Post Installation Steps for Ubuntu 6.10 on a Dell Inspiron 1300

Here are some steps that I performed after installing Ubuntu 6.10 ("Edgy Eft") on a Dell Inspiron 1300. It might work for you, or it might not. It might work on other distributions and/or other machines, and it might not. This is mostly meant as a note for myself, but if you can make any use of it, feel free to do so. Old distros: 6.06, 5.10.

Enable root password

By default, Ubuntu doesn't have password enabled for the root account. For security reasons you should enable this immediately after installation (this is not specific for Dell computers; should be done on all Ubuntu installations):

sudo passwd root

Enabling extra apt-get repositories

The apt-get repositories that are enabled by default only offer a very limited range of packages. I found that after doing the following, a very wide range of packages are available.

Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and make sure that the following lines are there and that they have no # in front of them:

deb     http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted
deb-src http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted
deb     http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-updates main restricted
deb-src http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-updates main restricted
deb     http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper universe
deb-src http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper universe
deb     http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb     http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
deb     http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security universe
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security universe
deb     http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper multiverse
deb     http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/ dapper free non-free
deb-src http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/ dapper free non-free

Making wireless network card work

The driver for the wireless network card in the Inspiron 1300 doesn't come with a Linux driver, and there is no such to find. Fortunately, the ndiswrapper project makes it possible to use a Windows driver on Linux. They have a great guide on how to make it work on Ubuntu.

Here's how I did it:

1. Install package ndiswrapper-utils-1.8 (not 1.1!) and dependencies, if any.
2. Get bcmwl5.sys and bcmwl5.inf (taken from the DRIVER dir of this file, found via this list searching for the network card name "Dell Wireless 1370" and the PCI ID 14e4:4318) and put them on the desktop.
3. Run:

   sudo ndiswrapper -i ~/Desktop/bcmwl5.inf

4. Check status of installed drivers with:

   sudo ndiswrapper -l

   Should return something like "bcmwl5 driver present, hardware present".
5. Run:

   sudo depmod -a

   If there is no error, continue.
6. Load kernel module with:

   sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

7. Verify by dmesg (should contain something like "ndiswrapper version loaded")
8. Enable device in System/Administration/Networking, set essid (network name) and network password – and set to DHCP.
9. Add line "ndiswrapper" to /etc/modules, if not already there. Add line "blacklist bcm43xx" to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist to disable built-in driver (since we want to use ndiswrapper instead). Unplug wired network cable, if plugged. Reboot. Make sure that the wireless device is checked in System/Administration/Networking -- you may also have to uncheck the wired connection.
10. Configure wireless settings and fire up device:

    sudo iwconfig eth1 mode Managed
    sudo iwconfig eth1 key restricted XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
    sudo iwconfig eth1 essid ESSID
    sudo ifconfig eth1 up

    where XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX is hex digit encryption key and where ESSID is network name (if you don't know this, run iwlist eth1 scan to scan for available wireless networks). Make sure access point is set up to allow specific MAC address.

Enabling native screen resolution 1280×800

Most likely you will only be able to select 1024×768 (which isn't a widescreen resolution, so things get all distorted) from the Gnome screen resolution utility. Here is what I did to enable the native resolution 1280×800:

Download and install 915resolution, which is a hack to the Intel graphics chip driver that enables widescreen support:

sudo apt-get install 915resolution

Log out and then back in (or reboot if that's not enough) and you will be in 1280×800 (or you should be able to select it from the screen resolution utility).

Enabling playback of encrypted DVDs

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

sudo sh /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh

Installing driver for Samsung CLP-510 colour laser printer

1. Download the latest driver from Samsung's website, and unpack it, resulting in a folder called 'cdroot'.

2. cd cdroot/Linux
   sudo cp noarch/at_root/etc/sane.d/smfp.conf /etc/sane.d/
   sudo mkdir /usr/share/ppd/linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin/
   sudo cp noarch/at_opt/share/ppd/CLP-510splc.ppd /usr/share/ppd/linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin/
   sudo cp i386/at_root/usr/lib/libmfp.so.1.0.1 /usr/lib/
   sudo cp i386/at_root/usr/lib/cups/backend/mfp /usr/lib/cups/backend/
   sudo cp i386/at_root/usr/lib/cups/filter/* /usr/lib/cups/filter/
   

3. Add the printer via Gnome printing setup tool

Enabling Bluetooth and GPRS

Use this guide to be able to connect to the Internet through a Bluetooth/GPRS enabled mobile phone (not yet tested!).

Enabling remote access to X programs (not Dell specific)

Set X11Forwarding to yes in /etc/ssh/sshd_config on the server. Install xauth on both client and server. Use ssh -X user@host to connect to the server from the client.