HP2133

Revision 7 as of 2008-05-03 22:59:42

Clear message

Current Issues

  • CPU Scaling (fix below)
  • Wireless NIC (works fine with ndiswrapper)
  • Headphone jack doesn't mute speakers

System Info

System: Hewlett-Packard HP 2133 F.02

Kernel Version: 2.6.24-16-generic

lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:00.1 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:00.2 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:00.3 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:00.4 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:00.5 PIC: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 I/O APIC Interrupt Controller
00:00.6 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Security Device
00:00.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 Host Bridge
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237 PCI Bridge
00:02.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 PCI to PCI Bridge Controller (rev 80)
00:03.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M900 PCI to PCI Bridge Controller (rev 80)
00:0f.0 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. Unknown device 5372
00:10.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev b0)
00:10.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev b0)
00:10.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev b0)
00:10.4 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 90)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237S PCI to ISA Bridge
00:11.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8251 Ultra VLINK Controller
00:13.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237A Host Bridge
00:13.1 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237A PCI to PCI Bridge
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. Chrome9 HC IGP (rev 01)
02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11a/b/g (rev 02)
07:03.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5788 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 03)
80:01.0 Audio device: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA High Definition Audio Controller (rev 10)

Hardware details

Screen & Monitors

Device

Works?

Bug #

in Ubuntu 6.06 LTS

in Gutsy

in Hardy 8.06 LTS

Screen

Untested

Untested

Yes

Correct resolution?

Untested

Untested

Yes (1280x768)

Correct refresh rate?

Untested

Untested

Yes (60 Hz)

Graphics

Chrome9 HC IGP

3D Acceleration

Untested

Untested

Yes, with VIA Driver glxgears - 393.8 FPS

External monitor works?

Untested

Untested

Yes

External monitor - mirrors

Untested

Untested

Yes

External monitor - extend desktop

Untested

Untested

No

Power Management

Battery detected?

Untested

Untested

Yes

Hibernates?

Untested

Untested

Yes

Suspend

Untested

Untested

Yes

Dim monitor on battery

Untested

Untested

Yes

Blank monitor on inactivity

Untested

Untested

Yes

Lid Close

Untested

Untested

Yes

Cpu frequency scaling

Untested

Untested

Yes (with fix)

Sound

HDA VIA VT82XX Sound Card (rev 10)

Sound works?

Untested

Untested

Yes

Correct volume?

Untested

Untested

Yes

Hardware volume switch

Untested

Untested

Yes

Headphone jack

Untested

Untested

Yes

Mic jack

Untested

Untested

Untested

Wired Networking

NetXtreme BCM5788 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 03)

Wired NIC

Untested

Untested

Yes

Wireless Networking

BCM4312 802.11a/b/g (rev 02)

Wireless NIC

Untested

Untested

Yes (with ndiswrapper)

PCMCIA NIC

Untested

Untested

Untested

Firewire

None

None

None

Bluetooth

None

None

None

Modem

None

None

None

Infrared

None

None

None

Touchpad & Mice

Touchpad

Untested

Untested

Yes

Touchpad - Doubletap = double click

Untested

Untested

Yes

Touchpad - Scroll down side

Untested

Untested

Yes

Touchpad - On/Off Button

Untested

Untested

Yes

External mouse - USB

Untested

Untested

Yes

External mouse - Serial

Untested

Untested

Untested

Docking Station/Port Replicator

AC through replicator

Untested

Untested

Untested

USB

Untested

Untested

Untested

Serial

Untested

Untested

Untested

Parallel

Untested

Untested

Untested

External Monitor - VGA

Untested

Untested

Untested

External Monitor - DVI

Untested

Untested

Untested

Modem

Untested

Untested

Untested

NIC

Untested

Untested

Untested

PS/2

Untested

Untested

Untested

Additional Hardware

Fingerprint reader

None

None

None

CD/DVD drive

Untested

Untested

USB Works

PCMCIA cards

Untested

Untested

Untested

Parallel Ports

Untested

Untested

Untested

Card reader(s)

Untested

Untested

Yes (SD)

Function and other keys

Fn key

Operation

Keycode

Works?

Bug #

in Ubuntu 6.06 LTS

in Gutsy

in Hardy 8.06 LTS

+ Space

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ Esc

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F1

Untested

Untested

Suspend

+ F2

Untested

Untested

Ext Monitor (No)

+ F3

Untested

Untested

Dim Screen

+ F4

Untested

Untested

Brighten Screen

+ F5

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F6

Untested

Untested

Lock (No)

+ F7

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F8

Untested

Untested

Mute

+ F9

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F10

Untested

Untested

Volume Down

+ F11

Untested

Untested

Volume Up

+ F12

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ Pause

Untested

Untested

Break (Untested)

+ Scroll

Untested

Untested

Scroll (Untested)

+ Insert

Untested

Untested

Print Screen

+ Delete

Untested

Untested

Print Screen

+ Arrow Up

Untested

Untested

Page Up

+ Arrow Down

Untested

Untested

Page Up

+ Arrow Left

Untested

Untested

Home

+ Arrow Right

Untested

Untested

End

Other special keys

Key

Operation

Keycode

Works?

Bug #

in Ubuntu 6.06 LTS

in Gutsy

in Hardy 8.06 LTS

KEY

Untested

Untested

Untested

Notes

How-To: Installing Ubuntu from CD on the HP 2133 Mini-Note

Tested Configuration

The specific model tested for this Wiki was the KX869AT, which arrived with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10.1 pre-installed. No Operating System or Restore CDs were included with the Laptop, nor was there a Restore partition.

Disclaimer

The following instructions assume a complete install of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) from scratch. Be sure to back up any data you feel is important. The following instructions have been kept as simple as possible to appeal to the widest audience.

Pre-Boot

Download a copy of Hardy Heron and burn the image to an installation CD. Connect an external CD/DVD drive to the USB port and load the installation CD.

Put your finger somewhere close to the F9 key, because the Mini-Note's BIOS options pass quickly. Start or restart the computer and press F9, which will bring up the Boot Device menu. Select your CD/DVD drive and hit enter.

Base Installation

When the language menu comes up, select your preferred tongue and hit enter. At the Ubuntu install menu hit F6, which will bring up the Boot Options line. Add the word xforcevesa at the end of the line and hit enter. The installer will then load the kernel and begin the installation process. It is normal for the progress bar to freeze for a short period of time. Have patience.

Eventually you should hear the welcoming sounds of Ubuntu through the Mini-Note's ample speakers, and see the Hardy Live session desktop. While WiFi is not available at this point, you should be able to connect to the internet through a wired ethernet connection if necessary. Double-click on the "Install" icon and follow the wizard through the subsequent screens, selecting your location and keyboard layout.

Step 4 will ask you how you'd like to partition the disk. If you're comfortable with losing everything currently on the disk, select "Guided - use entire disk". REMEMBER - This will kill everything else on the disk if you follow the wizard to its completion. BACK UP FIRST! The remainder of the tutorial will assume a Guided partition of the entire disk. Continue through the wizard, filling in your user information, password and computer name. When you're sure you're ready to wipe your hard-disk, hit "Install" on the final page.

The "Installing System" dialog will come up next. Grab a tasty beverage and watch the progress bar slowly creep across the screen. When installation is complete, hit Restart Now. The CD should eject, and remove it from the tray/slot at this time. Press enter to restart your computer.

Drivers and Fixes

As Ubuntu starts for the first time you may see some video artifacts from forcing the vesa video driver. You should still get a clear Ubuntu login screen and your speakers should work right from the start. Log in with the user you created during the install process.

Video Driver Installation -- VIA now provides Ubuntu-ready video drivers for the HP 2133 at [http://linux.via.com.tw/support/downloadFiles.action this site]. WiFi is still not working, so use an ethernet connection to connect to the internet. If you have no ethernet connection, you'll need to go to the "WiFi Driver" section below and set up your WiFi card before continuing.

Open up Firefox and head to the VIA website at the link above. Once there, be sure to select "Ubuntu 8.04 LTS" instead of "SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP1" in the "OS" selection box. Click on the GFX driver link and save the driver file somewhere you'll remember it. Firefox will save it to the desktop by default. Next, you'll need to download the new attachment:xorg.conf file. Save it somewhere convenient, like the desktop.

Double-click on the downloaded file, and in the window that appears click the "Extract" button. Again select somewhere that makes sense (the Desktop is fine) and click "Extract" at the bottom right of the dialog. Close any remaining windows and open Terminal, in Applications > Accessories > Terminal. Assuming you extracted the driver folder to the desktop, type:

cd ~/Desktop/via-chrome9.83.40558
sudo ./vinstall

Be sure to use the appropriate "via-chrome9..." folder name for your driver version. Before the new video will work, you'll have to make a couple more tweaks. Don't restart yet!

Video and CPU Scaling Fixes -- Back in Terminal, type the following:

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

This will bring up the grub boot menu configuration file. Scroll to the bottom of the file and you'll find a three boot options. Go to the first, titled "Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic" and in the "kernel" line, delete "xforcevesa". In its place, type:

acpi_osi="!Windows 2006"

This will enable CPU speed scaling, helping preserve the Mini-Note's already limited battery life. For more information about this bug (which is in the kernel, and not specific to the Mini-Note) see [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/+source/linux/+bug/177076 this link].

Close gedit and go back to the Terminal. Remember where you put the replacement xorg.conf file, because we'll back up and overwrite the old one next. Unzip the xorg file if necessary. Then, assuming you saved the new unpackaged xorg.conf file to your desktop, type:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.old
sudo cp ~/Desktop/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf

When that successfully completes, reboot your machine.

Wireless Driver -- As of this writing, there is no functioning native linux WiFi driver available. An outstanding tutorial on using native Windows drivers with ndiswrapper can be found [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx/Feisty_No-Fluff here]. Follow the instructions step-by-step and you should be all set. Don't forget to update your apt repositories with:

sudo apt-get update

What's Left?

The biggest flaw left is the audio driver. As of May 3, 2008 there is no way to mute the speakers automatically when headphones are plugged into the jack.

The various forum posts below are good places to watch for the solution to this and other quirks. If you find solutions, please update this Wiki.


CategoryLaptop