Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx on Novatech i3

[robhem]

Hi,

A quick post to say Ubuntu 10.04 installs easy and runs nicely on my Novatech i3 laptop. I have dual boot WinXP and Ubuntu. Partitioned the HDD first with GParted. Installed XP first, then Ubuntu. WiFi worked as soon as I entered my WEP key. I also added the Netbook Edition, as I quite like the interface (I have this running on my EEEPC also). Had a play with cairo-dock which is nice.

Screenshot.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot.png)
Screenshot-1.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-1.png)
Screenshot-2.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-2.png)
Screenshot-3.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-3.png)
Screenshot-4.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-4.png)
Screenshot-5.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-5.png)
Screenshot-6.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-6.png)
Screenshot-7.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-7.png)
Screenshot-8.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-8.png)
Screenshot-9.png (http://www.netronic.co.uk/images/i3/Screenshot-9.png)

The webcam is not functioning in Cheese. But, I haven't tried sorting this yet. Haven't tried bluetooth yet either. DVD playback in Movie Player required the usual additional packages and then worked fine. Haven't tried burning a disc yet. Audio playback is fully functional. Happy days :thumbs:

Rab

[welshmike]

Thanks robhem,

I've been considering buying an i3 to put Ubuntu 10.04 on it so it is good to read about your success.
Are you running the Desktop/Laptop version of 10.04 as well as the Netbook edition?
What is the performance like?

Mike

[alecjw]

Good to hear :) I'm thinking of buying one to put gentoo on. Do you think you could post the output of lspci please?
Cheers :)

Edit: also, does it have 1x2048MiB or 2x1024MiB?

[robhem]

Thanks robhem,

I've been considering buying an i3 to put Ubuntu 10.04 on it so it is good to read about your success.
Are you running the Desktop/Laptop version of 10.04 as well as the Netbook edition?
What is the performance like?

Mike

Yes, I installed the Desktop version 10.04 then added the Netbook edition with the package manager (search for ubuntu-netbook). Then, when you log-in you may choose between Gnome or Netbook edition.

Performance seems ok. But, I haven't really put it under much demand yet ;-)

Rab

[robhem]

Good to hear :) I'm thinking of buying one to put gentoo on. Do you think you could post the output of lspci please?
Cheers :)

Edit: also, does it have 1x2048MiB or 2x1024MiB?


lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor DRAM Controller (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset HECI Controller (rev 06)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller (rev 05)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio (rev 05)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev 05)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev 05)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev 05)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 6 (rev 05)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller (rev 05)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev a5)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 5 Series Chipset LPC Interface Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 4 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset SMBus Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.5 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.6 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Thermal Subsystem (rev 05)
05:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02)
3f:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture Generic Non-core Registers (rev 02)
3f:00.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture System Address Decoder (rev 02)
3f:02.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Link 0 (rev 02)
3f:02.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Physical 0 (rev 02)
3f:02.2 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved (rev 02)
3f:02.3 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved (rev 02)
I think it has just one 2048 MB DIMM installed plus one empty DIMM slot.


dmidecode
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0029
Error Information Handle: 0x002D
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 0
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Speed: Unknown
Manufacturer: [Empty]
Serial Number: [Empty]
Asset Tag: Unknown
Part Number: [Empty]

Handle 0x002C, DMI type 17, 28 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0029
Error Information Handle: No Error
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 2048 MB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: None
Locator: DIMM2
Bank Locator: BANK 2
Type: <OUT OF SPEC>
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 1067 MHz (0.9 ns)
Manufacturer: 06C1
Serial Number: xxxxxxxx
Asset Tag: Unknown
Part Number: SSZ3128M8-EDJ1D

[alecjw]

lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor DRAM Controller (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset HECI Controller (rev 06)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller (rev 05)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio (rev 05)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev 05)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev 05)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev 05)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 6 (rev 05)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller (rev 05)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev a5)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 5 Series Chipset LPC Interface Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 4 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset SMBus Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.5 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 05)
00:1f.6 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Thermal Subsystem (rev 05)
05:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02)
3f:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture Generic Non-core Registers (rev 02)
3f:00.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture System Address Decoder (rev 02)
3f:02.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Link 0 (rev 02)
3f:02.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Physical 0 (rev 02)
3f:02.2 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved (rev 02)
3f:02.3 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved (rev 02)
I think it has just one 2048 MB DIMM installed plus one empty DIMM slot.


dmidecode
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0029
Error Information Handle: 0x002D
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 0
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Speed: Unknown
Manufacturer: [Empty]
Serial Number: [Empty]
Asset Tag: Unknown
Part Number: [Empty]

Handle 0x002C, DMI type 17, 28 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0029
Error Information Handle: No Error
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 2048 MB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: None
Locator: DIMM2
Bank Locator: BANK 2
Type: <OUT OF SPEC>
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 1067 MHz (0.9 ns)
Manufacturer: 06C1
Serial Number: xxxxxxxx
Asset Tag: Unknown
Part Number: SSZ3128M8-EDJ1D
Smashing. Thanks for the info, much appreciated. Atheros wireless card is a big plus. Hopefully i'll be able to put a spare 2GB stick in the spare slot.
I'll probably order myself one soon: theyre great value and I'm going to need a laptop for university around this time next year.

[alecjw]

Edit: ordered it :) Looking forward to getting it on thursday. If it has a spare hard drive bay, I might add a 16-32GB SSD for / and use the magnetic drive for /home and /usr (maybe a separate partition for /etc/portage too)

[mattk]

ooh i do like that gnome..... Lucid Lynx you say..... *yoink*

[A Ginger Sheep]

matt is the wireless in the i3 the same as the v13?

[alecjw]

matt is the wireless in the i3 the same as the v13?
The wireless is an atheros. It's possibly the most universally compatible card there is: it'll work with linux{,-libre}, *BSD, mac... and you can even do a wireless netboot using gpxe :)

[alecjw]

Anyone who's interested in the i3, i just wrote a review: http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showthread.php?t=22839

[welshmike]

I bought my i3 today


Plan A was to have a dual boot XP/Ubuntu system.


The false start:




I booted from my Ubuntu 10.04 live USB flash drive and ran GParted to delete the HDD partition containing FreeDOS leaving an empty 250GB HDD.
I then created as the first partition a primary 30GB NTFS for XP installation
In the remaining space I created an extended partition and within it two near equal size partitions of about 120GB each. The first I formatted as ext4 and the second as NTFS.
I deleted the above ext4 partition so I could assign that free space for the Ubuntu installation.
I started to install XP from a CD and after a while the install crashed with a BSOD.
I booted from a Partition Magic 8.0 CD. This did not recognise the hard drive and would not continue. My guess is that PM 8 does not support SATA HDDs. ... Does XP support SATA HDDs?



Plan B: Create two near equal partitions on the HDD. Install Ubuntu 10.04 in the first partition and use the second partition for data such as my libraries of music, pictures and video files. Install VirtualBox in the Ubuntu partition and a guest XP within the box.


The route to quick success:




I booted from my Ubuntu 10.04 live USB flash drive and ran GParted to delete all HDD partitions leaving an empty 250GB HDD.
I created a primary partition of about half of the HDD formatted as ext4 and a second primary partition formatted as NTFS.
I deleted the above ext4 partition so I could assign that free space for the Ubuntu installation.
I booted from my Ubuntu 10.04 live USB flash drive. The installation completed without a problem in maybe about 20 minutes.
Wireless was not enabled and after reading the notebook's quick start guide I found the combination of keys, Fn+F8, to enable wireless. I added a wireless network connection, edited in my router's SSID and security password. I then had access to the internet.
Job done for Ubuntu :banana: apart from getting my printers and scanner to work

[Mike]

Did you get a STOP 0x000007B Blue Screen error? If you did (and I strongly suspect it) then it's probably because the notebook is running the SATA hard drive in AHCI mode and XP does not natively support AHCI.
I haven't laid hands on one of these notebooks properly so I'm not sure if there is such a setting, but check the BIOS to see if the is an OS TYPE or SATA MODE setting. If so then set the OS TYPE to WINXP or if SATA MODE then set that to IDE or ATA.

As it stands the current popular OS's supporting AHCI are Windows Vista, 7, 2008 (R2), and various up-to-date distros of Linux (inc Ubuntu).
Windows XP *can* support AHCI but it requires drivers in much the same way that it'd need them for RAID (i.e. tap the F6 key when you are booting from the CD etc).

[welshmike]

Apologies for my very late feedback.

Thanks to Ubuntu forums, see thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1582909 , I now have dual boot Ubuntu/XP.
I disabled AHCI in the BIOS and XP installed OK.

With AHCI enabled, XP will not boot but does with AHCI disabled.
Linux/Ubuntu installed dual boot with AHCI enabled, boots and runs with AHCI enabled.
Not sure what advantage there is for Ubuntu with AHCI enabled so I have it disabled it so that I don't have to remember to disable it to boot and run XP.

[candtalan]

I bought my i3 today

I deleted the above ext4 partition so I could assign that free space for the Ubuntu installation.
I booted from my Ubuntu 10.04 live USB flash drive. The installation completed without a problem in maybe about 20 minutes.
Wireless was not enabled and after reading the notebook's quick start guide I found the combination of keys, Fn+F8, to enable wireless. I added a wireless network connection, edited in my router's SSID and security password. I then had access to the internet.
Job done for Ubuntu :banana: apart from getting my printers and scanner to work
[/LIST]

Maverick installer lost Windows partitions