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.

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

Introduction

This is a guide to running Linux with the Asus F3Jm laptop. The F3Jm notebook has a decent set of specifications but Linux compatibility is not the best at the moment.

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Specifications

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz
Screen	15.4" WSXGA+
RAM	1GB
HDD	120GB
Optical Drive	DVD+-RW
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
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	Yes
56K Modem	Not Tested
USB	Yes
Firewire	Not Tested
SD Card Reader	Yes
ExpressCard Slot	Not Tested
Webcam	Partial	Some support with the Syntek driver

Notes

You can use either the Xorg 'nv' or NVIDIA's 'nvidia' driver with the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600. Our installation guide for the nvidia driver can be found here, with the nvidia driver being needed for 3D support.

You will need to use ALSA version 1.0.14rc1 or higher for the audio to work on the Asus F3Jm. Since this is still a beta release most Linux distribution do not have it installed so manual installation is required. You will also need to add the following to the /etc/modprobe.conf (or your Linux distribution's equivalent) file:
options snd-hda-intel model=asus-laptop

The ethernet controller is not supported by default in most Linux distributions. You will need to manually download and install the r1000 driver which is available here. The r8169 driver in kernel version 2.6.19 should also support this controller when it is released.

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

Quite a bit of work is required for the Asus F3Jm to function properly under Linux. If you are not experienced with Linux this may be quite difficult. Future distribution releases should minimise/elimitate this issue.


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