Ubuntu Linux on DELL Inspiron 6000

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Last year I got a Dell Inspiron 6000 with a 15,4″ WXGA TFT-Display (1280×800) and the Intel shared memory graphic-chip.

Installing Ubuntu 5.10 (the Breezy Badger release) on it worked like a charm.Just insert the CD and follow the instructions, afterwards you have a working Linux, even featuring Suspend-to-RAM. I haven’t tested the modem (as I don’t need it), but it’s said to be working. The only thing definetely not working is the SD-card slot, it’s neither supported by the Kernel nor does a driver exists. I managed to get the SD-card slot working, read here.
As I’m using a WPA-protected wireless-network at home, I had to install the lateste driver for the centrino wlan-chip (ipw2200). Of course, you dont’t have to do that, if you don’t need WPA, WEP-encryption works out-of-the-box. Therefore I followed the instructions found on the Ubuntu Forums, but I didn’t write a shell script, because changing my /etc/default/wpasupplicant like that worked for me:

ENABLED=1
OPTIONS="-D ipw -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -Bw"

Note, that eth1 is my wireless network-interface, that might differ on your installation.

Actually, that’s all I had to do to make my Inspiron work with Ubuntu.

8 Comments

  2. nick

    Well, I am also interested in installing Ubuntu on my Dell laptop. But I am new to the Linux OS. Can you please tell me if installing linux affects my Windows XP already installed on the laptop. Also, how do I create partitions of my only C: drive..

    thanks,

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  7. JAM

    Tried for several years on my wifeś inspiron 6000. Could not get it to work no matter what distribution. Last week I purchased a Netgear PCMCIA and it worked well with knetworkmanager. I will use the command you listed ¨ENABLED=1
    OPTIONS=”-D ipw -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -Bw” this evening.

  8. Jim

    I have a dell inspiron 6000 and am running ubuntu 8.04 hardy heron and so far it seems to be working well. One of the only problems I have is that the video wont seem to display 3d graphics very well, at least google earth. the refresh rate drops to like 1. Other than that, it seems to be working ok. I havnt pushed it and try to make it crash or lock up. I was looking for proprietary driver for the intel graphics chipset, if anyone knows where I can get it. Thanks

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