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Thread: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

  1. #1
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    Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Hi, I start this post since I'm an owner of this Laptop, quite popular between 2006 and 2008 in Europe.
    Amilo L7320 was sold with Windows XP Home Edition installed over and because of the next end of XP extended support on April 2014, I've decided on the last october 2013 to try if I could install an Ubuntu version on it.

    The things have showed a particular complication, so I hope that this post will be useful for all the people (and also for me!) that will want to install Ubuntu, or one of the Ubuntu-flavours on this not-so-old laptop.

    I've decided to do a dual boot with XP, since some programs I need run only on that Operative System.
    I've made the first trial with Lubuntu 13.10. With the livecd session all the things seemed ok, so I carried on the installation. During the first boot, Grub was ok, but at a certain point the hard disk stopped and the screen remained dark: a freeze of the system. Since the graphic card is a VIA P4M800 Unichrome S3, I have discovered and I have subscribed this bug on Launchpad. Please, if you have this Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320 subscribe too that bug.

    I have described the multiple installation trials I've done in this interesting thread I've subscribed.

    From that page onwards I've got from other (super)users newsworthy suggestions and infos on the problems related to this laptop.

    At the beginning, I settled with this configuration: Kubuntu 12.04 running Vesa driver. The result was a stable configuration with a poor graphic result: XGA screen resolution instead of a WXGA one (in XP with its VIA driver), faded colours, limited color depth, irregular fonts... for the rest things seemed quite good, but the graphic was a true limit. However, to have a visible desktop on the screen and not a CLI interface, I had to create a xorg.conf file in order to force the loading of the Vesa.

    Then, on the mentioned forum, a person suggested to me that the problem could be related to the Enablement Stack or to the CPU's PAE flag, since this laptop has a "Dothan" Celeron M.

    So, I've done many other installation's trials (about 14th...), but the graphic result was always the same: vesa driver forced to be loaded by a xorg.conf file created by me.

    Another problem I've had is that many installation steps required a continous mouse movement or a continouos pressing 'any key' on the keyboard in order to not freeze the installation: if you don't press or move the mouse, the installation stops and it restarts in any moment pressing any key. This behaviour is occurred in every installation, except the ones made by alternate CD (Ubuntu 12.04) and mini iso, where the interface is made only by text.

    After all those installation trials, now I have on that Amilo 7320:

    - one partition with XP

    - one partition with Bodhi Linux 2.4

    - one partition with Xubuntu 12.04

    Bodhi 2.4 and Xubuntu 12.04 are the only *Ubuntu versions that work with a correct screen resolution, but sometimes they freeze and you need to hold an "any key" to awaken the OS, specialy when you do the system shutdown.
    Indeed the general stability is not so good as I've tested on other computers having the same OSs.

    Did someone have same problems I've had? Do you have solved in a different or better way than mine?

    Pull out of the drawer your Amilo 7320 and install Ubuntu on it! I wait for your experience...
    Last edited by stilnovo1; February 23rd, 2014 at 05:39 PM.

  2. #2
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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    What is the actual support issue you need help with?

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Hi Elfy!

    The behaviour of this computer with both Bodhi Linux and Xubuntu is not very smooth, particularly:
    - on shutdown, you need to press an any key to "awake" it since it always freezes or it doesn't close at all;
    - during the use, the system blocks for some minutes, then it continues to go (also there pressing some keys or continously moving the mouse)
    - Bodhi Linux maybe is a little bit more stable, with less 'freezing' periods, but the problem occurs also there
    - Both are the only ones where I was successful to have a right WXGA screen resolution and they don't oblige me to force to use vesa driver: this is nice! However, lshw doesn't give me any driver information (unclaimed display), while from the log of xorg I don't understand if it is finally loaded the openchrome driver or not.

    I've used during my installation trials also the 12.04.1 iso(s) of K/X/Ubuntu with the original Enablement Stack. Lubuntu (since 12.04 is no more supported) only 13.10, but I subscribed a bug regarding this issue.

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Just curious, have you been creating a SWAP partition?

    Also how much disc space are you allowing for your **buntu installs?

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    @ kansasnoob: Hi Erick!
    - Xubuntu 12.04: 15GB
    - Bodhi Linux: 17GB
    - XP: 42GB
    - SWAP: 1GB (there is only one swap partition for both)

    After some days of continuous use with this configuration, I can add the following infos that apply to both Linux OSs I've installed:
    - watching a dvd it blocks the video while it continue to play the audio part; the video restarts (as usual I could say) pressing 'an any key' --> I'm obliged to keep a little weight on a key in order to see a video (in any format and with any program - I've tested VLC, Xine, Parole... in Bodhi only VLC and Xine)
    - the system often blocks for about two minutes, then it spontaneously restarts; in this case I've seen I can speed up its 'awakening' (guess how?).... pressing an any key!
    - this 'often-freezing' behaviour is not present if -just after an installation- I force to load the vesa drivers creating an xorg.conf file... in this case all the Ubuntu 12.04 flavours (Ubuntu included) work witohout freezing but with a lower XGA resolution and with very poor graphic performances
    - apparently the Task-manager doesn't show something that could be the responsible for those blocks, nor the 'top' command in the terminal
    - the wireless connection goes down during the blocks; in public wi-fi areas I have to reconnect every time
    - external speakers don't work with the right configuration: I've to "lie" setting up at least a 4.0 channels surround (but I use a two cheap normal little speakers)

    Well, I can say that this is not an Ubuntu-oriented laptop!
    Last edited by stilnovo1; March 5th, 2014 at 05:04 PM.

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Quote Originally Posted by stilnovo1 View Post
    ...
    Well, I can say that this is not an Ubuntu-oriented laptop!
    I agree, but as long as you enjoy tweaking it ...

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    @sudodus: yes, you are right! But also consider how many Amilo 7320 are sleeping in some drawers or are running XP.... they are only waiting to 'eat' L/Xubuntu!!
    Last edited by stilnovo1; March 5th, 2014 at 05:02 PM.

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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Please keep this thread on topic as a support thread or I will move it to a chat area.

  9. #9
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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    ops, excuse me! Is it useful what I wrote about the first periods of use?

  10. #10
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    Re: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo L7320: an Ubuntu's problematic installation

    Quote Originally Posted by Elfy View Post
    Please keep this thread on topic as a support thread or I will move it to a chat area.
    Please don't

    I met Andrea here:

    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...e/+bug/1205643

    And I'm the one that convinced her to approach this at the forums, I've just been slow responding because I've had a lot on my plate with Trusty testing, and now I'm down with a stomach bug

    It is a valid support request, I'll recap what I know ASAP and get down to basics when I'm physically able.

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