This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which drivers you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required drivers have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.

Page Contents Introduction Editing This Page Specifications Linux Compatibility Notes Related Resources Summary

Introduction

This is a guide to running Linux with the Asus A8SC laptop.

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Specifications

Name	Asus A8SC
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz
Screen	14.1" WXGA
RAM	1GB
HDD	120GB
Optical Drive	DVD+-RW
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8400M
Network	10/100 Ethernet, Intel 3945 802.11g Wireless, Bluetooth
Other	5 x USB2.0, 1 x Firewire

Linux Compatibility

Device	Compatibility	Comments
Processor	Yes
Screen	Yes
HDD	Yes
Optical Drive	Yes
Graphics	Yes	See notes below
Sound	Yes	See notes below
Ethernet	Yes
Wireless	Yes	Use the ipw3945 driver
Bluetooth	Not Tested
56K Modem	Not Tested
USB	Yes
Firewire	Not Tested
Card Reader	Not Tested
ExpressCard Slot	Not Tested

Notes

The NVIDIA GeForce 8400M in the Asus A8SC is not currently supported by the Xorg 'nv' driver. You will need to install the nvidia proprietary driver for the 8400M to work. See the guide below for details.

On many Linux distributions sound doesn't work unless you compile and install the latest ALSA drivers. At least version 1.0.15rc3 is needed. Some distributions, like Ubuntu 7.10, doesn't require this.

Related Resources

Preparing your laptop for Linux
Configuring a nVidia graphics chip
Configuring the audio
Configuring the ipw3945 driver for the Intel 3945ABG wireless controller
Increasing battery life

Summary

A little bit of configuration knowledge is currently required for the Asus A8SC to function well under Linux. However newer distributions should fully support this laptop as standard.


Have you installed Linux on this laptop? If so how about leaving a comment about your success in the comments section below.