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Lenovo G585
Introduction
This is a compatibility guide to running Linux with the Lenovo G585 laptop. If you have the Lenovo G585 and are running Linux on it please consider editing this page or adding a comment below with your compatibility details. By contributing you will help other people running this laptop or trying to make a decision on whether to buy it or not.
This page is just for discussing using Linux on the Lenovo G585. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the Lenovo G585 page on LapWik.
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Specifications
For full specifications see the Lenovo G585 specifications page.
| Name | Lenovo G585 |
| Processor | AMD Brazos 2.0 Dual-core, 18w and 9w: E2-1800 E1-1200 C60 |
| Screen | 15.6 HD screen (1366×768), 16:9 widescreen |
| RAM | Up to 16GB |
| HDD | Up to 1TB [320GB/500GB(5400rpm/7200rpm), 750GB(5400rpm), 1TB (5400rpm)] |
| Optical Drive | Integrated DVD reader/writer or Blue-ray Disc drive |
| Graphics | Up to integrated AMD Radeon HD 7370 |
| Network | Ethernet NIC: 10/100M 802.11n Wi-Fi |
Linux Compatibility
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Works | |
| Screen | Works | |
| HDD | Works | |
| Graphics Chip | Works | Install the AMD proprietary drivers for best results. |
| VGA Out | Not Tested | |
| HDMI Out | Not Tested | |
| Optical Drive | Works | |
| Sound | Works | |
| Headphone Port | Not Tested | |
| Microphone-In Port | Not Tested | |
| Ethernet | Works | |
| Wireless | Works depending on hardware | Some models of the G585 comes with an Atheros controller which doesn't appear to work with Linux |
| Bluetooth | Not Tested | |
| USB | Works | |
| Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| Webcam | Not Tested | |
| Keyboard | Works | |
| Fingerprint Reader | Not Tested | |
| Suspend/Resume | Works |
Notes
Summary
If you can avoid the Atheros wireless controller then the Lenovo G585 works well with Linux.
Discussion
I installed mint 14 cinnamon. Everything worked fine, except from the wlan card. It's not recognized at all, its the Atheros AR9485WB-EG. Its a known issue with this wifi card on linux.
opensuse 12.2 works, but it was way more work than I had expected froma Lenovo
laptop. Alas, trouble-free seems only to hold for their thinkpad series …
Problem 1:
We wanted to keep the pre-installed windows 7 around, but opensuse couldn't shrink
windows C:
Solution:
perform the actions described in the first answer of
http://askubuntu.com/questions/25221/how-to-shrink-windows-partition-with-unmovable-files-in-dual-boot-installation
then press the Windows + R keys and type diskmgmt.msc
then shrink c: to the desired size.
Problem 2:
Opensuse still claims it can't coexist with W 7, problem is the bootmanager grub2
that can't handle EFI
Solution: disable EFI in BIOS ….. wired if you think about it
Problem 3:
opensuse still wants to delete Windows as it uses up all 4 primary partitions
(for boot, C:, D:, and system recovery)
Solution: first create W7 recovery DVDs (after installing all updates) then
move the driver-directory to c: (just in case).
As booting W 7 still worked for me → delete d: partition
(and create extended partition during opensuse install)
then followed a rather normal Opensuse 12.2. install.
Last problem: X-server works only in the fallback mode (chose during boot):
Solution: install proprietary AMD drivers as described in
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:AMD_fglrx
(I used the 1-click install 64 bits)
Post installation problem:
our daughter enjoys her new laptop by listening to Rihanna on youtube.
Solution: none known
the gardener
Lubuntu 12.10 from the live CD (amd64), everything works. Wifi, graphics, etc.
Now installing on disk, and will see.
Lenovo Laptop : G585GRBCTXC602G………..
Report :
–RHEL 5 not supported - Graphics problem . The Linux get installed in text mode by default.
–Fedora 14 supported only. There is no Linux driver available.
–No driver available for Windows 2008 Server.
Recommendation :
Lenovo company should build the Linux driver instead of Machine diagnostic software.
I tried to install Fedora 17 on this laptop from the live CD (x86_64) and it fails to start the Graphic installer (probably problems with the graphic card drivers). To install it I had to use the text installer (provided on the full Fedora 17 DVD) but this is not a solution for beginners (requires for example partitioning the HD with gdisk and other command line operations).