Acer TravelMate 225XC

System Overview

Installing OS

Laptop is ditributed with Windows XP Professional Edition preinstalled OEM (means already configured disc image on CD). Image contains preinstaled Notebook Manager and many other utilities. No *NIX-like system support WinModem.

Linux ManDrake

Simply boot from Instalation CD1 and install MDK (as described here). Installation is simple as instal Win.

FreeBSD 4.8

No problem to instal from 1 CD. Partitioning wasn`t painless but possible.

Debian Woody 3.0

Gentoo 1.4

XFree86/Xorg

MDK: XFree86 works well with resolution 1024x768. My XF86Config is here

FreeBSD: XFree86 works in resolution 1024x768 with this XF86Config

Gentoo: My XFree86 config for 1024x768 is XF86Config.gentoo.txt (old) or here xorg.conf. If You want X.Org alternative, simply do 'emerge -D xorg-x11'. Emerge will uninstall xfree86 and install Xorg. It runs with same config file. Some fonts look diferent.

ScreenShots: XFree86 (678K) vs. X.org-x11 (761K) - fluxbox with my Amelie-customized style, aterm, irssi, licq with Network window in aterm, gkrellm, BSD chick wallpaper

When I try to switch from XFree to another console Ctrl+Alt+1 my FreeBSD freezes. Same problem was in MDK 9.0, now in 9.1 its OK. (Update:) This is not problem anymore, I think it was XFree configuration problem or some already solved bug.

Sound

MDK: works by default

FreeBSD: Add snd_ich_load="YES" to /boot/loader.conf

Gentoo: Add snd_intel8x0 to /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 or compile support for this directly in kernel (CONFIG_SND_AC97_CODEC, CONFIG_SND_INTEL8X0). The Intel i810 chipset plays sound through an AC'97 codec.

Keyboard

I found that special keys may work with this Hotkey driver. When I tried to compile 0.4.2/0.5.0 it ends with Unresolved symbols. There is a special option in 2.6 kernels CONFIG_ACER_HK for Acer HotKey Drivers, but still doesnt work on my Gentoo. 'Display Brightness' keys (Fn+Left, Fn+Right) and 'Turn off display' (Fn+F5) works.

Touchpad

The touchpad works as a PS/2 mouse and no special settings are required. Device is /dev/psaux. Configuration details are in XFree section above. If you have some troubles, look here

Power management

Its needed to have some things enabled in kernel and running apmd or apm module loaded.

You can suspend to disk with this command:
echo 4 > /proc/acpi/sleep

Network

The RealTek network card is supported and works with the 8139too driver (CONFIG_8139TOO).

Modem

Lucent AMR might works with slmodem driver.

USB

USB works with the UHCI driver.

tips

Compaq Pressario 1400 has same AC adapter. (output 19V, 3,16A)

GPRS

Very good cijoml`s Howto (Czech). I have original Siemens USB cable (needs pl2303 module loaded) for Siemens C55 (GPRS class 8: 4+1), my gprs provider is EuroTel. I recommend compile support for pl2303 (CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_PL2303) as a kernel module, because of posibility to unload when problem occurs as described below.

Settings: /etc/ppp/peers/et, /etc/chatscripts/et, /etc/chatscripts/et-hang.

foo@bar:~$ ll /usr/sbin/pppd
-r-sr-xr-x 1 root root 339304 Mar 5 12:48 /usr/sbin/pppd
foo@bar:~$ /usr/sbin/pppd call et
Serial connection established.
Using interface ppp0
Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/ttyUSB0
kernel does not support PPP filtering
local IP address 10.177.48.219
remote IP address 192.168.254.254
primary DNS address 160.218.43.200
secondary DNS address 160.218.10.200


foo@bar:~$ /usr/sbin/pppd call et
Connect script failed

If You got this error, try to treat it with this commands:

root@bar:~# rmmod pl2303
root@bar:~# modprobe pl2303