Installing Linux on a HP Pavilion N3410 Laptop

Copyright © 2002 Todd Lisonbee

Author's email: toddj@ecst.csuchico.edu

Author's homepage: http://lisonbee.freeshell.org

This Page was Created: 2/23/2002

Last Modified: 10/9/2002

Document Version: 0.2

Abstract: This document contains notes about my attempts to install various distributions of Linux on a HP Pavilion N3410 Laptop. It is not intended to be a step by step guide. If you want more of a step by step guide try this. I am relatively new to Linux and was unable to configure X on this laptop with most distributions I've tried.  No doubt this is due to my extensive ignorance.

Table of Contents

• Factory Laptop
• My 3410 Laptop
• XFree86
• Installing different Linux Distributions
• Other Installation Notes
• References

Factory Laptop

• 64mb RAM
• Partions
• 274Mb Hibernate Partition
• 4456Mb Fat32 Partition Preinstalled Windows 98 or ME
• Built in Software Modem (won't work under Linux)

My N3410 Laptop

• I named her Lenore.
• Upgraded to 256mb RAM (factory default of 64Mb is adequate though)
• Manually set video memory to 8mb in Bios (enter Bios by pressing F2 while booting)
• I bought a Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 10/100 + Modem 56 (CEM56-100)

XFree86

• Built in mouse "/dev/psaux"
• Video card "Trident Cyberblade"
• XServer "XFree86_SVGA"
• Resolution "800x600"
• HorizSync "31.5 - 35.1"
• VertRefresh "50-90"
• Video Memory "auto-detect" or "4096" or "8192" (depending how it is set in the Bios)

Installing different Linux Distributions on the HP Pavilion N3410

• Mandrake 9.1
• Installs fine
• Changed "vga=normal" to "vga=788" in lilo.conf
  

• Slackware 8.0
• Installed fine.
• I've never had any problems installing Slackware on this laptop.
• Used xf86config to generate /etc/X11/XF86Config file. Edited /etc/lilo.conf and changed "vga=normal" to "vga=788"
• Here is the XF86Config and lilo.conf I used (provided for reference, don't use my copy of lilo).

• RedHat
• 7.1 Graphical Install comes up fine to begin with but then the kernel ended up having problems with the disk configuration and wanting it to be passed to the Kernel at boot time for the install program.  I believe this was because the hybernate partition does not end correctly on a cylinder boundary. I didn't fool around with it further. (Yes, I know, easily defeated).
• 7.2 Graphical Install worked fine although I still couldn't get X configured (which suprised me since the graphical install worked fine).
• 7.3 Installed successfully.  X worked without any problems. (For some reason I had to restart the install a couple of times, maybe my cd-rom was flaking out or my RedHat cd's weren't the best? Anyway the standard graphical install eventually worked without any problems).
• 8.0 I was unsuccessful at getting RedHat 8.0 installed. (I can't remember what problems I had).
  

• Debian
• 2.2r3 installed fine except couldn't get X configured
• 2.2r5 tried again with a newer release, still couldn't get X configured
• I'm not a debian user so...
  

• TurboLinux 6.0.4
• text based install
• couldn't get X configured

Other Installation Notes:

• Do not set hardware clock to GMT if you intend to dual boot
• Intalling lilo in the MBR worked fine for dual booting between Win98/2000 and Linux

References:

• Here is another page is also specifically on the HP Pavilion 3410N Laptop and was my starting point.
• Running Linux O'Reilly Publications
• I purchased the downloadable editions of the above distributions mostly from lsl.com and cheapbytes.com (about $3-5 each).  Recently lsl.com was purchased by cheapbytes and lately it seems cheapbytes is charging quite a bit more for cd's so I've been making my purchases from another place I found edmunds-enterprises.com
• http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ - a directory of pages about installing Linux on different models of laptops.