Latitude 2100

[sirebral]

Has anyone else seen this Latitude 2100? It is a 10" netbook with some surprising differences.

First off, it can come with Linux. Second, it has a stylish 'rubberized' cover. Third, it can come with a touch scree, ultra nice. Fourth, An anit-microbial keyboard is an option. Fifth, it can come with a 16GB SSD, and then it moves to regular HDs from there'

This one is really stylish and it is about the same price as I paid for my Mini 9. I really want one.

Check it out: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-latitude-2100?c=us&l=en&s=hied

[Talon2]

Has anyone else seen this Latitude 2100?

Yes, I noticed it this morning.

This system has potential.

I see there is an option for Intel WiFi:

Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Mini Card

Now I need to see how well supported this Intel card is.

[sirebral]

There is more than one option. Also, it comes with ubuntu at a $30 less price tag. In fact, the Ubuntu version has more support than the Microcrapt version. So if you want a different color then you are going to spend the same as Vista brick, but all they get is black.

[Macchi]

The Latitude 2100 is also interesting because it is student-ready, targeted at schools from kindergarden to 12th grade, and may have Ubuntu preinstalled. It can be delivered with a cart that carries and recharges 24 laptops.

I hope that lots of kids may have an increased chance of using GNU/Linux/Ubuntu from the start! Then the Dell Latitude 2100 will be more than just another netbook in the market,

PS: Have a look at http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2137665037.html

[PhilMize]

I just bought one with all the available bells n' whistles...
I'll update this with my first impressions when i get it.


Dell Latitude 2100 N-series - New!
Latitude 2100n, Ubuntu Linux version 8.10 $569.00
Processor: Intel® Atom® Processor N270, 1.0GB int memory, Chalkboard Black
Additional Memory: 1.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM
Internal Keyboard: Internal English keyboard with Anti-microbial protection
Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Primary Storage: 16GB Mobility Solid State Drive
LCDs: Chalkboard Black 10.1inch WSVGA Touchscreen LED Display with camera
Operating System: Ubuntu Linux version 8.10
Bluetooth: Dell Wireless® 365 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter: 65W A/C Adapter (3-pin)
Wireless LAN (802.11): Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Mini Card
Primary Battery: 6 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services: 1 Year Limited Warranty and 1 Year

Subtotal: $569.00
Shipping and Handling: $19.99
Sales Tax: $36.83
Total Amount: $625.82

[Tux Aubrey]

I just bought one.....

Me too. I'll have to wait three weeks for delivery :((they appear to be shipped from Malaysia)

This is the first Ubuntu Dell to be available through "normal channels" in Australia.

It comes with 8.10 preinstalled but I hope to upgrade as soon as I get it. I may even try Moblin on this one.

Wheee!

[PhilMize]

Me too. I'll have to wait three weeks for delivery :((they appear to be shipped from Malaysia)

This is the first Ubuntu Dell to be available through "normal channels" in Australia.

It comes with 8.10 preinstalled but I hope to upgrade as soon as I get it. I may even try Moblin on this one.

Wheee!


Really? that sucks... yea im gunna try a whole bunch of distros on this one... i wanna try out the netbook remix though cause of the touchscreen im like super eager to see what its like...

[blau2009]

These look really good. Looking to buy a netbook for travel and this is the only one available in Australia without buying Windows (I think).

How does it perform with the standard install? Have you tried the Netbook Remix? Does the touchscreen work with UNR?

Anyone know the specifics on the SSD? What brand/model etc?

If it's all looking good I'll be buying soon!

[mybunche]

Yep, first Ubuntu Dell in Australia. I just put an order in for one, will take about two weeks. I didn't get the touch screen and I stayed with the 1GB internal memory which I hope is enough.

[PhilMize]

mann... this is killen mee! It doesn't come in till the 24th -_-


I ordered it like a week ago... sooo anxious!](*,)

[duckfeet]

I had my little green mini-9 all fixed up, like I wanted it, which was u know, removing open-office and other stuff I'd never use, and I had ssd down to less that 3gb, and all was fine, but I'm outside a lot, and never could get used to the glaring screen...and worse, for me, even tho I thought it wouldn't matter so much, was the keyboard setup...so I started looking *again* and stumbled on the latitude 2100 on a couple of netbook sites, and certainly liked what I read, tho I'm a far far cry from a student anymore...

But I think I'm going to go ahead and order one, as they seem to have everything I want, the flat screen, the 16gb ssd, and all I needed.

I had my mini-9 up on ebay, and it had sold pretty quick, but it was some newbie who just joined ebay on final day, and immediate outbid everybody, and of course *won*, but hasn't answered any email or paid for product, etc., so I haven't unloaded it yet...

But latitude seems fine for what I want, which really is just a sturdy little netbook w/linux pre-installed...I did have lotsa problems w/mini-9 at first, but that's because I hadn't used tech support in so many years, that I had forgotten they'ed farmed all that out to India, and as soon as they heard "ubuntu" they got very polite and totally useless...but I just had to get into a more self-reliant mode, and get back on here, rather than go crying to Dell every time I'd run into some obstacle or another...Windows always makes u dependent on'em...while linux tends to make u understand yer machine a little better...

We'll see: like lotsa people: that red one sure looks nice...and keyboard seems "normal" again...

Anybody getting the "strap..." that does seem kinda handy for carrying and stuff...

[blau2009]

Just looked on the Dell website and customised one. Strange, when I looked from a Windows PC it didn't offer Ubuntu as an option, and vice versa, I couldn't get Windows as an option from this PC (Ubuntu)! Remember these prices are in Australian dollars.

Pretty much got everything added to it, except took the cheapest 3 yr warranty (hardware warranty only). There was no option with the HDD, could only get the 160gb 5400rpm SATA drive. Also I got the extra 1Gb RAM for $60 because it will be covered until the warranty. Could add it myself for $20 but think it would void the warranty. The extra RAM is probably not required, but it's not much money.

Dell Latitude 2100 (S720503AU) Qty 1
Latitude 2100 system chassis with intergrated 1GB memory, Linux Ubuntu 8.10 Unit Price Incl. GST $1,210.80
Catalog Number: 39101 S720503AU
Module Description Show Details
Base Latitude 2100 system chassis with intergrated 1GB memory
Operating System Linux Ubuntu 8.10
Memory 1GB (1x1GB) 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Internal Keypad Internal English Keyboard
Colour Intel Atom Processor N270(1.60GHz,533Mhz FSB,512K cach), Black
System Driver Kit Resource DVD for N-Series
Hard Drives 160GB SATA (5400RPM) Hard Drive
Wireless Network Cards Intel® WiFi Link 5300 [802.11a/g/n (3x3)]
Powercords Power Cord (AU)
Dell Services: Hardware Support 3 Yrs Next Business Day Onsite Service
Dell Services: Installations No Installation Service Required
Bluetooth Module Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth 2.0 Mini Card
Documentation End User License Agreement (English)
Batteries 6 Cell Primary Battery
Items included in the System System Driver for Latitude 2100
Items included in the System Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU Label
Items included in the System Welch graphic card INFO MOD
Items included in the System Quanta vendor INFO MOD
Items included in the System Computrace Disable info mod
Items included in the System System Documentation - APCC
Country Code Mod Specs Info (Australia)
Microsoft OS Labels N-Series Logo Label <--- Hahaha!
Miscellaneous Microphone Only Info Mod
Shipment Box Shipment Box without Carrying Case - APCC
LCD Bezel Touch Screen LCD Bazel With Camera
LCD Panel Touch Screen LCD Cover Black
Freight Charges Latitude(TM) Freight (Australia)
Delivery Charges Latitude(TM) Delivery Charges (Australia)
Power Adapter 65W AC Adapter - 3 Pin

Really seriously thinking about this as I want a netbook for travel, and this looks awesome especially with the touchscreen and the more robust outer covering. However, $1200AUD for a netbook! Could get a cheap laptop for that!

Please let us know ASAP how it goes, when it finally gets delivered. How long is delivery taking - it says 7-10 days but you guys are saying 3 weeks? I'll need to order before the end of the month to have it in time for my travels...

[duckfeet]

Yeah, i thought there were some weird things about the order, myself: when I specked out an xp 2100, I could get vista as an option, but when I specked out an ubuntu 2100, there was no other option...same thing w/the ram...w/ubuntu, I could get 1gg, plus the 1gb xtra but--impossible as this is to believe--w/windows I couldn't get the xtra gb...it kept saying "not for this os" so, for the first time in my life, it seems like ubuntu got more options...what *is* the world coming to? ... or maybe I was just nuts, too...there's always that...I wanted linux anyway...

But anyway, I couldn't get my online order to go thru, no matter what I filled out...and I just *bought* a mini-9 this same way, not two months ago...maybe I needed a tax license, since--as we've all found out--you can't *buy* the latitude 2100 in regular joe, home use, etc..., but I had to go over to dell biz...

So I get on the cell, call dell w/my credit card ready to pay the $540 for the pretty red one I wanted...and I get bounced from business:I don't *have* a business, to "personal use" people...they don't *sell* latitude 2100--they bounce me back to business...all very nice, but it started to remind me *way* too much of the terrible tech support we get, once we buy a "Dell" product these days...nothing against India, home of the Buddha, all that...but damn, they've been downright *indoctrinated* into microsoft over there, and even if you have a Dell *hardware* problem, they freeze up and start reading scripts to you about *not* doing ubuntu...I finally got tired of it and hung up...

So I'm all stalled on buying the lat 2100...looks like a nice little computer, but I just get *so* tired of dealing w/Dell...maybe I'll get something else...if I can hold out, I want something w/android pre-installed anyway...and they're coming out soon...

[futrell]

Seems that when I upgraded my 2100 to 9.04 the touchscreen quit working. Anyone else have a similar experience?

[PhilMize]

Seems that when I upgraded my 2100 to 9.04 the touchscreen quit working. Anyone else have a similar experience?

You have one!? I'm super jealous...

However, $1200AUD for a netbook! Could get a cheap laptop for that!

Please let us know ASAP how it goes, when it finally gets delivered. How long is delivery taking - it says 7-10 days but you guys are saying 3 weeks? I'll need to order before the end of the month to have it in time for my travels...

There's a 2 week waiting period for them because Dell has announced them but hasn't released them or something like that. Also I don't know about Australian money but my netbook is fully speced with everything possible on it except I stayed with the 16gb ssd and its only costing $569, or something like that. But I only got the 1 year manufacturer's warranty. But still even then it should not be $1200 for you guys. Did you make sure you didn't accidentally check a external dvd w/ it or a external monitor? I know the Dell site can be confusing and you can accidentally click crap you don't want to purchase.:o

[PhilMize]

WTF!!!!

I just got an email from Dell saying my new 2100n has been delayed to ship on the 1st of July... It was supposed to come in ion the 24th... Effing rediculas... I've already been waiting like 3 weeks... UGH!

[blau2009]

You have one!? I'm super jealous...



There's a 2 week waiting period for them because Dell has announced them but hasn't released them or something like that. Also I don't know about Australian money but my netbook is fully speced with everything possible on it except I stayed with the 16gb ssd and its only costing $569, or something like that. But I only got the 1 year manufacturer's warranty. But still even then it should not be $1200 for you guys. Did you make sure you didn't accidentally check a external dvd w/ it or a external monitor? I know the Dell site can be confusing and you can accidentally click crap you don't want to purchase.:o

Nope, but it was fully speced including the 3 year hardware warranty. I didn't have a choice of hard drive, I could only get the 160gb 5400rpm drive.

That really sucks about the waiting time. Hope you get it soon! I'd love to hear some first impressions...

[JedMeister]

I'm excited! I've got 2 of these on the way (for work). Or actually we've got 5 all up (3 XP ones). I tried to convince the boss to go all 5 Linux but he couldn't see the point. Still I'm happy we have 2 to play with and if it all goes as well as I hope, the other 3 will have Ubuntu installed shortly :D

Unfortunately we're looking at a delivery date of 17th July at this point.

[PhilMize]

I'm excited! I've got 2 of these on the way (for work). Or actually we've got 5 all up (3 XP ones). I tried to convince the boss to go all 5 Linux but he couldn't see the point. Still I'm happy we have 2 to play with and if it all goes as well as I hope, the other 3 will have Ubuntu installed shortly :D

Unfortunately we're looking at a delivery date of 17th July at this point.

Dell just emailed me yesterday for the second time its delayed... now its not saposed to ship till the 9th... I called and bitched them out and they upgraded to next day shipping for free... im still pissed though... if it werent for the fact ive been already waiting so long i'd cancel and get the new hp netbook thats coming out...

[PhilMize]

Yeah, i thought there were some weird things about the order, myself: when I specked out an xp 2100, I could get vista as an option, but when I specked out an ubuntu 2100, there was no other option...same thing w/the ram...w/ubuntu, I could get 1gg, plus the 1gb xtra but--impossible as this is to believe--w/windows I couldn't get the xtra gb...it kept saying "not for this os" so, for the first time in my life, it seems like ubuntu got more options...what *is* the world coming to? ... or maybe I was just nuts, too...there's always that...I wanted linux anyway...

But anyway, I couldn't get my online order to go thru, no matter what I filled out...and I just *bought* a mini-9 this same way, not two months ago...maybe I needed a tax license, since--as we've all found out--you can't *buy* the latitude 2100 in regular joe, home use, etc..., but I had to go over to dell biz...

So I get on the cell, call dell w/my credit card ready to pay the $540 for the pretty red one I wanted...and I get bounced from business:I don't *have* a business, to "personal use" people...they don't *sell* latitude 2100--they bounce me back to business...all very nice, but it started to remind me *way* too much of the terrible tech support we get, once we buy a "Dell" product these days...nothing against India, home of the Buddha, all that...but damn, they've been downright *indoctrinated* into microsoft over there, and even if you have a Dell *hardware* problem, they freeze up and start reading scripts to you about *not* doing ubuntu...I finally got tired of it and hung up...

So I'm all stalled on buying the lat 2100...looks like a nice little computer, but I just get *so* tired of dealing w/Dell...maybe I'll get something else...if I can hold out, I want something w/android pre-installed anyway...and they're coming out soon...

I've never really ever had a prob with dell support... they have always been really nice... i find if you stay on the line and dont say anything your automatically transfered too a customer service rep... if they have a accent i just hang up and call again... seems like i always either get a india guy or some chick from texas...lol

[hedgeborn]

So what is the deal?

I just tried to buy one and got a vague error messages when I tried to add it to my cart and check out.

How freaking difficult is it to sell a product to a person who wants to buy it?

Can normal people buy the Latitude 2100 or not? I can't get a straight answer from any of the Dell chat agents.

Do I really have to get my friend who is a schoolteacher to buy it through his school or go to my employer and ask to use their tax ID, account or whatever to buy a machine for myself for personal use? I'm not sure they'd even let me do it. So f***ing annoying.

[hedgeborn]

I just bought one with all the available bells n' whistles...
I'll update this with my first impressions when i get it.


Dell Latitude 2100 N-series - New!
Latitude 2100n, Ubuntu Linux version 8.10 $569.00
Processor: Intel® Atom® Processor N270, 1.0GB int memory, Chalkboard Black
Additional Memory: 1.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM
Internal Keyboard: Internal English keyboard with Anti-microbial protection
Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Primary Storage: 16GB Mobility Solid State Drive
LCDs: Chalkboard Black 10.1inch WSVGA Touchscreen LED Display with camera
Operating System: Ubuntu Linux version 8.10
Bluetooth: Dell Wireless® 365 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter: 65W A/C Adapter (3-pin)
Wireless LAN (802.11): Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Mini Card
Primary Battery: 6 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services: 1 Year Limited Warranty and 1 Year

Subtotal: $569.00
Shipping and Handling: $19.99
Sales Tax: $36.83
Total Amount: $625.82


HOW did you order it?

I've tried repeatedly through their website and it appears to be damn near impossible? Are you a small business with a Dell account of some kind or what?

[PhilMize]

HOW did you order it?

I've tried repeatedly through their website and it appears to be damn near impossible? Are you a small business with a Dell account of some kind or what?

No, I just went under the k-12 section of dell... customized it and added it to my cart then proceeded to checkout. I think Dell is being pretty sketchy about this one. Something is up.

I just did it a second time and had no errors. So I don't know whats up.

[tntc]

Be aware, you will have trouble getting drivers for the audio. I had to download them straight from realtek's website. Fortunately they compile under 9.04 and 8.10. I just tried 9.10 and, well, I'm reinstalling 9.04 right now. In order to get them working, you will need build-essential, and you will have to compile them, following the directions in the Readme. DO NOT use the script included, as it will force you to re-untar and re-compile everything if you try the automatic way after the manual way.

[PhilMize]

Be aware, you will have trouble getting drivers for the audio. I had to download them straight from realtek's website. Fortunately they compile under 9.04 and 8.10. I just tried 9.10 and, well, I'm reinstalling 9.04 right now. In order to get them working, you will need build-essential, and you will have to compile them, following the directions in the Readme. DO NOT use the script included, as it will force you to re-untar and re-compile everything if you try the automatic way after the manual way.

So audio doesn't work out of the box?

[hedgeborn]

I figured out how to order it the next day. I've ordered the 80 gb model with 2 gb RAM.

I'm assuming everything will work as it should out of the box. Any compelling reasons to update it from 8.10 to 9.x?

[hedgeborn]

So audio doesn't work out of the box?
Yeah what??

[PhilMize]

Dell just delayed my order again too the 17th... I called about it and they said don't expect it till Aug. I just canceled my order and bought the Dell Studio XPS 13' w/ 8.10...They said the part that was on backorder was the 16gb ssd. So for future reference don't get it with the ssd till Dell gets their act together!

[JedMeister]

I wanted the SSD but they only offer the 160GB or 250GB HDD here in Australia. I hope they don't delay them further, I'm sick of waiting already!

[habbers]

I have had 2 on order since May 25 when they where first announced in Australia. Has been delayed twice now, first time till the 7-07-09 and now till 20-07-09. First time I got a phone call to explain, second time nothing so spent an hour and half suffering through on hold music and multiple transfers today but finally got through to a support person. She said that the delay is because engineers have put a hold on it with the reason noted as the OS. She couldn't tell me anymore but seeing this thread I am guessing that it would probably be the audio driver issue mentioned above. I have cancelled one of them but seeing as I have been waiting so long to be able to purchase laptop in Australia that comes without the MS tax, I will keep one on order in the hope that they will actually get their act together and ship it.

[boxman108]

Bought a Lattitude 2100 and got it yesterday (after the God aweful month long wait). I played around with it, and I hate the 1024x576 resolution, but I can deal.

I then proceded to update to 9.04, get through the 6 hours of updating... Then BAM! I get a Login Screen... I had not set up any login name before, other than the name of my computer. I tried that as the Username, and the administrator password as my Password, it says "Incorrect username or password..."

Can anyone help me?

[boxman108]

Ok... I figured it out. Don't know what the problem was... but I just created a new username... It works great with 9.04 so far. I know I just upgraded, and I have no problems with it. and the screen resolution is much better with 9.04, but I'm wondering if the Netbook Remix would be beneficial since afterall this is a netbook... Has anyone tried the Latitude 2100 with the Remix?

[morethud]

Our company has ordered 2 with Ubuntu for testing. Took about three weeks to get them but now there here. However without Linux....(with FreeDOS) So I installed 9.04 an everything works fine (even sound). I havent tried the SD-card reader though.

[habbers]

Ok... I figured it out. Don't know what the problem was... but I just created a new username... It works great with 9.04 so far. I know I just upgraded, and I have no problems with it. and the screen resolution is much better with 9.04, but I'm wondering if the Netbook Remix would be beneficial since afterall this is a netbook... Has anyone tried the Latitude 2100 with the Remix?

What resolution do you get with 9.04?
Can you get a better resolution than the 1024x576 they quote in the description. I can't figure out why they would have set it to 576 so would be nice to hear that can be changed.

[morethud]

The resolution in 9.04 is 1024x576. The display can not do more. To get more screen we use the netbook remix which gives you a few more lines of creen. Sofar everything works fine: suspend to disk and suspend to ram all work ok. However we have the intel Wlan card not the dell one.


regards

[ironmask]

I got the 2100 last week. After messing around with 8.10 for a while, I got annoyed by some boxes getting cut off on the bottom. I used DD to create a backup image and installed 9.04 UNR. worked like a champ. Almost everythign worked right out of the box, including the touchscreen. The interface works alot better for the computers resolution. Only thing that needs fixin is the internal Mic as addressed here (http://mydellmini.com/forum/dell-latitude-2100/9414-latitude-2100-ubuntu-linux.html).

On my old laptop, I had a IDE to SD bridge and booted off of an 8 gig SDHC card. I poped that card into the SD slot in the 2100 and it booted right up off of the SD card. The touch screen even worked. Try that with windows. After about a week of using the 2100 I would say that its a pretty good machine. Like all netbooks the form factor takes a bit to get used to (though not as much as some). The track pad does lack a tactile edge, so its easy to brush against and move unintentionally. But still a great machine.

[hedgeborn]

Just bought one myself. It arrived yesterday. Having fun with it so far. It's everything I expected, a compact, sturdy little machine.

I'm curious about the upgrades for the OS though. It seems that Dell ships it with a LPIA version of 8.10. If you want to upgrade to Jaunty or NBR don't you lose the power saving advantages of the LPIA version? and then you've got to install all the proprietary stuff, like Flash support etc that Dell includes hmm..

I'm also a little disappointed in the choice of programs. I kept hearing there were these huge repositories with tons of apps waiting for me to download. All I can seem to find are strange obscure programs for science wizards and acedemia, things with arcane names that I have no idea what they do etc.

The one thing I did find that I wanted to install was extreme tux racer, but after 3 attempts I got nowhere. It installs, but when I try to launch the program, nothing happens. :-?

So where are all of these great Linux programs just waiting to be installed? I can't seem to find anything at all that interests me. Am I missing something here?

[JedMeister]

The 5 2100s I ordered for work turned up 3 days early! Woot! Haven't had much time to check them out yet but I have booted up one of the Ubuntu ones and it looks sweet and everything seems to work (as you'd expect).

I will be back with more info once I've tested some more.

[gargouille]

Ubuntu seems to be working really well on my Latitude 2100.

I went for the XP Home Edition (it was not much more). Did not go for touch screen, bluetooth, or SSD but pretty much maxed out other options.

I tested 9.04 Netbook Remix with the IMG version and it worked well. Install was a breeze for a dual boot w/XP. Everything seems to be working quite well so far (first day using it).

The keyboard is a decent size for my big paws, but I do tend to hit the touchpad from time to time by accident.

[Dennis Franz]

I managed to get OSX running just for fun, albeit with no sound. The sound is a known an issue but I just haven't pursued it and saw there are some fixes.

Can I boot and run this Lat 2100 with Ubunutu 9.04 from the SD card? I read Ironmask had booted from the SD but with a class 6, will it run functionally without wanting to throw it through a window? Just asking....

[NCOSE]

Received my Dell Latitude 2100 today (9/9/9) and I cannot figure out how to raise the resolution above the default 720x400. When I open the Display preferences my four choices are 640x480, 720x400, 640x400 and 640x350.

This is Ubuntu version 9.04 with Gnome version is 2.26.1.

I did a software update so the machine should be up to date.

What did I miss? From the other messages on this thread, it seems the machine is capable of higher resolutions - which is good because it is unusable in schools with this width.

And has anyone gotten the network light on the back of the screen (or the 'usage mode indicator' as Dell has named it) to blink during network activity?

Update 10/1/09 : I downloaded the new version of Ubuntu from the site (generic - nothing Dell specific) and installed it via an external USB DVD drive. Now I can display 1024 width. MUCH better. Lost the touch screen calibration ability but worth the trade off.

[superm1]

Received my Dell Latitude 2100 today (9/9/9) and I cannot figure out how to raise the resolution above the default 720x400. When I open the Display preferences my four choices are 640x480, 720x400, 640x400 and 640x350.

This is Ubuntu version 9.04 with Gnome version is 2.26.1.

I did a software update so the machine should be up to date.

What did I miss? From the other messages on this thread, it seems the machine is capable of higher resolutions - which is good because it is unusable in schools with this width.

And has anyone gotten the network light on the back of the screen (or the 'usage mode indicator' as Dell has named it) to blink during network activity?
There appears to be a bug with the factory shipped image. For now, modify the xorg.conf to remove the subsection display that is hardcoding the virtual size to 1024 576 (or change it to 1024 600)

[atarmiga]

There appears to be a bug with the factory shipped image. For now, modify the xorg.conf to remove the subsection display that is hardcoding the virtual size to 1024 576 (or change it to 1024 600)

I talked to a Dell tech about the resolution and he told me that the 2100's made August and earlier were 1024x576. The one's they made after August are 1024x600. Luckily mine was made after Aug.

[JedMeister]

After all this time I've finally convinced the boss to let me upgrade the 3 XP machines to Ubuntu (the two staff members with Ubuntu rave about it, the 3 with XP whinge about it being slow and clunky! - All Windows users too, Ubunutu must be doing something right!)

I was thinking about just using the Dell image but really I'd like to go to 9.10 NBR I think. Have any others done this? If so how has it gone? Any dramas?

Update (before I hit post!): I found this: http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dell-latitude-2100/9414-latitude-2100-ubuntu-linux.html, It suggests that the 2100 will happily accept 9.10 and it all pretty much should work out of the box, including that pesky mic!

[JedMeister]

I found that 9.10 NBR worked well. The only noticeable glitch was the webcam, it wasn't too bad, but didn't run as smooth as it does in XP.

But I've just upgraded (clean install) to 10.04 NBR and its worse (I was hoping it'd be better!). Cheese opens looks like its trying to setup the webcam and then closes again, no warning, no error, nothing.

Any ideas anyone?

[2010-05-17] 9.10 NBR: I have adjusted the camera resolution in Cheese and the webcam looks as good, if not better than it does under Windows (at similar resolution).
10.04 NBR: I have installed Skype and the webcam doesn't work under that either (but Skype runs ok otherwise) so it seems a hardware problem.

I have posted a new topic here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=9314593).

[2010-05-18] After upgrade (sudo apt-get upgrade) it now works. Again I needed to adjust the resolution in Cheese to get it to work nicely but otherwise all sweet.

[Dave Cooper]

I bought my Dell Latitude 2100 netbook in February this year. It came with 9.04 installed. It was a steal here in Amsterdam. I bought it because I wanted to test the waters (my other computers are a big Windows XP workstation for work like AutoCAD and documentation creation and translation and an Acer Aspire One netbook which functions exclusively as my Van Dale electronic Dutch-English dictionary. I was curious about Ubuntu because I started working with UNIX workstations back in the late 80s (my happiest days were with Sun Solaris Sparcstations). So I have some knowledge of using UNIX systems ...

Last night I decided to upgrade to Ubuntu 9.10. I quite precisely followed the instructions here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/KarmicUpgrades

At some point, I began to notice how long the upgrade was taking. Some hours later, as the install was "Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file" I was presented with this message: "Could not install 'Linux-image 2.6.31-22-generic", and "subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1". I was advised to submit a bug report and after collecting information, I was informed: "Could not install the upgrade" and the upgrade aborted.

I am left with what looks like 9.10 (because it does not look like 9.04), a broken looking splash screen at login, and no mouse.

Should I select "Reinstall Operating System" from the GNU GRUB version 1.96 menu when logging in (ESC during the boot)? And will that reinstall the 9.04 that I originally had—will it restore to the state that Dell shipped the device to me?

I have noticed this particular number (2.6.31-22-generic) is not in the current bug list, and so I submitted a new bug report based on my image number.

(This is the first time I am submitting to a forum ... be kind to me)

Thanks for any tips, advice and suggestions.

[JedMeister]

9.10 may not be great for the 2100. From memory I had issues installing 9.10 (clean install) on the 2100s that I look after (5 of them). I recall it being a kernel panic. I'm not sure how, but I did end up getting it to install - I think I just persevered and once I got one to work I imaged the drive (using Clonzilla) and restored that to the other machines. One machine in particular was problematic. It just got stuck in a reboot loop, even when trying to do a clean install. The imaging method was the only way I could get it to work.

I have since done a clean install of 10.04 Netbook Ed and it worked/works beautifully.

Personally, I have found that upgrading version can be problematic at the best of times. As a general rule I do clean install only. Once everything is set up how I want it, I then either clone the system (Clonezilla works well) or create my own custom install disk using Remastersys (or both).

[superm1]

I bought my Dell Latitude 2100 netbook in February this year. It came with 9.04 installed. It was a steal here in Amsterdam. I bought it because I wanted to test the waters (my other computers are a big Windows XP workstation for work like AutoCAD and documentation creation and translation and an Acer Aspire One netbook which functions exclusively as my Van Dale electronic Dutch-English dictionary. I was curious about Ubuntu because I started working with UNIX workstations back in the late 80s (my happiest days were with Sun Solaris Sparcstations). So I have some knowledge of using UNIX systems ...

Last night I decided to upgrade to Ubuntu 9.10. I quite precisely followed the instructions here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/KarmicUpgrades

At some point, I began to notice how long the upgrade was taking. Some hours later, as the install was "Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file" I was presented with this message: "Could not install 'Linux-image 2.6.31-22-generic", and "subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1". I was advised to submit a bug report and after collecting information, I was informed: "Could not install the upgrade" and the upgrade aborted.

I am left with what looks like 9.10 (because it does not look like 9.04), a broken looking splash screen at login, and no mouse.

Should I select "Reinstall Operating System" from the GNU GRUB version 1.96 menu when logging in (ESC during the boot)? And will that reinstall the 9.04 that I originally had—will it restore to the state that Dell shipped the device to me?

I have noticed this particular number (2.6.31-22-generic) is not in the current bug list, and so I submitted a new bug report based on my image number.

(This is the first time I am submitting to a forum ... be kind to me)

Thanks for any tips, advice and suggestions.

Reinstall operating system will return it to factory state. It's good that you filed some bugs, but I wouldn't hold my breadth on them getting fixed for 9.10.

With the exception of the touchscreen, everything should work out of the box on 10.04 though.

[Dave Cooper]

9.10 may not be great for the 2100. From memory I had issues installing 9.10 (clean install) on the 2100s that I look after (5 of them). I recall it being a kernel panic. I'm not sure how, but I did end up getting it to install - I think I just persevered and once I got one to work I imaged the drive (using Clonzilla) and restored that to the other machines. One machine in particular was problematic. It just got stuck in a reboot loop, even when trying to do a clean install. The imaging method was the only way I could get it to work.

I have since done a clean install of 10.04 Netbook Ed and it worked/works beautifully.

Personally, I have found that upgrading version can be problematic at the best of times. As a general rule I do clean install only. Once everything is set up how I want it, I then either clone the system (Clonezilla works well) or create my own custom install disk using Remastersys (or both).
JedMeister ... Thanks for the heads-up. By the way, I just rang Dell NL tech support to ask them a question about the 9.04 that was installed on this netbook (I wanted to know if it was the Netbook Remix or the generic desktop edition). They informed me that although they sold me the computer with Ubuntu installed, they do not support it, and they could not help me with my query! So I am on my own.

[Dave Cooper]

Reinstall operating system will return it to factory state. It's good that you filed some bugs, but I wouldn't hold my breadth on them getting fixed for 9.10.

With the exception of the touchscreen, everything should work out of the box on 10.04 though.
superm1 ... Thanks for the answer to my question about the Reinstall Operating System GNU GRUB menu option. I am assuming that the 9.04 that came factory-installed on this netbook was the desktop generic variant, and not the Netbook Remix.

Do you mind another doofus question? ... When I do the Reinstall Operating System from the GNU GRUB menu, I understand I get returned to the factory state, but what about the installation that was aborted and all its files? Are they removed from the computer, or do I need to manually do that? Thanks for any suggestion and advice about how I approach this.

[superm1]

it removes all files you addedsuperm1 ... Thanks for the answer to my question about the Reinstall Operating System GNU GRUB menu option. I am assuming that the 9.04 that came factory-installed on this netbook was the desktop generic variant, and not the Netbook Remix.

Do you mind another doofus question? ... When I do the Reinstall Operating System from the GNU GRUB menu, I understand I get returned to the factory state, but what about the installation that was aborted and all its files? Are they removed from the computer, or do I need to manually do that? Thanks for any suggestion and advice about how I approach this.

If it shipped with netbook, its netbook for reinstall. It basically reruns factory process for you.
It will remove all added files.

[Dave Cooper]

To the blokes that helped me with suggestions and explanations ... thanks a lot. I went ahead with the reinstall from the GNU Grub menu, and it was fast and free of problems. I am now back to 9.04.

Regardless of what Dell Nederland said to me on the phone, I found the Dell site has good support information on their factory ISO. These two sites were helpful, and I noticed other helpful parts of their site. (I searched for latitude ubuntu and found plenty of information):

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/w/linux/ubuntu-9-04-dell-factory-recovery-iso.aspx

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/w/linux/ubuntu-9-04-factory-reinstallation.aspx

I think I will just stick around on Jaunty Jackalope for a while until I either attempt another upgrade (this time using the Ubuntu 9.04 Dell Ubuntu ISO (http://linux.dell.com/files/ubuntu/jaunty/iso-images/) ) or a clean install to 10.04. I kind of feel like I got a bit of a fright and my fingers burnt so I am feeling a bit sheepish.

... as I slink back to lurk mode ...

[JedMeister]

Glad you got it sorted Dave. I had forgotten about the "recovery" option (as I did a clean install, all the Dell stuff is gone). I obviously didn't read your initial post properly.

When you feel ready to have a play again I would strongly recommend that you image the entire drive (as I've said, I've found Clonezilla works well) before you do anything else. That way if anything goes wrong, you will still be able to return to where you are (even if your machine suffers the same strange reboot loop problem that one of mine did).

The only gotcha I have found with Clonezilla is that when you restore (even when you do a full HDD image) it doesn't set up your partitions. So unless you leave the current partitions as they are during your clean install you'll also need take careful note of the partition sizes (in default state) as you'll need to recreate the same (or larger) partitions to restore the image to. As my last sentence suggests, Clonezilla will restore a partition image to a larger partition, but not to a smaller one.

Have fun! :)

[Dave Cooper]

JedMeister et al ....

Yes, I was twiddling one of my USB sticks in my hand and thinking—make an image of what you have on the netbook now to avoid any manic panic in the future when another glitch hits the fan. I will do that. (Even though the Dell site provides a link to their OEM ISO of 9.04 for the Dell Latitude 2100).

The purpose of this note though is to let you blokes know that yesterday I received an email from Canonical.com that actually had a human origin. It was about the bug report I filed. I kind of had difficulty translating the email, but a mate helped out a bit (you lot will probably know what it means) ... in reference to the bug it said this, and this alone:

" ** Tags added: kj-triage "

So some action is probably happening. Which is a good thing, I reckon.

Groetjes !

[danemaslen]

I wanted the SSD but they only offer the 160GB or 250GB HDD here in Australia. I hope they don't delay them further, I'm sick of waiting already!

Even now (one year later) it's easy here in the UK to get the impression that the SSD isn't available.

A friend mentioned to me that the Latitude 2100 with Ubuntu pre-loaded was available on the Business section of the Dell website. I found it, read the blurb, saw that it could come with a 64GB SSD and decided that that was what I wanted, but when I tried configuring a purchase, I was offered only the choice of the standard hard disk or a larger hard disk. I almost gave up and deferred the purchase of a netbook until still further in the future, but I decided to try the 'chat now' feature on the website to ask a salesperson if the Latitude 2100 was available with SSD and Ubuntu. It was. It just wasn't an option that the online ordering system could handle, so the salesperson had to handle the order instead. The system arrived just seven days later.

I've only had one brief play with it so far. Before I try doing anything serious with it, I'm going to have to do something about the way it's configured: it's far too different from my desktop Ubuntu system for me to feel comfortable using it. I haven't yet worked out whether those differences are due to unwelcome tailoring by Dell or differences between 9.10 (on the netbook) and 8.04 (on the desktop). Indeed it might even be the case that it's running the NBR version of 9.10 (I don't know how to check for such a detail), though the Dell info just refers to 9.10. No doubt I'll finish up having to post some questions elsewhere in the Ubuntu forums once I've worked out exactly what I need to ask!

[superm1]

Even now (one year later) it's easy here in the UK to get the impression that the SSD isn't available.

A friend mentioned to me that the Latitude 2100 with Ubuntu pre-loaded was available on the Business section of the Dell website. I found it, read the blurb, saw that it could come with a 64GB SSD and decided that that was what I wanted, but when I tried configuring a purchase, I was offered only the choice of the standard hard disk or a larger hard disk. I almost gave up and deferred the purchase of a netbook until still further in the future, but I decided to try the 'chat now' feature on the website to ask a salesperson if the Latitude 2100 was available with SSD and Ubuntu. It was. It just wasn't an option that the online ordering system could handle, so the salesperson had to handle the order instead. The system arrived just seven days later.

I've only had one brief play with it so far. Before I try doing anything serious with it, I'm going to have to do something about the way it's configured: it's far too different from my desktop Ubuntu system for me to feel comfortable using it. I haven't yet worked out whether those differences are due to unwelcome tailoring by Dell or differences between 9.10 (on the netbook) and 8.04 (on the desktop). Indeed it might even be the case that it's running the NBR version of 9.10 (I don't know how to check for such a detail), though the Dell info just refers to 9.10. No doubt I'll finish up having to post some questions elsewhere in the Ubuntu forums once I've worked out exactly what I need to ask!

It is preloaded with 9.10 netbook remix. If you don't want to use the netbook remix UI, you can log out and at the login screen switch your session to "GNOME".

[danemaslen]

It is preloaded with 9.10 netbook remix. If you don't want to use the netbook remix UI, you can log out and at the login screen switch your session to "GNOME".

Thanks for replying, but alas things aren't that simple as there is no option to switch the session to GNOME.

Whereas my desktop PC's 8.04 login screen has an 'Options' icon that can be used to change the session (or to shutdown etc), the netbook's 9.10 login screen merely has an icon that permits the system to be shut down etc. The only other icon on the bottom panel controls accessibility options.

[superm1]

Thanks for replying, but alas things aren't that simple as there is no option to switch the session to GNOME.

Whereas my desktop PC's 8.04 login screen has an 'Options' icon that can be used to change the session (or to shutdown etc), the netbook's 9.10 login screen merely has an icon that permits the system to be shut down etc. The only other icon on the bottom panel controls accessibility options.

You have to choose your user first. Once you do, the additional options show up.

[danemaslen]

You have to choose your user first. Once you do, the additional options show up.

Thanks. Funnily enough I discovered that myself just a few minutes ago and headed back here to report both the good news, namely that I'd discovered it, and the bad news, namely that the session is already set to GNOME and it's with that setting that I finish up with a session that bears no relationship to anything I've seen before or to the Ubuntu help. The only other options for session are 'xterm' (which did pretty much what I expected of an xterm) and 'Failsafe GNOME'.

[danemaslen]

It is preloaded with 9.10 netbook remix. If you don't want to use the netbook remix UI, you can log out and at the login screen switch your session to "GNOME".

Is it by any chance the case that this functionality only appears in 10.04? I recently found a web page that was talking about the intention to scrap the Desktop Switcher and replace it in Lucid by the option to select "GNOME" at login. That could well explain why the option is not present on my 9.10 netbook.

I have also found the following thread:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8903977&mode=linear#post8903977

in which someone else asked how to get away from UNR - obviously someone else with good taste :).

I'm contemplating upgrading to 10.04 as the best way of getting back to an interface that I like (and maybe I'll then appreciate the merits of UNR once I see how much screen real estate the standard GNOME interface consumes), but I might try the suggestions in the above thread first.

[danemaslen]

I have also found the following thread:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8903977&mode=linear#post8903977

in which someone else asked how to get away from UNR

I'm contemplating upgrading to 10.04 as the best way of getting back to an interface that I like (and maybe I'll then appreciate the merits of UNR once I see how much screen real estate the standard GNOME interface consumes), but I might try the suggestions in the above thread first.

It works. I'm happy.