DellInspiron8600

This is the Dell Inspiron 8600 (NOT 8600c)


CategoryLaptop

  • Contact: Daller, Tas50

  • Make: Dell
  • Brand: Inspiron
  • Model: 8600

Current Issues

Hardware details

Dapper (LTS)

Edgy

Feisty

Gutsy

Hardy (LTS)

Intrepid

Installation works?

Yes

Yes

Untested

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hardware Information

Screen & Monitors

Device

Works?

Bug #

in Dapper (LTS)

in Edgy

in Feisty

in Gutsy

in Hardy (LTS)

in Intrepid

Screen

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Correct resolution?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Correct refresh rate?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

3D Acceleration

Yes *1

Yes *1

Yes *1

Yes *1

Yes *1

Yes

External monitor works?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Yes

External monitor - mirrors

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

External monitor - extend desktop

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Power Management

Battery detected?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hibernates?

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Untested

Sleep

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Yes *2

Untested

Dim monitor on battery

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Blank monitor on inactivity

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Cpu frequency scaling

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Sound

Sound works?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Correct volume?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hardware volume switch

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Headphone jack

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Mic jack

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Networking

Wired NIC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wireless NIC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes *4

Yes *4

Untested

PCMCIA NIC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Firewire

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Bluetooth

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Modem

No *3

No *3

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Infrared

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Touchpad & Mice

Touchpad

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Touchpad - Doubletap = double click

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Touchpad - Scroll down side

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

External mouse - USB

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Yes

External mouse - PS2

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Docking Station/Port Replicator

AC through replicator

Untested

Untested

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

USB

Untested

Untested

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Serial

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Parallel

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

External Monitor - VGA

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Yes

External Monitor - DVI

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Modem

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

NIC

Untested

Untested

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

PS/2

Untested

Untested

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Additional Hardware

CD/DVD drive

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

PCMCIA cards

Yes

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Parallel Ports

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Function and other keys

Fn key

Operation

Keycode

Works?

Bug #

in Dapper (LTS)

in Edgy (current stable)

in Feisty Herd 4

in Gutsy

in Hardy

+ Space

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ Esc

Suspend

No

Yes*2

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F1

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F2

Wirless Switch

Yes

Yes

Untested

Yes

Yes

+ F3

Battery Status

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

+ F4

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F5

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F6

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F7

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F8

CRT/LCD switch

Yes

Yes

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F9

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F10

Eject CDROM

Yes

?

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F11

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ F12

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ 1

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ 2

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

Untested

+ Up Arrow

Brighten LCD

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

+ Down Arrow

Dim LCD

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Notes

*1 - 3d-acceleration will work if you chose the "nVidia GeForce4 ti 4200 Go" or "ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600" (Dell systems are configurable)

Additional Options need to be added to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf for the side scroll to be activated. Note the default Option values for an Alps touchpad will be different from synaptics because of the difference in sensitivity of the two devices. Works by default in "Feisty"

*2 - both hibernate and sleep will fail with nvidia X driver unless this changes are made to /etc/X11/xorg.conf:

Option "NvAGP" "1"

and these to /etc/default/acpi-support:

SAVE_VBE_STATE=false

POST_VIDEO=false

HIBERNATE_MODE=platform # this isn't needed, but Dell Inspiron 8600 supports this way of hibernation

In Hardy (and possibly other releases, though I only tested it in Hardy), hibernate and sleep both work with the proprietary nVidia driver if the file '/usr/share/hal/fdi/information/10freedesktop/20-video-quirk-pm-dell.fdi' is modified to include '8600' at the end of the key that contains '8500'.

*3 - Modem reports as a SmartLink, but it's in fact Conexant - doesn't work with smartlink drivers (provided by Ubuntu), but works with commercial Linuxant drivers.

Suspend Fix Uncomment "ACPI_SLEEP=true" in '/etc/default/acpi-support'

Find "# kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro" in '/boot/grub/menu.lst' and add "nolapic" so that the line is:

"# kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro nolapic" (Keep it uncommented)

Fn Key + Esc correctly suspends the laptop after uncomment the line above.

*4 For systems that use a Dell TrueMobile 1300 wireless card with a Broadcom 4306 chipset, the card does not appear to be configured properly out of the box, though it can be made to work with some tweaking. In Hardy, the b43 driver works quite well, once the proper firmware is downloaded.

LaptopTestingTeam/Old/DellInspiron8600 (last edited 2010-02-26 17:42:24 by host226-241-dynamic)