Re: Laptop and Distro Recommendations?

[Digby Tarvin <digbyt@acm.org>]

Hi Stefan,

Yes, it is the ICH6 chipset (ICH6M). 

I gave the daily build a try (with the 'install libata.atapi_enabled=1'
command from SataAtapiHowto) and it seems that whatever was going
wrong with Beta2 has been fixed, as it then succeeded in identifying
the DVD-RAM.

Next problem seems to be that the Debian installer is less successful
in identifying my network hardware. 

Ubuntu found:
	eth0: Realtek semiconductor co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+
	eth1: Intel corp. 4223 (wireless)
and DHCP configured my wireless i/f with no problem, but debian did not 

Debian found:
	eth0: Ethernet or Fast Ethernet
	eth1: Realtek semiconductor co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+
which does not seem to recognise the Intel device as wireless, so
it doens't prompt for SSID or mode, and I havn't managed to get
either to configure, either with DHCP or manually. I am still
experimenting.

Regards,
DigbyT

On Sun, Apr 16, 2006 at 11:08:47PM -0400, Stefan Srdic wrote:
> I take it that you have the ICH6 chipset? In my BIOS their is a legacy mode option for the SATA controller, toggling it might help. 
> 
> I have gotten it to work on my laptop (which uses the ICH6 chipset) by using the ide-generic and ide-disk and ide-cd drivers during the install. Keep in mind that the generic module and the ide-generic modules are different. Also, you need to keep the ata_piix module from loading, otherwise it attaches itself to the SATA port that the DVD-RAM is on and ide-generic/ide-cd will not access it!
> 
> Personally, I found it easier to install the base system by using the ide-generic drivers and then hack things from there. 
> 
> Once the base system is installed, it's a matter of either compiling a custom kernel or creating a custom initrd image with the proper boot or module arguments. 
> 
> I can confirm that the boot arguments combined_mode=1 and libata.atapi_enabled=1 will work if your ata_piix driver is statically compiled into the kernel ;)
> 
> Stefan
-- 
Digby R. S. Tarvin                                          digbyt(at)digbyt.com
http://www.digbyt.com