Acer Aspire 4820TG TimelineX Thread

[moviglez]

Problem with VGA switching with kernel 2.6.35 (Ubuntu 10.10) and BIOS 1.18 install Ubuntu Control Centre 0.5.1 http://sites.google.com/site/ubuntuc...nter/downloads

-Changelog-

* Fixed error with opengl performance
* New VGA Switching Module (needs kernel 2.6.35)
* New category icons
* Small fixes on the interface

See this video http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php...8&postcount=14

Thanks :]

[RavensKrag]

Haven't been on this thread in a while, but it seems as if everything is going well for my fellow Acer users. However, one question. Has anyone been able to get 3D acceleration on the ATI card? I have a kernel with the switch, and can switch to it, but I do not know if I will get any 3D support.

I assume the open source drivers in-kernel work, but has anyone tried the latest proprietary ATI driver?

(I would like to be able to play games in linux again ^_^

[daveboy23]

HI,
Actually I can make a summary by myself also because after the new bios installation I do not have anymore the battery problem and the enable wi-fi issue.
For what is concerning the problem with the microphone I have upgraded to the ALSA version 1.0.23 but the record voice in Skype is still noisy!

Anybody has any idea on how to fix the mic?

A part of the skype issue now I can use my new Lin-Laptop!

yap, i actually searched for that myself - here's the solution: go to skype and disable the automatic sound adjust thing then go to terminal - type alsamixer, press F4 (capture tab) - so to capture and put it all the way up (or to a volume you like) then (on the same column) press 'y' till you completely mute the left channel. now skype works. problem - if you change the volume from the pulse you loose this configuration so take care.

[daveboy23]

i've checked this thread (didnt read everything i admit but most of it) and it seems to me like i'm the only one who can't install the ATI drivers. i've tried installing the proprietary drivers in ubuntu 10.10 and the same thing happened - when i boot, after the splash screen i'm dropped into the terminal (in other words - now i don't have any graphics, windows etc.) so, how can i fix that one? and is there a way to install the ATI?

[marm0tte]

Hello,


The same story arrive to me


When you start your computer and the boot loader grub appears, choose the kernel in recovery mode (named Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-22-generic (recovery mode))

After, choose to start the graphical interface in degraded mode (don't remember exactly the name)
GNOME + XORG will show you the graphic interface and you will be able to uninstall the ATI Properatery drivers.


I don't search to install it anymore after this problem, but the open source driver for ATI is pretty good and fast so I will keep them

[RavensKrag]

Hello,
I don't search to install it anymore after this problem, but the open source driver for ATI is pretty good and fast so I will keep them

You say the driver is "good and fast" which is great to hear, but do you have 3D support? ie, can you enable desktop effects?

(Now that I think about it, I suppose I could just switch over and check, but I believe I'm running a slightly older kernel, so I might not get the same results.)

[marm0tte]

If you are under ubuntu 10.10 so by default, you will have the same kernel as me (2.6.35-22-generic).

The radeon (open source driver) of the ATI Radeon HD 5600 video card enable 3D effects. Compiz for exemple works like a charm. I've also install gnome-shell and it works.

[RavensKrag]

If you are under ubuntu 10.10 so by default, you will have the same kernel as me (2.6.35-22-generic).

The radeon (open source driver) of the ATI Radeon HD 5600 video card enable 3D effects. Compiz for exemple works like a charm. I've also install gnome-shell and it works.

Wow, that's great news. I unfortunately have been very busy, so I'm still using 10.4 with kernel 2.6.34-1 which I compiled myself. Does the kernel in 10.10 have the VGA Switcheroo and everything compiled in already as well? Compiling a kernel is quite time consuming and I hope I don't have to do that again.

For clarification, which should help daveboy23 as well as myself, you mean the Radeon driver in the kernel right? By this I mean that you did not have to install a separate driver. If I am correct, the ATI driver provided though jockey (the driver installation script-thing) does not have kernel mode setting. What this basically boils down to is that it will not work with hybrid cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5650.

[marm0tte]

Yes, switcheroo is integrated in the kernel 2.6.35 provided in maverick by Canonical

I've installed the ucc (ubuntu control center) that moviglez recommends and it's a pretty useful application. If you go in the category Hardware you will found a tool named VGA switching ... but it doesn't works

So, I've follow this thread : http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21979

These commands works and switch the VGA between ATI and Intel cards

sudo su
mount -t debugfs none /sys/kernel/debug
cd /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo
cat switch # to see which card is active
echo DDIS > switch # to go to discrete card (log off and then log in after this command)
echo DIGD > switch # to go to integrated card (log off and then log in after this command)
echo OFF > switch # to just poweroff the card you aren't using


I will really appreciate if someone know a tool or a widget to do that stuff more friendly

[snarf77]

Hi All,

Great thread for happy owner of this laptop...

I'm still working on Ubuntu 10.04 since I bought this laptop and I follow this thread with interest. I'm planning to move on 10.10 in a few days but I'm not sure to fully understand if with this new version a BIOS update is still necessary or not ?

If it is does anyone has a good link on how to update the BIOS. I looked on Acer website but only found an ISO CD supposed to then load the right version but is this the way you proceed ? how to be sure to get the correct version (do you need to download it before ? where ??)

Sorry for stupid question but I'm not to familiar with that.

Thanks

Snarf