I got 2 questions concerning Debian Etch: 1) Does it work out-of-the-box with my laptop? Configuration: Intel pro/Wireless 3945ABG network, ATI Radeon X1600 mobility, Intel PRO/1000 PM network. 2) Can I use a netinstall with the wireless PRO/3945ABG network card, or do I need a different version of Debian setup?
I know you have to use a normal hardwired network when you do the netinstall. You cant do it wireless.
Well you'll need to install the ATI graphics driver manually, don't know about your hardware. Just try it I guess.
Okay, so I'll need the offline method. Sure, I can install the ATI graphics driver. How about the Intel PRO/Wireless 3549ABG wifi adapter? Does this work with Debian out-of-the box? Because I need that device working to get an internet connection. It does work on Ubuntu Feisty after installation.
Well done for choosing Debian. I love mine..... now even more when they decided to finally give up their long obsession with Gnome.... meh. Anyway, wireless will not work out of the box. In fact it might not work later either.... no only joking. But joking aside, wireless can be a bit disheartening to get going. Obviously you have your preferences but this is what I did recently: Using wire connection, download the latest stable or testing, KDE (YES!!!!!), net install images (took me about 20-30 min). Burnt and installed. The net install is quick. Anyway, to round it all up, personally, I will go for the net install image. I find it much quicker and easier. As for ATI drivers.... AMD have got LInux drivers on their site for ATI cards. Check it out - Drivers & Software you will need to install yourself. Never worked for my (Mobility FireGL 9000) but hey.... I am not a good example. Otherwise, you might find a driver from a Debian repo..... maybe one of the testing ones? Welcome home!
If it works in Ubuntu you should be able to get it to work in Debian (even if it doesn't work out-of-box) as Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian
I got wireless working by first compiling the Mac80211 subsystem and then installing the Intel drivers. The wireless works fine now (I did need to put a startup script in /etc/init.d). I also got the graphics card working (In 2D mode). I'll have to wait until AMD has the improved graphics driver ready. There is a problem however, Debian forgets the time. It was set to the correct time zone, but the time was 2 hours to late. When I change it and then reboot, the time has been reset. Also sometimes when changing the time, I see a black screen and nothing happens anymore
No, the clock works still great on Windows. I'm having this problem on 3 PCs, and even on a virtual pc.
If the time's off on Linux but not Windows, one OS may be set to a different timezone than the other. And even if the timezone is correct, if you chose to use UTC during the setup phase, Windows doesn't obey UTC, only local time. I recommend only using the Unix-style UTC clock if your system will not be multibooting with a primitive DOS-minded OS like Windows or OS2.
I've made a dual boot with XP and Debian on a whole different PC, and the times there are correct. That pc has a Geforce card, while the other PCs with the wrong time have an ATI card. Could it also have anything to do with that? Also, when I want to change the wrong time, I see a black screen and I'll need to reboot. This issue also happens when I install Debian on VirtualBox as the only OS.
