshot for it.

JohnnyLinux · #9 6th May 2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderogg

Yes, hang on to your vista disks. You might need them to make BIOS updates. AFAIK the only way to make BIOS updates is through Windows. At least that how it is with my HP notebook.

Is this true? You can only update your BIOS through windows?

***Dan*** · #10 6th May 2009, 06:59 PM

Sadly, most of the time ... yes.

thunderogg · #11 6th May 2009, 10:32 PM

So, you should ALWAYS check for BIOS updates before installing Linux!! It may save you a lot of trouble later.

stevea · #12 6th May 2009, 10:48 PM

FWIW I have two ASUS boards and an older IBM laptop that permit BIOS updates from a bootable floppy or USB stick. Huge win IMO. So check w/ your mobo manuals & the update directions.

thunderogg · #13 6th May 2009, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

FWIW I have two ASUS boards and an older IBM laptop that permit BIOS updates from a bootable floppy or USB stick. Huge win IMO. So check w/ your mobo manuals & the update directions.

Sorry, forgot all about the desktops. I was talking notebooks.

Loki1950 · #14 6th May 2009, 10:58 PM

There is always "yum install flashrom" but check if your Mobo or chip set is supported first

Enjoy the Choice

robert-e · #15 7th May 2009, 03:02 AM

Dan/Pheo,
I had read (somewheres?) that HP whitelisted the hardward in their laptops? Because of this, I actually obtained a hard drive for my dv9020, so I could install fedora, and still keep the vista hard drive, for warranty purposes.
My question: did you have any problems installing the none-HP hardware in your laptop. I am wondering, as I would like to buy another serial hd so I can play with F11, and still keep a working F8 system. Thanks
Best regards,
Bob