Dell Inspiron 8600

[Wendy <wlv21@cam.ac.uk>]

Hi
i'm a newcomer to debian for Dell laptops, and would greatly 
appreciate any help.

Has anyone successfully installed Debian on the Dell Inspiron 8600??

I have installed the debian 2.6.7 kernel image.

things i'm still having trouble with:

1. installing/detecting the combo DVD/CD-writer drive. It does play CD's 
successfully but nothing else. And what is the best way for watching DVD's 
and writing CD's in debian?

2. i have a problem with recording. I want to use GnomeMeeting for 
example, but can't get the microphone to work. I am able to listen to CD's 
and mp3's...don't exactly know how to fix this.

3. how can i check whether my wireless and usb ports are working?


Thanks
Wendy