HOWTO: Get Ubuntu Working on an Emachines m68xx

[aws4y]

The eMachines m68xx line of laptops have for a very long time been unusually hard to install linux on. Ubuntu, however, can be installed with very little effort. In fact this HOWTO is more of a tutorial of the post configuration of Ubuntu. This applies to the 4.10 "Warty Warthog".

You may install ubuntu in the same way that you would on any normal computer. The amd64 version of ubuntu is recomended.

Once ubuntu is installed and set up X will not work. DO NOT PANIC, this is simply the result of a glitch with the synaptics mouse pad driver distrubuted with XFreee86. In order to fix it download the source for the driver here.
or you can get it by "apt-get source xfree86-driver-synaptics", then make sure the build dependencies are available by entering "apt-get build-dep xfree86-driver-synaptics".

Untar the source and move into the source directory and type "make" once the driver is compiled move the file "synaptics_drv.o" to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/input".

Now X should work, however the screen will be distorted because the default XF86Config-4 file does not have the proper default monitor and resolution settings. You must replace your XF86Config-4 with one that is aware of the hardware in the m68xx.

Here is my XF86config-4:

# XF86Config-4 (XFree86 X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the XF86Config-4 manual page.
# (Type "man XF86Config-4" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xfree86 package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xfree86
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following commands as root:
#
# cp /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.custom
# md5sum /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 >/var/lib/xfree86/XF86Config-4.md5sum
# dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

Section "Files"
FontPath "unix/:7100" # local font server
# if the local font server has problems, we can fall back on these
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/CID"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
# paths to defoma fonts
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/CID"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "GLcore"
Load "bitmap"
Load "dbe"
Load "ddc"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "record"
Load "speedo"
Load "type1"
Load "vbe"
Load "xtt"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "keyboard"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Technologies, Inc. Radeon Mobility 9600/9700 M10/M11 (RV350 NP)"
Driver "ati"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync 31.5 - 67.0
# VertRefresh 50.0 - 75.0
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "LCD Panel 1280x800"
HorizSync 31.5 - 37.9
VertRefresh 50.0 - 70.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "ATI Technologies, Inc. Radeon Mobility 9600/9700 M10/M11 (RV350 NP)"
Monitor "Monitor0
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Screen0"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
InputDevice "Generic Mouse"
InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

now you monitor should be set to the proper resolution. Have Fun!

[tgecho]

<edit>No questions... sorry, wasn't paying attention.