toshiba A110-228

gunnix · 2007-04-28 14:23:42

Hi, my girlfriend needed a laptop so I recommended buying this laptop for only 550 euro : toshiba A110-228 http://www.hardware.info/en-UK/productd … E00j003DU/

Now I've put arch on it. I just installed the normal stuff (xorg, icewm, etc).
I've configured X using hwd http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#hwd
Then just changed resolution to 1280x800 24 bit. And videodriver to "i810" .

Wireless internet by installing and loading the "ipw3945" module and "ipw3945d" daemon.
Then installing networkmanager. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Networkmanager
The nm-applet works great in icewmtray (start icewm with icewm-session).

Alsaconf has no problem finding the soundcard.

To use sd card reader load these modules: sdhci mmc_block

Fn keys just work in X. (ofcourse not hybernation or standby -but brightness,numpad, etc do)

I loaded these modules to scale the cpu: speedstep_centrino cpufreq_ondemand cpufreq_userspace cpufreq_stats cpufreq_powersave

The laptop works great with arch linux, definately a good buy. It's incredibly fast (my computer is way older ).

toshiba_acpi doesn't work with this laptop because it has phoenix bios.

Installing gnome-power-manager gives the ability to hibernate etc. Only thing I needed to do was add a sudo line in visudo to be able to start it as normal user and then add a line in .xinitrc to start on boot. Also add a kernel option in /boot/grub/menu.lst : resume=/dev/your_swap .

Also need to find a batterymeter. EDIT: I enabled the built in icewm battery meter. EDIT: now I use gnome-power-manager instead.

Then I'll try running photoshop because she needs it for school. sighh

Here's the rc.conf (don't know if cpufreqd works just saw someone else having it ):
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# HARDWARE
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
MODULES=(r8169 ipw3945 sdhci mmc_block speedstep_centrino cpufreq_ondemand cpufreq_userspace cpufreq_stats cpufreq_powersave)

#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# NETWORKING
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
HOSTNAME="myhost"
lo="lo 127.0.0.1"
INTERFACES=(lo)

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# DAEMONS
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
DAEMONS=(ipw3945d syslog-ng netfs crond dbus hal cpufreqd dhcdbd networkmanager)

EDIT: So now I've got everything working with almost no installation problems. It couldn't have been easier then this (just needed to know what to install). Arch linux rocks!

Last edited by gunnix (2007-04-28 18:33:57)

gunnix · 2007-04-29 10:26:57

Networkmanager acts a bit strange!

When I'm not connected to a wired network but there is a wireless network in the air it still says it's connected to a wired network, but ofcourse it doesn't work (there's not even a networkcable attached). I then try to enable the wireless network but it only works sometimes. In windows xp wireless works instantly.

I gotta say networkmanager really doesn't give much options or info at all

davin · 2007-05-02 05:36:18

Arch linux is really fast but it is not for newbie

gunnix · 2007-05-04 11:28:34

I don't know, I think arch linux is very easy to set up if you got a good internet connection and are able to read the documentation (wiki). I found Ubuntu Linux much more difficult when I tried it out, because I wanted to change something and the underlying system is much more complex. Ubuntu also didn't work well with an external hd while arch worked right away. But I might be a bit strange as I did start linux with slackware, which I found really easy to install too. (I find WinXP quite hard for several things)

networkmanager not being perfect has nothing to do with arch.

Now that all is installed it's no more difficult then any other linux for a normal user.

I chose for Icewm because it's fast and easy to use (familiar windows look). The icewm control panel makes it easy to change background, themes, menu, hotkeys,..
It can run gnome applets in the tray, so giving easy power management and networkmanager.

Using menumaker and editing a little bit I've got a very easy to navigate menu.
Easy to find the needed program. (compare that to the chaotic start menu in windows!)

I'm surprised how easy it was to get a functional good looking desktop for the laptop, while still keeping it incredibly fast.

Like always, in comparison to windows there's no viruses to worry about, no crashes, no defragmenting, no warez needed, ... A downside to many : no photoshop, gimp is too hectic.

In comparison to other linux's it's faster, easy to install (opera,mplayer,flash,...), packages using sane defaults, easy to upgrade (now and then a bit difficult - no reason to update all the time so let someone knowledgeable do it sometimes), easy configuration with rc.conf

I recommend arch to every noob of who I know (s)he wants to use brains just now and then

Ofcourse, to everyone his own

gunnix · 2007-07-30 18:11:29

Ok, so now I have had to do some more tricks to keep it working well..

To be able to resume after suspend to ram (standby) I had to add these boot options to the kernel line: "highres=off nohz=off"
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=32938
Otherwhise it would hang.

Also to be able to connect to wireless networks with networkmanager I have to click connect to a wireles network and then immediately open up wifi-radar and connect to the same network there. Then it works perfectly, otherwhise it doesn't (networkmanager must have some bug).

EDIT: I noticed if I just started up the laptop and networkmanager automatically tries to connect to a wireless network.. If I then suspend to ram and get out of it again.. Then it connects to the iwreless network without a problem..!?? But if I don't suspend it won't connect, strange!?

That's all.. though I still have a problem with the gnome-power-manager that it does not hybernate (suspend to disk..) when the battery is almost empty.. The computer just falls out when battery is empty... and that's ofcourse not very good! I don't let it run out of power ofcourse, but others don't really watch it. Anyone know a solution?

Also in WinXP it beeps when power is low... but in Arch I can't even get the beep to work (loaded pcspkr and tried xset b on ). How to turn beep on?

Last edited by gunnix (2007-08-04 10:59:00)

fwojciec · 2007-08-07 10:57:42

gunnix wrote:

That's all.. though I still have a problem with the gnome-power-manager that it does not hybernate (suspend to disk..) when the battery is almost empty.. The computer just falls out when battery is empty... and that's ofcourse not very good! I don't let it run out of power ofcourse, but others don't really watch it. Anyone know a solution?

My suggestion would be to use "laptop-mode" script as your all-in-one power saving solution. I don't even use gnome-power-manager in gnome since I configured laptop-mode correctly. Granted, you will not have any gui tools to control it, but, IMO, they are not really necessary if everything is configured correctly. Meanwhile you can always use something like conky to provide info about cpu frequency and remaining battery charge.

I was never able to auto-hibernate with gnome-power-manager either, but with laptop-mode auto hibernation works - although at the moment I can't enable it on my laptop (Toshiba Satellite A30 - also one of those unusual Toshibas with Phoenix bioses) because it would start auto-suspending whenever I unplug the AC cord or during bootup, for example (apparently the ACPI on my computer doesn't always report the correct battery charge level.) I'll figure it out eventually, probably, but for now it's not something I worry about too much. Maybe it'll work better on your computer.

Arch Linux

#1 2007-04-28 14:23:42

toshiba A110-228

#2 2007-04-29 10:26:57

Re: toshiba A110-228

#3 2007-05-02 05:36:18

Re: toshiba A110-228

#4 2007-05-04 11:28:34

Re: toshiba A110-228

#5 2007-07-30 18:11:29

Re: toshiba A110-228

#6 2007-08-07 10:57:42

Re: toshiba A110-228

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