Alex's notes


Install Linux Slackware 10.2 with Kernel 2.6.13 on Acer Aspire 1524WLMi

CPU AMD Athlon 3,4 GHz 64 bit [ OK ]
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5700, 64 MB [ OK ]
Hard Disk 60 GB HDD [ OK ]
Screen 15,4 WXGA wide TFT LCD [ OK ]
RAM 512 MB DDR [ OK ]
CD/DVD-ROM drive Slimtype CD-R CD-RW DVD+/-R DVD+/-RW SOSW-852S, ATAPI [ OK ]
Ethernet 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet [ OK ]
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g wireless LAN [ OK ]
USB ports 4 USB 2.0 ports [ OK ]
TV Output TV Output [ NT ]
Screen Output Screen Output [ NT ]
IRDA FIR [ NT ]
PCI driver PCI driver [ NT ]
FireWire IEEE 1394 [ NT ]
Parallel Port LPT [ OK ]
Modem AC97 [ NT ]
Audio Output Audio [ OK ]
Audio Input Audio [ OK ]




CPU
AMD Athlon 64 bit 3,4 Ghz (2,2 Ghz effective)

It works fine. I have recompiled the kernel with Athlon\Duron\K7 as processor family:
CONFIG_MK7=y
 This CPU has a huge power.



Graphic Card
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5700, 64 MB

I have installed NVIDIA drivers, downloadables from the NVIDIA website: www.nvidia.com. Kill the X server (CTRL+SHIFT+F[1-6] to exit from X) and install the driver. Probably you will have to install gcc-3.4 and make a link to it with the command:
# ln -s /usr/bin/gcc-3.4 /usr/bin/gcc
 Then you have to configure /etc/X11/xorg.conf to make all work perfectly, according to the README file of the driver. Make a backup copy before any modifies. Look at my xorg.conf to see my configurations. My advice is to keep the driver up-to-date because with the updating you can get a lot of features and improvements.



Hard Disk
60 GB HDD

The Hard Disk is efficent, with its 7200 rpm. The first times I used Linux on my laptop, after few minutes I could hear from my Hard Disk a continuos little noise like the one you can hear when the computer boots. I discovered that, after few minutes of inactivity, the Hard Disk goes on stand-by. You can disable this feature with an option of the Advance Power Management on the Hard Disk; this is the command:
$ hdparm -B 255 /dev/hdc
 this will disable it temporarily. I put it into my /etc/rc.d/rc.local to disable it definitively.


Screen
15,4 WXGA wide TFT LCD

The Screen works fine. You can deactive it with the combination Fn+F6 and you can define its illumination with the combination Fn+Left Arrow and Fn+Right Arrow.


RAM
512 MB DDR

The RAM has been working without problems.


CD/DVD-ROM drive
Slimtype CD-R CD-RW DVD+/-R DVD+/-RW SOSW-852S, ATAPI

The drive doesn't have any problems. If you want to use cdrecord with kernel 2.6, you have to call the program with special parameters for the device: dev=/dev/hdc. I am quite satisfied.


Ethernet
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

The ethernet card works without problems, just insert the plug. I have used it with a direct connect with an other PC, LAN. Tested with router too


Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g wireless LAN

First of all, download and install ndiswrapper. Then download the Windows driver of the Wi-Fi card: ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/notebook/aspire_1360/driver/80211g.zip. Use the WinXp driver. Install the driver with:

# ndiswrapper -i [namedriver.inf]
Check the driver with:
# ndiswrapper -l
Installed drivers:
neti2220 driver installed, hardware present
 Load the wireless card with:
# iwconfig wlan0 up
 Check the impostations:
# iwconfig wlan0
 I couldn't set the channel. Probably a ndiswrapper bug: the default channel is 6 (2.437 GHz). You can set the parameters of your wlan: iwconfig -h will help you. If you have done all the passage and you are lucky, try to contact the AP:
# iwlist scanning
 Then, if the AP has got a DHCP server run this:
# dhcpcd wlan0
 Or configure the net with iwconfig, ifconfig, route.


USB ports
4 USB 2.0 ports

They work fine.


TV Output
S-Video TV Output

Not tested yes, however there is a line to add to /etc/X11/xorg.conf to able the TV output with the nvidia driver.


Screen Output
Screen Output

Not tested. You should add a line to /etc/X11/xorg.conf too.


IRDA
FIR

Not tested.


PCI drive
PCI drive

Not tested.


Firewire
IEEE 1394

Not tested.


Parallel Port
LPT

It works fine. I tried it with an EPL-3000 printer laser (year 1991) wich works with the HP Laser Jet driver (ljet3).


Modem
AC97

Working with slamr driver.


Audio
Input Audio
It works good. If you want to use a mic, you have to set the alsa mixer to boost the in-line: $ alsamixer, then with the arrows, select "Mic Boost" and press M to active it. In alsamixer you can set the volume of the mic and other things such this. Remember if you would like to register a pre-amplified source (like a radio), you have to deactive the boost: you risk to damage seriously the audio card.


Audio
Output Audio
It works very good. I hadn't to do nothing. I plug my Hi-Fi to the linux box, and it sounds very good.


Go Back