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Linux on the Compaq Presario V5305WM

The following describes my experience configuring Linux (specifically Ubuntu 6.10 "Edgy Eft") on the Compaq Presario V5305WM. (This is the laptop that Wal-Mart sold for $398 early one morning in November, 2006.) There are also partial specifications at the end.

What Works

  • Widescreen 1280x800 video
  • Ethernet at 100 Mbps
  • Full Battery life indicator, with warnings and auto-shutdown
  • USB, including webcams that claim to be windows-only
  • Touchpad, including:
    • tap-to-left-click
    • Dedicated Vertical Scroll Area (very convenient, I can't live without it now)
  • CD burner
  • Audio
  • Dedicated buttons for audio
All told, this is even better than the last time I installed Linux on a laptop. Virtually everything worked, no tweaking needed to get these things working. Ubuntu rocks!.

What Doesn't Work

  • Horizontal Scroll Area on Touchpad

TODO

  • Disable screen locking on lid close. Right now, whenever you close the lid the screen locks. After re-opening the lid, I have to enter my password. FIXED: Run gconf-editor. Go to apps/gnome-power-manager. Uncheck "lock_on_blank_screen" and other "lock_" entries. Thanks to this forum posting and many others for finding this.

Power Consumption

Thanks to a Kill-A-Watt" electric meter, I know that this laptop consumes power at these rates:
  • Off, Charging: 45 Watts
  • On, Charging, Maximum Display Brightness: 65 Watts

Specifications

Compaq v5305wm Laptop
  • AMD Mobile Sempron 3300+ (2.0 GHz, 128KB L2 Cache)
  • 15.4" widescreen display (1280x800 resolution)
  • 512 MB 333MHz DDR RAM (384MB available after 128MB for video)
  • 60 GB disk space (5400 rpm)
  • 10/100 copper Ethernet

Last modified on 19 Aug 2007 by AO

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