HardwareKwikis
Here are some kwikis for running or using Linux with specific hardware.
"Hardware" is a term referring to the physical (or tangible) parts of a computer. The non-physical parts, such as a program or application, are referred to as "software".
Ghost4Unix - http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/
- QuietCases
- There is an entire sub-culture/sub-industry dedicated to making PCs quieter. This is especially true for PCs destined for use as "media PCs" in your living room, the last thing you want to hear is fan noice while watching television.
Verifying copying CDs
Q: How do I verify the md5sum of a CD I've just burned againts the ISO file?
A: Use the following script saved as 'ckiso'. Adjust CDROM_DEV for your system. The trick is to use 2K blocks and only calculate the digest on the blocks in the ISO. You do not need to mount the CD to verify the MD5sum.
#!/bin/sh
# Syntax is: ckiso isofile
CDROM_DEV=/dev/cdrom
file=$1
file=${file:?}
# Calculate the size in 2K blocks
block_count=`wc -c <$file`
block_count=`expr $block_count / 2048`
# Calculate the md5sum
dd if=$CDROM_DEV bs=2048 count=$block_count | md5sum
IMPORTANT: Also see MandrakeKwikis for the issues surrounding LG CD-ROM drives as commonly found in Dell computers and installing Linux. This problem is specific to the drive, not Mandrake. Other distributions, such as Xandros, SuSE, and Fedora can also experience the same drive failures.
Removing CD-RW ide-scsi support in the 2.6 kernel
- Remove the hdc=ide-scsi option in your boot line.
- /dev/cdrom was still symlinked to /dev/scd0.
- Remove that link, then symlink /dev/cdrom to /dev/hdc.
- GRIP works! No "hdc=" required!
- cdrecord works! The secret is to convert dev=0,0,0 into dev=ATAPI:0,0,0.
Belkin fixes defective Wireless Routers
Belkin originally implemented firmware programming in its consumer router products that intercepted HTTP requests every 8 hours, and replaced the request with a request of its own to a web page advertising its "Parental Control" service. This "feature" was widely viewed as a significantly deleterious product defect.
The Details
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/69/33858.html
- Discovery
- Belkin Response
- Belkin addresses the situation
- Belkin provides the firmware update (11/18/2003)
Recommendation
Belkin has reacted quickly to customer demand, and provided updated firmware where this feature is disabled by default, as promised. We find no reason to continue recommend specifically against selecting Belkin products.
They also make a cool low-power mini-radio transmitter to plug into your MP3 player and play your MP3s any stereo within 30 feet or so. 
Printers
Q: What printer can I buy that works with Linux?
A: Take a look at the vendors listed at http://linuxprinting.org/vendors.html.
They are listed in order of their successful interactions with other Linux users and their respective products. We recommend you purchase your printer from a manufacturer that has demonstrated co-operation with the Linux community and/or FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software).
We recommend you avoid manufacturers that will not support your choice to use their product with your Linux system after accepting your money for their product.
You can also look at http://linuxprinting.org/suggested.html for guidance on specific models and features.
And if you are so inclined, you can make your purchases do double-duty: http://linuxprinting.org/affiliate.html
Wireless 802.11b/g/a
More here: WirelessDrivers
Q: Can I experiment with my Alcatel Speed Touch Home bridge to be able to add router functionality to it?
A: See http://www.weethet.nl/english/adsl_mxstream_alcatelhack.php
IBM Thinkpads (600 & 770X)
Q: How do I change the BIOS settings? I've watched the boot screen, but it doesn't have any indicator as to what the magic keypress is.
A: The Thinkpad troubleshooting page is here:
- 5. Verify the machine will boot to the BIOS.
- a. For ThinkPad A, R, T, X series systems, turn on the computer and then while the Press F1 for IBM BIOS Setup Utility message is displayed at the lower left area of the screen, press the F1 key. The IBM BIOS Setup Utility menu will be displayed. If a password prompt appears, type the correct password.
- b. For ThinkPad 600, 600E, 770, 770E/ED, 770X, and 770Z systems, press and hold the F1 key, then turn on the computer. Hold the F1 key until the Easy-Setup menu appears. If a password prompt appears, type the correct password.
To check the latest BIOS revision, see:
In theory, the best place to look for Linux hardware compatibility is the Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO ( 
HOWTO : Hardware- HOWTO ), but I haven't been able to keep it nearly as up-to-date as I'd like. Suggestions are always welcome though.
-- Steve
SANE and newer Epson scanners
Looking for support for the Epson Perfection 3170 Photo Scanner?
Linux support has been added to SANE via the 3rd-party "epkowa" driver. You can see the Epson scanners that are supported on the epkowa.co.jp download page. While not as good as Open Source, it is better than the non-existant (yet?) support for the newer HP 5530 and MicroTek Scanmaker 6800 scanners, for example.
You can now scan using the 3170 scanner. From a thread in the Epkowa technical support forum, you have to use the incantation:
insmod scanner vendor=0x04b8 product=0x0116
In addition, the iscan-1.6.0-6.redhat.8.0.i386.rpm is reported to work great under Fedora FC1
Dell 810 and Linux (Ubuntu)
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