ACER Aspire 4520 tried to kill me......(2)

I started to work on this unit since September 2007, tried to pump the Linux in. I have tried to install many distros; the result was failed and failed again. I considered this as a trigger for m to keep pushing myself harder in knowing about Linux. I didn't want myself just as a Linux installer, i wanted more.

I have tried to install PCLOS2007, Vector, DreamLinux, OpenSuse, Skole, Slackware, Mandriva, IGOS to this laptop. But...like usual, it kept rejecting them. The last; i returned to edubuntu-7.04 again. I asked questions to edubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com about my problem. Any Linux that i installed on can not display a good graphic (graphic card problem), can not connect to the wireless and it's mute (sound problem).

One of edubuntu users told me that i have to force this unit to run in save graphical mode by edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, go to the Device stanza for your video card and change the driver to vesa, eg:

Section "Device"

Identifier "ATI Technologies, Inc. ATI Default Card"
Driver "vesa"
BusID "PCI:3:0:0"

EndSection

Then do sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart

Actually, an alternative and possibly better way to do this is to run:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

You will be led through a series of menus. Take the default answer to all questions (there are quite a few), except where you are asked for the "X server driver", when you should choose "vesa". Once that's done, try restarting the display manager

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart

yes, it worked....in safe graphic mode, but it didn't satisfied me.

~*===E===*~

Two months passed by, slowly i found out the way to solve this problem. I used Ubuntu-7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) and after searched for the answer at https://ubuntuforums.org and waiting from edubuntu-users answers. I can settle it down.

Here is the way out;

How to set the display ( nVIDIA 7000M )

go to Applications - Add/Remove
type nvidia and choose : nvidia binary X.org driver ('new' driver )
click on apply button and wait until the installation finished
go to system – Restricted Drivers Manager – enable the NVIDIA
open terminal
type sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
replace the resolution manually from “1024x768” to “1280x800”
reboot the computer

How to set the wireless ( Atheros – AR5007EG )

download the AR5007EG windriver
install ndiswrapper manually
open terminal; type sudo rmmod ath_pci (remove the pci module)
type sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-common
insert : blacklist ath_pci (to put ath_pci in blaklist mode)
save it and restart the computer
extract the windriver into one folder (ex : documents)
go to System – Administration – Windows Wireless Drivers
install net521.inf
click configure button and set it up
open terminal; type sudo ndiswrapper -m (to load ndis on restart)
reboot the computer
later, you can type any to network name (ESSID) for automatically switch the access point

How to set the sound (Realtek High Definition Audio a.k.a Realtek ALC268)

install linux-backports-modules-2.6.22.14-generic
install linux-backports-modules-generic_2.6.22.14
open terminal; type sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base
insert : options snd-hda-intel model=acer
reboot the computer

By November 05, 2007, i finished my long journey to make ACER Aspire 4520 runs in Windows XP and Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbons, as an addition; this laptop was Vista design.. :D

~E~