[mdlug-newbie] Linux Mint XFCE & MSI Wind

[Robert Meier]

Brandon,

> As of about an hour ago I've gotten the XFCE community edition of Linux Mint
> 5 Elyssa running on the Wind.

Good.



> I'm having a couple problems though.

> The biggest is that ACPI doesn't work by default.
> I can't boot with it enabled so I've resorted to adding "ACPI=off"
> to the Mint startup command.

Well done.

ACPI is not supported by all bioses.
apm is another protocol popular on laptops (e.g. Dell Latitude C600).
<IIRC>
Appending "acpi=off" kernel option will disable ACPI and enable apm.
</IIRC>

	---- bash> apm ----
AC on-line, battery status high: 100% (0:44)
	---- bash> apm ----



> The other is that I'm not totally sure how to get wireless working.
> I've heard there is a wrapper for the Windows driver but it only
> works on some hardware?

Unfortunately, some computers have "Win..." components that depend on
the CPU to execute propietary code.  Winmodems are an example.
Essentially they are a sound card.  The cpu executes code,
(usually proprietary) to perform the functions that would be
performed by a modem microcontroller.  In my experience the cost
of the cpu cycles, interrupts, and communications reliability lost
has been many times larger than the cost of an actual modem card,
an external modem, or upgrade to a better-equipped laptop.
I've seen the above loss frustrate those with the proprietary code,
as well as those without.

To determine what hardware you have,
most distros provide hwinfo(8) (Yup, a man page citation),
and many provide a gui for it.
Look for mention of "modem", "wlan", "803.11", "network interface",
and google (http://www.google.com/linux) for the hardware mentioned.

    ---- bash> /usr/sbin/hwinfo --wlan ----
05: PCI 1000.0: 0282 WLAN controller
[Created at pci.310]
UDI: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_4222
Unique ID: y9sn.ME9ySuipOaE
Parent ID: qTvu.4chw4Z9dkyF
...
Hardware Class: network
Model: "Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection"
Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
Device: pci 0x4222 "PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection"
SubVendor: pci 0x103c "Hewlett-Packard Company"
SubDevice: pci 0x135b
Revision: 0x02
Driver: "iwl3945"
Driver Modules: "iwl3945"
Device File: wlan0
Features: WLAN
...
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: iwl3945 is active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe iwl3945"
Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
Attached to: #18 (PCI bridge)
    ---- bash> /usr/sbin/hwinfo --wlan ----

Hopefully helpful,
-- 
Bob

  "The liberties of our country are worth defending at all hazards. We have
   received them from our worthy ancestors; they purchased them for us with
   toil, treasure and blood. It will bring an everlasting infamy on the
   present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be
   wrested from us...or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and
   designing men."
	     -- Samuel Adams, 1771.