Asus F3Ja
Created by: Bill Giannikos,Last modification on Mon 13 of Aug, 2007 [08:50 UTC]by Bill Giannikos
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.
Introduction
This is a guide to running Linux with the Asus F3Ja laptop. This is a middle of the range laptop from Asus but it definately more than usable. However its Linux support is below average.Editing This Page
View our Editing GuidelinesSpecifications
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz | |
| Screen | 15.4" WSXGA+ | |
| RAM | 1GB | |
| HDD | 120GB | |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW | |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 | |
| Network | 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Intel 3945 802.11g Wireless, Bluetooth | |
| Other | 4 x USB2.0, 1 x Firewire, Webcam | |
Linux Compatibility
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | Yes | |
| Graphics | Yes | |
| Sound | Yes | |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Yes | Use the ipw3945 driver |
| Bluetooth | Not Tested | |
| 56K Modem | Not Tested | |
| USB | Yes | |
| Firewire | Not Tested | |
| SD Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | |
| Webcam | Not Tested | |
Notes
Either the open source radeon driver or ATI's proprietary fglrx driver can be used with the ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 in the Asus F3Ja, with 3D support only being available in the fglrx. You may like to follow this guide for further configuration information.The audio controller in the Asus F3Ja only functions with ALSA 1.0.14rc1 or higher. Since no current Linux distribution includes this as standard you will need to install them yourself. You may also need to add the following like to your /etc/modprobe.conf (or your Linux distribution's equivalent) file:
options snd-hda-intel model=asus-laptop
The Asus F3Ja's ethernet port is only supported with the r1000 driver. Unfortunately since this is a proprietary driver most distributions refuse to include it. Therefore it will need to be installed manually. The driver can downloaded here. This has not yet been tested but the ethernet controller should be supported by the r8169 driver in the 2.6.19 kernel.
Related Resources
Preparing your laptop for LinuxConfiguring an ATI graphics chip
Configuring the audio
Configuring the ipw3945 driver for the Intel 3945ABG wireless controller
Increasing battery life
Summary
There is a little configuration work that needs to be done to get the Asus F3Ja working in Linux. However with some effort the F3Ja works well.Have you installed Linux on this laptop? If so how about leaving a comment about your success in the comments section below.
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