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Linux on a Sony Vaio PCG-FR130 |
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I purchased a Sony Vaio PCG-FR130 in May 2003.
After searching in the usual places, I could not find much about
running
Linux on this machine. I took a Knoppix CD to the store with me,
and convinced myself that enough of the hardware would work with
Linux. It turns out that everything I have tried so far does
work, but you might need to find some recent drivers.
System Summary:
UPDATE - 10/22/03: A couple of people have asked for my XF86Config file. Here it is
Distro Specific Notes for PCG-FR-130 (send additional notes to address below):
Fedora Core 3 - could work Ok, could be a /boot partition problem. Email me if you have any experience to share.
Fedora Core 2 - All hardware works (reported by Mike Holden)
Mandrake 9.1 - Almost everything works out of the box. For 802.11b, use this script.
Mandrake 9.0 - ALSA sounds drivers do not work
Redhat 9 - ALSA sound does not work, 802.11b needs help
Redhat 8.1 - Same as RH9
Debian Stable - drivers out of date
Knoppix - everything except sound works (ALSA needed)
Let me know if you have any questsions, additions, or corrections: rich@richsawin.com
System Summary:
| Feature |
Spec |
Linux
Support |
Additional
Info |
| Processor |
Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP 2000+ (1.67GHZ) |
Yes |
256K Cache |
| RAM |
256MB DDR
SDRAM |
Yes |
expands to
1GB |
| Display |
14.1" XGA (1024 x 768) TFT | Yes |
XFree86 4.3
1024x768 |
| Graphics | NVidia
GeForce4 420 Go-V with TV-Out (RCA) 16MB Video Ram |
Yes (have not tried TV-Out) |
Closed
Source Driver - Get drivers from www.nvidia.com/linux |
| Hard Drive |
40GB EIDE |
Yes |
|
| CD-Drive |
DVD/CD-RW
Combo Drive |
Yes |
8x DVD,
16x10x24 CD-RW |
| Mouse |
2 button
Touchpad |
Yes |
Missing a
scroll button |
| Sound |
Via VT8233
AC97 with Mic and Headphone Jacks |
Yes |
ALSA
via82cxxx driver |
| Speakers | 2 built in
speakers |
Yes - sound like Crap | Headphones
sound fine |
| Floppy |
Internal
3.5" Floppy |
Yes |
|
| Modem |
56K
-probably winmodem? |
Don't
Know |
I use PCMCIA
card modem |
| Ethernet |
Integrated
Ethernet Jack |
Yes |
Realtek
8139too |
| PCMCIA |
2 slots |
Yes |
|
| IEEE 1394 (Firewire) | Don't
Know |
Detected but
not tested |
|
| 3 USB Ports |
Yes |
USB 2.0 |
|
| VGA and
Parallel Ports |
Don't
Know |
Never Tried |
Learn more about Linux and Laptops at www.tuxmobil.org
UPDATE 7/25/04: mpholde@comcast.net reports that he has a firewire hard drive working. See details here.UPDATE - 10/22/03: A couple of people have asked for my XF86Config file. Here it is
Distro Specific Notes for PCG-FR-130 (send additional notes to address below):
Fedora Core 3 - could work Ok, could be a /boot partition problem. Email me if you have any experience to share.
Fedora Core 2 - All hardware works (reported by Mike Holden)
Mandrake 9.1 - Almost everything works out of the box. For 802.11b, use this script.
Mandrake 9.0 - ALSA sounds drivers do not work
Redhat 9 - ALSA sound does not work, 802.11b needs help
Redhat 8.1 - Same as RH9
Debian Stable - drivers out of date
Knoppix - everything except sound works (ALSA needed)
Let me know if you have any questsions, additions, or corrections: rich@richsawin.com