How to Run Ubuntu / Linux Mint 11.04 on HP dv6t Quad Core Edition with ATI/AMD Radeon HD 6770M Switchable Graphics

I just upgraded my notebook to a HP dv6t Quad Core Edition (September 2011) with Intel Core i7 2630QM and powered by ATI/AMD Radeon HD 6770M Switchable/Hybrid Graphics Card.

Running Ubuntu / Linux Mint 11.04 64-bit on it has a few problems like:

• cannot boot Live CD / Live USB installer
• crash / kernel panic during boot / stack trace regarding radeon module
• cannot control screen backlight
• screen is blank (completely dark black)
• CPU / VGA / graphics / notebook fans are always on
• power usage is high / sucking up battery / battery life is short
  

Fortunately, there are solutions and I will post how to solve them in this article series.

First of all please check your BIOS (press F10 during boot) to see if there's a switch for Switchable Graphics to Fixed/Dynamic. Or check if you have BIOS version F.1A or later.

If so then the switch feature should be there.

If not then I suggest upgrading to the latest BIOS from HP website. Please contact HP for further information as I cannot provide support on this.

Which mode should you pick? In my experience either Fixed or Dynamic works fine, what matters most is blacklisting radeon kernel module/driver.

To launch the Ubuntu 11.04 / Linux Mint 11 (Katya) Live CD / Live USB installer properly, at the GRUB2 boot choices screen press "e" or <Tab> (if you use unetbootin) to edit the GRUB2 boot command as follows:

• remove : splash quiet
• add (before "--") : radeon.modeset=0 rdblacklist=radeon xdriver=i915
  

I haven't tested which exact switches actually make the difference. If installer still hangs / crashes / blank screen, go to the BIOS and switch from Fixed to Dynamic and vice versa, then try again.

If you already installed Ubuntu / Linux Mint, follow these steps to blacklist radeon kernel module driver:

1. Boot using Recovery choice (when prompted by GRUB2), or use Live CD / Live USB installer
2. As root, create file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-radeon.conf with the following contents:blacklist radeon
3. Save the file and reboot.

Now you should be able to boot into Linux GUI / GNOME / X Server properly with the Intel Graphics card driver.

However even though you are using Intel graphics, the AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6770M graphics card is still powered on, consuming precious battery life.

To power off ATI Radeon HD card, as root, edit the file /etc/rc.local and append (before "exit 0") :

echo OFF > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch

Save the file and reboot. Now you should have better battery life.
To check the Intel / ATI switchable graphics power state you can use:

$ sudo cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch
0:IGD:+:Pwr:0000:00:02.0
1:DIS: :Off:0000:01:00.0

The "1:DIS: :Off" means the discrete graphics (ATI Radeon HD) is powered off, so it's deactivated and not consuming any power.

Right now pretty much everything (except the ATI Radeon HD graphics card, which I'm not interested in activating right now) is working on my notebook/laptop.

Next what we can also fix screen / backlight display brightness setting not working. Watch this space for updates. :-) UPDATE: Solution found!

Find tips to optimize your Ubuntu 11.04 in Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition) !

Firefox 5.0 Final Web Browser for Linux/Ubuntu Released

Ladies and gentlemen, a few minutes ago (June 20th) Mozilla unleashed the stable version of the highly anticipated Mozilla Firefox 5.0 web browser for Linux, Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

Yes! The final version of Firefox 5 is finally here, and it brings support for CSS animations, which will lead to amazing Web experiences. It also brings Location-Aware Browsing, channel switcher, performance and stability enhancements, and much more.

Mozilla Firefox 5.0 is supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, which means that it will run on any Linux distribution. However, Ubuntu 11.04 users will get a Firefox update on the official channels, very soon. Power up your Ubuntu 11.04 with Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition).

Mozilla Firefox 4.0 will no longer be updated, it will be replaced by the new Firefox 5.0, which in time will become Firefox 6, Firefox 7, and so on.

Highlights of Mozilla Firefox 5.0:

· Firefox channel switcher;
· Location-Aware Browsing;
· Support for CSS animations;
· Increased discoverability by using the Do-Not-Track header preference;
· Improved canvas;
· Improved JavaScript;
· Improved memory usage;
· Improved networking performance;
· Better spell checking;
· Better desktop environment integration;
· Better standards support for HTML5, MathML, SMIL, canvas, and XHR;
· Improved performance for background tabs;
· Overall performance and stability enhancements.

These are just a few of the nice features that Mozilla Firefox 5.0 will bring on your desktop. If you want to learn more about the new additions, changes from previous versions and other improvements, do not hesitate to visit the official Firefox 5.0 website.

We've tested the new Mozilla Firefox 5.0 web browser on the Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system.
Find tips to optimize your Ubuntu 11.04 in Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition) !

What are you waiting for? Grab Mozilla Firefox 5.0 binaries for Linux (32-bit and 64-bit) right now from Softpedia. Oh, and don't forget to visit our always up-to-date Firefox Extensions section for the latest add-ons!

Source: Softpedia

Linux Mint 11 "Katya" Ubuntu-based OS released

The Linux Mint development team has announced the release of version 11 of Linux Mint – the project's latest major release of its Ubuntu-based Linux distribution. Code-named "Katya", Linux Mint 11 is based on Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" and includes the 2.6.38 Linux kernel – Linux 2.6.39 was released one week ago.

I highly recommend Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition) for learning more about Linux Mint and Ubuntu.

Unlike the latest version of Ubuntu upon which it is based, the distribution features the GNOME 2.32 desktop environment, as well as the traditional Linux Mint desktop layout – Ubuntu uses Unity, developed in-house by the Ubuntu developers, as its default desktop. In an email, Linux Mint Founder and lead developer Clement Lefebvre previously told The H that the developers initially wanted to use GNOME 3, however, "With GNOME 2 we could rely on one of the most stable desktops available, full compatibility with GTK (on which most applications including our own tools are developed) and our current themes."

Linux Mint 11 features the GNOME 2.32 desktop environment, as well as the traditional Linux Mint desktop layout.

Other changes include a faster update manager with several user interface improvements, updates to the desktop settings tool, and a "much more polished" software manager. Software selection updates include replacing OpenOffice.org with the LibreOffice office suite, Banshee becoming the default music player and gThumb replacing F-Spot as the default photo application – Gwibber is no longer being installed by default.

Highlights of Linux Mint 11 :

• Based on Ubuntu 11.04
• Linux kernel 2.6.38
• No Unity shell
• GNOME 2.32.1
• One-click installer for multimedia codecs and extra apps
• Lots of improvements to The Software Manager tool
• Performance improvements to The Update Manager tool
• Various improvements to The Desktop Settings tool
• A new set of wallpapers
• mint-search-addon for Firefox 4, Chrome and Opera web browsers
• Removed Gwibber
• gThumb as default photo viewer
• Banshee as default music player
• LibreOffice 3.3 office suite
• Overlay scrollbars
• Updated Mint-X theme
• Added 'apt download' command
• Adobe Flash Player 10.2 plugin
• Lots of bug fixes

More details about the release, including a list of known problems, can be found in a post on the Linux Mint Blog, in the release notes and on the New features in Linux Mint 11 page. Linux Mint 11 is available to download as a CD or DVD ISO image file for 32- and 64-bit systems from the project's site. A user guide and upgrade instructions are provided. The OEM Edition provides the same features as the standard version, but without including proprietary software, patented technologies or support for restricted formats.

Linux Mint aims to be user friendly and to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including support for DVD playback, Java, plug-ins and various media codecs. It is currently the second most popular distribution on DistroWatch.com behind Ubuntu.

To learn more about Linux Mint and Ubuntu, the book Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition) is highly recommended.

(Article copied mostly verbatim from H Online announcement.)

Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" Linux OS Released

"Form and function are a unity, two sides of one coin. In order to enhance function, appropriate form must exist or be created."
   -Ida P. Rolf

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 11.04, code-named "Natty Narwhal". 11.04 continues Ubuntu's proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

To learn more about Ubuntu, check out Beginning Ubuntu Linux book from Apress.

For PC users, Ubuntu 11.04 supports laptops, desktops and netbooks with a unified look and feel based on a new desktop shell called "Unity". This version supersedes Ubuntu Netbook Edition for all PC netbooks.

Developer reference images are provided for select Texas Instruments (TI) ARM platforms, specifically the "PandaBoard" and "BeagleBoard".

Ubuntu Server 11.04 has made it easier to provision servers, and reduce power consumption.   Ubuntu Server 11.04 for UEC and EC2 has a new kernel and improved initialization and configuration options.

Read more about the features of Ubuntu 11.04 in the following press releases:

 http://www.canonical.com/content/ubuntu-transforms-your-pc-experience
 http://www.canonical.com/content/latest-ubuntu-offers-business-added-cloud-features-and-sleek-new-desktop-interface

 Standard maintenance updates will be provided for Ubuntu 11.04 for 18 months, through October 2012.

Thanks to the efforts of the global translation community, Ubuntu is available in 43 languages.  For a list of available languages and detailed translation statistics for these and other languages, see:

 http://people.canonical.com/~dpm/stats/ubuntu-11.04-translation-stats.html

Ubuntu 11.04 is also the basis for new 11.04 releases of Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu:

       Kubuntu  http://kubuntu.org/news/11.04-release
       Xubuntu  http://xubuntu.org/news/11.04-release
      Edubuntu  http://edubuntu.org/news/11.04-release
     Mythbuntu  http://mythbuntu.org/11.04/release
 Ubuntu Studio  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/11.04release_notes

To Get Ubuntu 11.04

To download Ubuntu 11.04, or obtain CDs, visit:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download

Users of Ubuntu 10.10 will be offered an automatic upgrade to 11.04 via Update Manager. For further information about upgrading, see:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/upgrade

As always, upgrades to the latest version of Ubuntu are entirely free of charge.

We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document caveats and workarounds for known issues.  They are available at:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes

 Find out what's new in this release with a graphical overview:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/whats-new
 http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/features

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but aren't sure, you can try asking in any of the following places:

 #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net
 http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
 http://www.ubuntuforums.org/
 http://askubuntu.com/

Helping Shape Ubuntu

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

About Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, netbooks and servers, with a fast and easy installation and regular releases.  A tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.

Professional services including support are available from Canonical and hundreds of other companies around the world.  For more information about support, visit:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/support

More Information

To learn more about Ubuntu, check out Beginning Ubuntu Linux book from Apress.

You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this release on our website:

 http://www.ubuntu.com/

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's very low volume announcement list at:

 http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce/

Kate Stewart,
on behalf of the Ubuntu Release Team

(copied mostly verbatim from Ubuntu announcement)

KDE 4.6 Graphics Glitches / Screen Refresh Bug Fix for Intel/GMA VGA Card

The redraw of many widgets when using the KWin doesn’t work correctly:

1. In Firefox if I scroll down the page, the page is not redraw correctly. I have to move the mouse all over the page to remove the broken text.
2. Shell window is not updated properly

If you have experience these symptoms with KDE 4.6 under Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat with an Intel graphics card, then there is a quick fix:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:glasen/intel-driver sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

It fixed it for me at least.
My intel graphics card on Asus U35JC:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 18)

Sources:
KDE Forum

Ubuntuku.org

Copied Verbatim from KDE 4.6 screen refresh bug fix for intel graphics card!

How to Upgrade to Firefox 4.0 for Ubuntu

To upgrade Ubuntu to Firefox 4.0, click Applications > Accessories > Terminal then type:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable
sudo apt-get update ; sudo apt-get upgrade

Enjoy!

Fixing "(EE) Intel(0): No kernel modesetting drivers detected" on Intel GMA 945G

A computer in one Tuneeca muslim fashion office is a Intel i945 system with Intel GMA 945G (Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02) ) graphics card that doesn't work out-of-the-box in Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat.

X window system / desktop crashes/cannot start with the /var/log/Xorg.0.log log file as follows:

[     6.966] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for vesa
[     6.966] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for fbdev
[     6.966] (II) Loading sub module "fbdevhw"
[     6.966] (II) LoadModule: "fbdevhw"
[     6.967] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfbdevhw.so
[     6.967] (II) Module fbdevhw: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[     6.967]    compiled for 1.9.0, module version = 0.0.2
[     6.967]    ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 8.0
[     6.967] (EE) open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory
[     6.986] (EE) intel(0): No kernel modesetting driver detected.
[     6.986] (II) UnloadModule: "intel"
[     6.986] (EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.
[     6.986]
Fatal server error:
[     6.986] no screens found

It's possible to skip the problem by using vesa Driver. However there is a much better solution.

After trying many things, from boot options: i915.modeset=1, i915.modeset=0, nomodeset. It turns out the problem is ACPI.

Solution is adding acpi=force to the GRUB2 boot options.

Edit /etc/default/grub by running:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

and change:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

into:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi=force"

Then run:

sudo update-grub

Restart and now X desktop should work, and the PC is much faster (than with ACPI disabled).

References:

• http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10438656&postcount=6
• http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10438660&postcount=4
  
• https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/661645/comments/9

The lspci output:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ/P/PL Memory Controller Hub (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev e1)
00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation N10/ICH7 Family SATA IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02)