# Dell Inspiron 8500

## int1

Having trouble with this new hardware?  Here are some notes I've found that might help solve some problems in the short term.

1.  See these GREAT sites:

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/G.Wilford/Inspiron8500/

and:

http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/i8500/

Note the kernels they refer to are different than the one I'll be using, so keep that in mind.

My CFLAGS: 

CFLAGS="-march=pentium4 -O3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer -fforce-addr -falign-functions=4 -mmmx -msse -msse2 -mfpmath=sse -fprefetch-loop-arrays"

A couple of programs didn't like all these options so I tended to override this as needed with a more conservative one:

CFLAGS="-march=pentium4 -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -mmmx -msse -mfpmath=sse"

2.  emerge ac-sources

This will install the latest Alan Cox kernel (currently 2.4.21-ac1).  We need some of his patches to make life easier.

- They support the IDE chipset out of the box

- Be sure to select Pentium 4

- Compile speedstep_ich in as a module

- Don't use the kernel sound driver, use ALSA

- You must use ACPI.  APM is not supported on this laptop

- Leave the kernel PCMCIA unselected if you plan on using the pcmcia-cs drivers.

- Use the EHCI HCD 2.0 and UHCI (Intel PIIX4, ...) USB modules.

- Use the IEEE1394 and OHCI-1394 Firewire modules.

[only required for ac kernels pre 2.4.21-ac1]:

Patch the Speedstep file

- Copy the Speedstep patch and apply it

- Use Speedstep module (older name for speedstep_ich)

4.  Patch ACPI DSDT table (for the more adventurous)

- Copy the acpi_dsdt.c file from the G.Wilford site and put it in the drivers/acpi/tables directory. 

- Copy the G.Wilform Custom-DSDT.diff patch and apply it.

Note there is a problem in older ACPI code with the battery code, and will cause major system slowdowns after a short period of time if you are monitoring your remaining power.  Please use the latest ACPI patches (included in the latest ac-sources).  You have been warned!

I modify the kernel Makefile manually and change HOSTCFLAGS to:

HOSTCFLAGS      = -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O3 -march=pentium4 -mmmx -msse -msse2 -mfpmath=sse -fforce-addr -falign-functions=4 -fomit-frame-pointer

and CFLAGS to:

CFLAGS := $(CPPFLAGS) -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O3 \

          -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -march=pentium4 -mmmx -msse \

          -falign-functions=4

Build kernel and modules and reboot.  

[Following step not necessary for ac-sources 2.4.21-ac4 (and possibly some of the others post ac1), as Alan merged my kernel patch into his source tree.

5.  Grab the bcm4400-2.0.0 driver off G.Wilford's site, untar it, build the bcm4400.o module (I changed -O6 in the Makefile to -O3 manually, but this is automatic in gcc now I believe), and put it in /lib/modules/####/net/

Then you can add it to /etc/modules.autoload and set it up.

6.  Install sound card drivers

ALSA_CARDS='intel8x0' emerge alsa-driver

emerge alsa-lib alsa-utils

Follow the steps on G.Wilford's site

7.  Install video card driver and setup X

emerge nvidia-kernel

emerge nvidia-glx

Use the XF86Config off G.Wilford's site 

- Comment out the DevInputMice line at the top of the file if you don't have a /dev/input/mice.

- Change the keyboard layout in the file appropriately (for me, "us")

8.  Hdparm

In /etc/conf.d/hdparm, set all_args to "-d1 -u1 -c1"

Then add hdparm to the default runlevel.

If anyone is interested, I can throw up a website with some other patches I use (bootsplash, cryptoapi).

I'll try to post more as things come along.  Comments appreciated!

Good luck!

int1

Edit: Added hdparm info

Edit 2: Removed some duplicate instructions in step 3

Edit 3: Modified battery warning to note it works now.

Edit 4: Fixed to note speedstep changes in latest ac kernel

Edit 5: Fixed kernel version references to 2.4.21-ac1

Edit 6: Noted bcm4400 driver merged into 2.4.21-ac4Last edited by int1 on Wed Jul 02, 2003 2:48 am; edited 6 times in total

----------

## KeithReuters

Someone on the forum (nrl) once told me :

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> You can put
> 
> Code:
> ...

 

Laptops usually have hard drives with limited capacity, therefore optimizing for size isn't a bad idea.

My Inspiron 8500 is the best computer I've ever had.  I mean, it's just... great.  Keeps me up all night watching DVD's in my bed with my g/f  :Smile:  I love it. If I had to make a choice between my i8k5 and her, I would chose...........................  :Rolling Eyes:   :Embarassed:   :Twisted Evil:   :Laughing: 

----------

## KeithReuters

Well, I finally have 2 questions :

How do you configure X to run in 1920x1200? It just ignores it and falls back to the next available resolution, which is a standard 1600x1200.  I had to disable video extension in the bios to get a display that has a correct ratio.

Also, using either ac or gentoo-sources with the ACPI patch disables the fn+F1, F2 and F3 keys (meaning no battery information available, since I am not crazy enough to use the buggy support mentionned on G. Wilford's page).  Has anyone found a work around?

Everything else works fine.

----------

## hjlane3

I followed the directioned, and when i compiled speedstep into i noticed the entries that werer suppose to be in /proc weren't there. So, i recompiled the kernel, but i compiled speedstep as a module instead. But when I try to load the module, I get this error....

```
/lib/modules/2.4.21-rc7-ac1/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/speedstep.o: init_module: Invalid argument

Hint: insmod errors can be caused by incorrect module parameteres, including invalid IO or IRQ parameters.

        You may find more information in syslog or the output from dmesg

/libmodules/2.4.21-rc7-ac1/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/speedstep.o: insmod /libmodules/2.4.21-rc7-ac1/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/speedstep.o failed

/libmodules/2.4.21-rc7-ac1/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/speedstep.o: insmod speedstep failed
```

----------

## KeithReuters

```
Modeline "1920x1200" 162 1920 1984 2176 2480 1200 1201 1204 1250 +hsync +vsync
```

----------

## hjlane3

Another issue i'm having is that the screen doesn't turn off when i close the lid. How do i set it up so it does this?

----------

## int1

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> Also, using either ac or gentoo-sources with the ACPI patch disables the fn+F1, F2 and F3 keys (meaning no battery information available, since I am not crazy enough to use the buggy support mentionned on G. Wilford's page).  Has anyone found a work around?

 

The latest ac kernel has the newest ACPI patch which seems to fix the battery problem.  I enabled Relaxed AML checking just to be safe as well....

int1

----------

## int1

 *hjlane3 wrote:*   

> I followed the directioned, and when i compiled speedstep into i noticed the entries that werer suppose to be in /proc weren't there. So, i recompiled the kernel, but i compiled speedstep as a module instead. But when I try to load the module, I get this error....
> 
> ```
> /lib/modules/2.4.21-rc7-ac1/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/speedstep.o: init_module: Invalid argument
> 
> ...

 

Did anything show up in dmesg beyond the error above?  Did the patch apply successfully?  I haven't had any problems with the patch, and still use it regularly.

int1

----------

## hjlane3

The patch applied fine, no problems. But dmesg didn't have any output for it. :-\ I'm not too worried about this tho, I don't really have my laptop off AC power long enough to have to worry about adjusting the cpu.  Another problem I have is that the screen doesn't turn off when i shut the lid. How would I get it to do this?  Also, I installed i8kutils successfully and the fan adjustment and temp readings work, but for some reason i8kbuttons thinks the sound down button is being held down, which makes these buttons not usable.  My wireless nic in it doesn't work. It's a truemobile 1300, which doesn't seem to be supported by linux as of yet.  :Sad: 

----------

## hjlane3

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> 
> 
> ```
> Modeline "1920x1200" 162 1920 1984 2176 2480 1200 1201 1204 1250 +hsync +vsync
> ```
> ...

 

Just curious, how did you generate that mode line? If you used Colas XFree modeline gen, what values did you use?

-Thanks

----------

## KeithReuters

Messed around a lot until I got 1920x1200 working, then used xvidtune to generate a working and nice modeline, then added it to my /etc/X11/XF86Config file, and finally posted it here.

To turn off the screen when you close the lid, you can do this (dirty, but kinda works).

emerge acpid

/etc/acpi/events/closelid :

```
event=button/lid LID 00000080 *

action=/etc/acpi/sleep
```

Note : to get the 00...080 code, I did (before starting acpid) a "cat /proc/acpi/event" then pushed the lid button, and voilà.

/etc/acpi/sleep

```
beep

xset -display :0 dpms force off

echo 1 > /proc/acpi/sleep
```

Note: that's what I personally use. You can put whatever you want here, like actions you want the computer to perform before going to sleep.

Note2: this is a security hole. It'll work as root (I think), but to make it work as a user you need to enable network access to X.

If someone knows a better way of doing this, please post.

----------

## hjlane3

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> Messed around a lot until I got 1920x1200 working, then used xvidtune to generate a working and nice modeline, then added it to my /etc/X11/XF86Config file, and finally posted it here.
> 
> To turn off the screen when you close the lid, you can do this (dirty, but kinda works).
> 
> emerge acpid
> ...

 

How would I set this up so that the monitor will power off when I close the lid? I know in windows the default was standby, but you can change it over to turn off display...

----------

## hjlane3

Ok, nm, i'm stupid i realised the xset will do it. But, taht method isn't working, the screen won't shut off when the lid is closed...

----------

## KeithReuters

Hello,

Really? Have you started acpid? /etc/init.d/acpid.

You can either do an

xhost +localhost

as root, but BEWARE, this will give access to the X server to anyone capable of logging in to your machine, even with SSH. However, in the case of a laptop, it might not be important.

Or you can try to add the line

su [userrunningX]

before the "xset" line.

What happens when you run xset dpms force off in an xterm/eterm/konsole?

edit :

sudo -u (user) xset -display :0 force dpms offLast edited by KeithReuters on Sat Jun 21, 2003 6:05 am; edited 1 time in total

----------

## mshaneck

I tried all the steps above and everything works except that when I shutdown, the power doesn't turn off and the power button no longer works, so that I can't even turn it off manually...  I am using the ac sources with speedstep compiled in as a module and using acpi.   I emerged acpid and have it running...  Is there something I am missing?

----------

## int1

 *mshaneck wrote:*   

> I tried all the steps above and everything works except that when I shutdown, the power doesn't turn off and the power button no longer works, so that I can't even turn it off manually...  I am using the ac sources with speedstep compiled in as a module and using acpi.   I emerged acpid and have it running...  Is there something I am missing?

 

Are you running the speedstep-ich module?  The newest ac kernel has the latest speedstep patches.

int1

----------

## mshaneck

I am running the 2.4.21-rc2-ac3 kernel.   I compiled Intel Speedstep (under Processor type and features -> CPU Frequency Scaling) in as a module.  It doesn't load unless I apply the speedstep patch from G Wilford's site.  I have the speedstep module autoloaded.  I'm not sure what the speedstep-ich module is or if it is different than what I am using.  The name of the module that i am loading is speedstep.o ...

----------

## hjlane3

Ok got the lid closing working, thanks  :Smile: 

Now, could you guys do a "hdparm -t /dev/hda" and post the output?

I get....

```
# hdparm -t /dev/hda

 

/dev/hda:

 Timing buffered disk reads:  64 MB in  3.35 seconds = 19.10 MB/sec

```

But according to http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/G.Wilford/Inspiron8500/#IDE_interface:_PCI_device_8086:24ca i should be getting around 28MB/s, which would explain some speed issues i've been having.... (i'm using the ac-sources 2.4.21-r2 kernel, which btw, doesn't need the patch to get speedstep working)

----------

## mshaneck

I got:

```

# hdparm -t /dev/hda

/dev/hda:

 Timing buffered disk reads:  64 MB in  2.25 seconds = 28.44 MB/sec

```

----------

## hjlane3

 *mshaneck wrote:*   

> I got:
> 
> ```
> 
> # hdparm -t /dev/hda
> ...

 

Grrr... did you apply anypatches besides the speedstep and acpi patches?

----------

## KeithReuters

```
/dev/hda:

 Timing buffered disk reads:  64 MB in  2.60 seconds = 24.62 MB/sec

```

It mainly depends on which HD you have. Dell ships 5400rpm and 4200rpm drives. Mine is 40Gb, 4200rpm, hence the average performance.  28/29 is what you'd expect from a 5400rpm drive.

----------

## hjlane3

From what I Ican tell Dell only ships the 4200rpm drives w/the 8500. But still, why am I not getting that speed ?

----------

## KeithReuters

Send the output of hparm -i /dev/hda

----------

## hjlane3

```
# hdparm -i /dev/hda

 

/dev/hda:

 

 Model=IC25N030ATCS04-0, FwRev=CA3OA72A, SerialNo=CSH305DAE4KRSB

 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }

 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=4

 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=1768kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16

 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=58605120

 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:240,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}

 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4

 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2

 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5

 AdvancedPM=yes: mode=0x80 (128) WriteCache=enabled

 Drive conforms to: ATA/ATAPI-5 T13 1321D revision 3:  2 3 4 5

```

----------

## KeithReuters

I have the hitachi one, that might explain the difference. Also, and most importantly, I have more buffer... 2048kb I believe. since hdparm benchmarks buffered access, that might be why.

----------

## hjlane3

booooo

----------

## KeithReuters

I don't see anything else that might expalin the difference. You can try different kernels but I doubt this will solve the problem, because if you were using the wrong driver you would get approximately 2mb/s.

Now I have some questions.

Can you guys start glxgears and tell me what output they get?

I get :

```
kreuters@inspiron kreuters $ glxgears

15044 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3008.800 FPS

15044 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3008.800 FPS

```

running KDE and different programs (xmms, etc.).

I get around 3800fps on an Athlon 1800+ with a GeForce 3 ti 200, so I was wondering why my i8.5k cant do better.

The performance in UT2003 seems higher, but I haven't tried to benchmark it yet.

Last thing. Dell admitted recently that some of their 15.4 displays were defective.  These screens are subject to "burn-in"s, and mine is one of these : I left it for like 10 minutes with Mozilla open, and when I came back and closed it, the screen had it "printed" on it, as a ghost image.  If I then use some application that intensively refreshs the screen (ut2003, or the such), then the ghost image kind of leaves, but it usually takes 1 week before it is totally gone.  By that time though, something else has replaced it.

It is not that easy to notice the burnins. You have to set a flat background to see them well. I use color #434343.

According to a German newspaper I read, Dell hasn't said if they were going to replace all these screens for free, given the high number of concerned laptops....

http://heise.de/newsticker/data/jwe-17.06.03-000/

edit : only 1920x1200 screens are affected.

----------

## hjlane3

Hi, i'd like to coment on the screens. I just got my laptop 3 weeks ago, and earlier this week i noticed the burn in problem. This is really wierd since lcd screen arn't suppose to have this problem. I called up dell tech support on a saturday and they told me they'd shipa replaacement screen down to an affilate down here where i live, and they'll come to my house and replace it for me.  I'm just workied that after 3 week i'll have more burn ins :-\

----------

## hjlane3

As for glxgears....

```
 $ glxgears 

12832 frames in 5.0 seconds = 2566.400 FPS

13323 frames in 5.0 seconds = 2664.600 FPS

13366 frames in 5.0 seconds = 2673.200 FPS

13123 frames in 5.0 seconds = 2624.600 FPS

```

What the hell?

----------

## KeithReuters

yeah, you are getting normal results.

What kernel are you using?

glxgears isn't a great benchmark. I've noticed that it rather benchmarks the processor. I guess it is mainly a program to check whether the GLX extension works.

I have a friend who has almost the same machine as I do (desktop athlon 2000+, GeForce 3 ti 200) and who is getting 2500fps as well with an ac kernel.

As to the screen.. where do you live? I can't get mine replaced here in France, because I'd have to send my laptop back to Ireland, and since I am moving to California in a month's time, I'm afraid they might not send back the laptop in time.  I'll just wait... I got the 3yrs international warranty.

Wait, did you just say they would replace the screen AT YOUR HOUSE? Meaning, the guy shows up with a screwdriver and a new screen in a plastic bag, and does it all in front of your amazed eyes? cool!

----------

## hjlane3

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> yeah, you are getting normal results.
> 
> What kernel are you using?
> 
> glxgears isn't a great benchmark. I've noticed that it rather benchmarks the processor. I guess it is mainly a program to check whether the GLX extension works.
> ...

 

My games aren't hurting any, so I'm not worried about that. As for the kernel version, i'm using ac-sources-2.4.21-r1 and am upgrading to ac-sources-2.4.21-r2 right now.

I live in Delaware, US.  When I called dell tech support i commented that i have the complete care warrenty and should get this fixxed locally, but the tech lady said that since i've had the laptop for less than 30 days it's not a problem.  And as far as I gathered, a guy will be coming to my house tomorrow to replace it.  The tech lady on the phone said that they'd overnight the screen to someone down here and that they'd be giving me a call on tuesday.  I'll let you know exactly what happens tomorrow.

----------

## hjlane3

Yep, a repair guy is going to come by my house in a few hours to replace the screen.

I have a question, do you guys notice the laptop gets extremely hot?  I'm dual booting it w/windows xp right now ( wireless card won't work in linux), and it doesn't get as hot as it does in linux, not nearly.

----------

## hjlane3

I just realized something. If you boot off the livecd, when you close the lid, the power goes off to the monitor, and when you lift it back up the monitor comes back on! how is it doing this?

----------

## KeithReuters

I have no clue as to how it does it, but I have an update to the gotosleep script.

```

sync

xset dpms force off

echo 1 > /proc/acpi/sleep

hwclock --hctosys

```

That syncs the HD in case of low battery or who knows what.  Press the power button to turn the screen back on.

As for the laptop getting hot, yes I've noticed that too.  It seems to get colder when the CPU is not being used, but I noticed it is fairly colder when running XP. Maybe it comes from the fact that the linux kernel doesnt support all of the sleep states of the I8.5k. Who knows.

----------

## mshaneck

Ok, so in the output of dmesg I get this when it starts loading acpi:

```

ACPI: RSDP (v000 DELL                       ) @ 0x000fdf00

ACPI: RSDT (v001 DELL    CPi R   10195.00782) @ 0x2fff0000

ACPI: FADT (v001 DELL    CPi R   10195.00782) @ 0x2fff0400

ACPI: DSDT (v001 INT430 SYSFexxx 00000.04097) @ 0x00000000

ACPI: BIOS passes blacklist

ACPI: MADT not present

Dell Inspiron with broken BIOS detected. Refusing to enable the local APIC.

```

I also have noticed that my hardware clock has been losing time...  What's the deal?  Is something in my BIOS busted??  That would definitely explain why it doesn't work...

----------

## KeithReuters

What BIOS version do you have? You should consider rolling back to A01, I heard that A02 breaks things in ACPI.  I'm going to try A03 and post if it works fine.

----------

## hjlane3

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> What BIOS version do you have? You should consider rolling back to A01, I heard that A02 breaks things in ACPI.  I'm going to try A03 and post if it works fine.

 

If you're going to try the new bios versions, try out the dsdt patches this guys has....

http://ltswww.epfl.ch/~dsanta/resources/dell-i8500-linux

----------

## mshaneck

I don't have it in front of me right now, but I am pretty sure that I have A01....  I'll have to check tonight when I go home....  If A03 works for you, then maybe i will try that...  I contacted Dell tech support but haven't gotten a real response yet...

----------

## KeithReuters

Well, I am now using A03.  I haven't noticed any visible changes, except for the system diagnostics.

Maybe the message a boot up is something normal because the kernel expects an inspiron 8000 or 7500 or something.

ACPI works fine here anyway, even though I get the message.

----------

## hjlane3

Me again, I did a reinstall for varies reasons, and i'm trying to set up closing lid suspend again and it isn't working. i have acpid started, and both /etc/acpi/events/closelid and /etc/acpi/sleep, but when i press the little lid botton that tell if its closed or not, nothing happens. This is the output of /var/log/acpid...

```
[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] received event "button/lid LID 00000080 00000006"

[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] executing action "/etc/acpi/sleep"

[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] BEGIN HANDLER MESSAGES

/bin/sh: line 30: `start-single-daemon': not a valid identifier

[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] END HANDLER MESSAGES

[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] action exited with status 2

[Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] completed event "button/lid LID 00000080 00000006"

```

any ideas?

btw, i can execute /etc/acpi/sleep manually and it deos work

----------

## flokno

i consider buyind this dell laptop. how about the cpu cooler? is it on all the time and when it is on, how loud is it?

and what about tv out?

----------

## mshaneck

Well I have been having a lot of trouble getting time to work on my laptop, but I did manage to flash the BIOS to version A03 (it was on A01), but it had no effect..... Apparently there is some dell diagnostic CD that will help me find out more about what is wrong...

----------

## crweb

 *hjlane3 wrote:*   

> Me again, I did a reinstall for varies reasons, and i'm trying to set up closing lid suspend again and it isn't working. i have acpid started, and both /etc/acpi/events/closelid and /etc/acpi/sleep, but when i press the little lid botton that tell if its closed or not, nothing happens. This is the output of /var/log/acpid...
> 
> ```
> [Wed Jun 25 13:12:21 2003] received event "button/lid LID 00000080 00000006"
> 
> ...

 

yeah,  put   #!/bin/bash

on the first line of the script that'll take care of it  :Smile: 

----------

## crweb

Fully Functional Script:

*****************

#!/bin/bash

sync

/usr/X11R6/bin/xset dpms force off

echo 1 > /proc/acpi/sleep

hwclock --hctosys

/usr/X11R6/bin/xset dpms force on

************************

This will make it so when you push the power button to wake the computer, the screen will come back on.  I had to include the full path, because /usr/X11R8/bin is not in roots path.  I am currently studying how to make the screen and sleep both "auto awake" when the lid is lifted.

----------

## mshaneck

So appartently my BIOS is fine and my hardware clock is fine, it has something to do with linux...  So I tried last night to upgrade my ac-sources to ac4 and this time it had the speedstep-ich module...  so i compiled that in as a module and rebooted, but still got the same error message and still no power button functionality...  I even stopped acpid and did cat /proc/acpi/event and it told me when I pressed the power button...  What else can I do to troubleshoot?  I am in uncharted waters right now and not sure where to go next....  Maybe I am enabling options in the kernel that I shouldn't be...  The only thing i can think of is that I enabled Dell laptop support in the Processor type and features section....  Should it be ok to enable that? (It seems to be dealing with the same area of the laptop - power management/fan control...)

----------

## mshaneck

Well, as it turns out, the problem was not the BIOS and was not Linux....  Which leaves one option.  I seem to have forgotten to enable the power management option, and thus nothing worked...  duh...  although I could make the argument that I thought it had to do with APM, and that is why I didn't know I had to enable it, but it was right there in the help...  Oh well, part of the learning process.  At least everything works now.  :Smile: 

----------

## Festy

 *KeithReuters wrote:*   

> Well, I finally have 2 questions :
> 
> Also, using either ac or gentoo-sources with the ACPI patch disables the fn+F1, F2 and F3 keys (meaning no battery information available, since I am not crazy enough to use the buggy support mentionned on G. Wilford's page).  Has anyone found a work around?

 

Lift the bottom of the laptop up and push the battery level button  :Wink: 

----------

## cca93014

Has anyone been able to get the headphone socket to work?

I have been through the ALSA guide on the gentoo site, and have xmms working through the laptop speakers, but I cant get the headphone socket to produce any sound at all. I have run alsamixer and set the headphone socket to 100%, but nothing happens...

Any ideas?

----------

## hjlane3

headphones work fine for me, run alsamixer and you'll notice there's a seperate control for the headphones volume...

----------

## cca93014

As I said, I have the headphone setting to maxiumum...

----------

## hjlane3

oh, sorry, quick read, must of missed it. Um... try setting PCM out to post 3d

----------

## Syfax

 *cca93014 wrote:*   

> Has anyone been able to get the headphone socket to work?
> 
> I have been through the ALSA guide on the gentoo site, and have xmms working through the laptop speakers, but I cant get the headphone socket to produce any sound at all. I have run alsamixer and set the headphone socket to 100%, but nothing happens...
> 
> Any ideas?

 

I had the same problem. The headphone channel is muted like the rest.

try:

$amixer set Headphone 100 unmute

----------

## cca93014

Oops. Need to learn how to use the mute button in alsamixer   :Rolling Eyes: 

----------

## cca93014

Has anyone had any luck getting a sound mixer (either hardware or software) to work on the 8500? I have sound OK using the ALSA drivers on the 2.6 kernel, but I cant get sound mixing to work, which is annoying if I want to listen to music and get sound effects as well. Any ideas?

----------

## juangonzo2

wireless works now for i8500

www.linuxant.com

My mixer works just fine as well as the volume buttons.  I used alsa to make it work.  lineakd to make the buttons work.  I think I had it working on 2.6 but I only ran 2.6 for a couple of minutes before it blew up.

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## thj

Hi, just wanted to know if someone would paste their 2.6.5 config file, or send it to me?

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## appleboy

quick question, why did you guys decide to use the ac-sources instead of the gentoo-dev-sources?

i've got everything working except for the suspend to disk, suspend to ram, lid, and the tv-out(haven't tried microphone yet). An extra thing is the docking bay, when i put it on the first time, it still works, when i pull it off, it works, but if i try to put it back on it freezes up :/. any ideas on that stuff?

and I am working on trying the suspend stuff right now, and to-disk works except i haven't gotten it to resume.

----------

## johabba

 *appleboy wrote:*   

> ...
> 
> i've got everything working except for the suspend to disk, suspend to ram, lid, and the tv-out(haven't tried microphone yet). An extra thing is the docking bay, when i put it on the ...

 

 :Question:  Do you have dpms (the LCD turning off after a certain time) working? Which graphics card do you have?

The following command should blank the screen if dpms is working:

```
xset dpms force off
```

With a 2.4 kernel, only the 4496 nvidia driver will work with the above command with the GeForce4 Ti 4200 Go. I've tried gentoo-dev-sources with nvidia driver 4496 but dpms won't work. If you have an Nvidia card, did you get that to work with a newer Nvidia driver? What's the output of:

```
uname -a
```

Sorry for the many questions, but I'm hoping I don't have to stay on the 2.4 kernel with this laptop.

----------

## appleboy

ok, i just redid my laptop for a multitude of reasons, and decided to go with the 2.6.7-r9 kernel

i've had good luck with some things and bad luck with others.

I got APIC to work from this: 

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=194312

and so far nvidia, xorg, alsa, and ethernet work, but i'm having just a few problems

1. its running slow as hell:

kLaptop events # hdparm -t /dev/hda

  /dev/hda:

   Timing buffered disk reads:    8 MB in  3.02 seconds =   2.65 MB/sec

that's with nothing accessing it.

i posted my config file for my kernel at:

http://www.distro-project.org/appleboy/config-2.6.7-r9b

please let me know if i was stupid and missed something.

also, I'm not sure if there are any patches specific for the i8500 for the 2.6.7, but if there are please let me know

Thanks

edit: never mind about the disk timing, figured that out, but i'm still wondering there are any patches for the 2.6.7

----------

## mfkr79

 *appleboy wrote:*   

> kLaptop events # hdparm -t /dev/hda
> 
>   /dev/hda:
> 
>    Timing buffered disk reads:    8 MB in  3.02 seconds =   2.65 MB/sec
> ...

 

After a very quick check your kernel config seems good, except this

```
#

# IDE chipset support/bugfixes

#

...

# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX is not set
```

You should enable Intel's southbridges support

If this doesn't help, try this:

insert in "/etc/conf.d/hdparm" 

```
disc0_args="-m16 -c1 -d1 -u1" 

cdrom0_args="-d1"
```

Then

```
rc-update add hdparm default
```

You should obtain something like this

```
dmesg | grep DMA

  DMA zone: 4096 pages, LIFO batch:1

    ide0: BM-DMA at 0xbfa0-0xbfa7, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:pio

    ide1: BM-DMA at 0xbfa8-0xbfaf, BIOS settings: hdc:DMA, hdd:pio

hda: 156301488 sectors (80026 MB) w/7884KiB Cache, CHS=16383/255/63, UDMA(100)

hdc: ATAPI 24X DVD-ROM CD-R/RW drive, 2048kB Cache, UDMA(33)
```

 *Quote:*   

> also, I'm not sure if there are any patches specific for the i8500 for the 2.6.7, but if there are please let me know
> 
> Thanks

 

I don't use any specific patchset, got 27 MB/sec in hdparm and a very responsive system   :Rolling Eyes: 

----------

## appleboy

thanks for the reply, i actually got the hdparm taken care of, i forgot to include the intel pci chipset driver under ata/atapi/etc.

As for the patches, i meant for anything, not just the hdparm stuff

----------

## mfkr79

So do I...no specific Inspiron patches here...

Only this, if you want a better ACPI support

----------

## appleboy

a few things i was wondering if you guys could help me out with:

- could somebody post a copy of their cpufreqd.conf file that they found works well with the i8500

- has anybody gotten suspend to disk to work properly? if so how

- will those acpi patches work with the latest 2.6 kernel? (right now .11-r1 is what i'm using) as there seems to be a problem with it guessing the amount of battery life left

- has anybody gotten the tv-out to work?

- has anybody gotten the video out to work through the port expander?

- how would i go about setting up a cpu fan controller that adjusts the speed as the temp of the comp gets hotter or colder and how can i set it to shutdown at a lower temp then the bios alarm does (if it has one??) as sometime's it gets so hot that i can't touch the power button for the whole 4 secs but it still runs which i don't like

- has anybody gotten the fn+f3 (battery monitor) fn+f8(crt/lcd switcher), and fn+f10 (eject) to work? when i press these buttons right now it just causes my comp to freeze

long list i know, but if somebody could help me out i would appreciate it

oh, if there are any extra mods to make this comp run better that aren't in this thread please let me know  :Wink: 

----------

## mfkr79

This is my experience:

Sorry, I use cpudyn for frequency scaling and put disk to sleep, works like a charm, here is my config if you're interested

```
# Cpudyn configure options

#

# Internal between idle ratio tests in 1/10 sec increments

# 

INTERVAL=1 

#

# CPU idle work ratio to speed up

#

CPU_UP=0.5

#

# CPU idle work ratio to speed down

#

CPU_DOWN=0.9

#

# when using cputhrottling, what state to switch when speeding down

#

THROTTLING_LOW=7

#

# Count also niced process in CPU usage. Default is no.

#

#NICE=yes

#

# Timeout to put the disk in standby mode if there was no

# io during that period (in seconds)

#

TIMEOUT=1200

# 

# Specified disks to spindown (comma separated devices)

#

DISKS=/dev/hda

################################################

# Special Startup Options

# (you shouldn't need to change these)

################################################

# cpufreq sources for 2.4 kernels

CPUFREQ_24="/proc/cpufreq"

# cpufreq sources for 2.5/2.6 kernels

CPUFREQ_25="/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq /sysfs/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq"

# pure acpi cpufreq

CPUFREQ_ACPI="/proc/acpi/processor/CPU0/throttling"
```

I suggest to try swsusp2 for STD, patching a plain vanilla should work in combination with a modularized kernel config...unfortunately I can't get it to work on actual love-sources I'm using, cause the patches are for 2.6.7 and cause instability.

You should give it a try

No problem here with acpi & the amount of battery life left 

Someone says yes, probably using XF86Config settings, I'm waiting for Chrontel 7009 support in NvTV  :Cool: 

Never tried the port expander

You should try i8kutils, I don't need it, my inspiron seems warm in summer too, become hot only after long game sessions (either in win), but this is predictable

I really love I8KFanGUI, a win utility for monitoring temps (cpu, gpu, ram, etc) and set profiles for fan rotation, I would donate a lot of bucks for a linux port  :Wink: 

i8kutils is based on early versions of this utility

My fn+f8(crt/lcd switcher) works as usual, last time I used it, weeks ago...battery monitor & eject never worked for me in linux, but nor cause a single freeze  :Rolling Eyes: 

Hope could help

Bye

----------

## appleboy

as things change please edit http://gentoo-wiki.com/Inspiron_8500 (if you have correct information).

I started it so everybody can add to a common setup file and get the latest correct information.

also, feel free to use it as a guide

----------

## johabba

 *mfkr79 wrote:*   

> This is my experience:
> 
> [list=1]
> 
> [*]Sorry, I use cpudyn for frequency scaling and put disk to sleep, works like a charm, here is 

 

Could you please post the output of 'lsmod' with your working cpudyn setup?

Also, how does your cpu throttle? Does it only give you full and half speed? I've used other distros (deb. suse.) where my cpu on my i8500 has gone down as far as 400Mhz but I can't get any throttling to work with gentoo. I can get it to go down to half speed when I unplug it, but the BIOS does that on its own.

----------

