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 Toshiba Satellite U300 and U305 laptop. The Satellite U300 series is Toshiba's small screen laptop .

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Specifications

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo (models vary)
Screen	13.3" WXGA
RAM	2GB
HDD	200GB (models vary)
Optical Drive	DVD+-RW
Graphics	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (some models feature integrated 955)
Network	10/100 Ethernet, Intel 4965AGN 802.11abgn Wireless (some models vary), Bluetooth (some models)
Other	3 x USB2.0, 1 x Firewire, Webcam, Fingerprint Reader (some models)

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	See notes below
Bluetooth	Not Tested	See notes below
56K Modem	Not Tested
USB	Yes
Firewire	Not Tested
SD Card Reader	Yes
ExpressCard Slot	Not Tested
Webcam	Yes	See notes below
Fingerprint Reader	Yes

Notes

The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 found in the Satellite U300/305 has varying support depending on the distribution used. You may need to install an updated version of the i810 driver which you can find here. Check your Linux distribution to see if there is an easier way of installing the driver (Ubuntu has one).

The Intel 4965AGN can be difficult to configure depending on the Linux distribution used. For the easiest installation it is recommended you use a distribution which includes kernel 2.6.22 or greater. See the guide below for more details.

Some versions of the U300/U305 include the Intel 3945ABG rather than the Intel 4965AGN. See the guide below on how to configure this.

The U305--S7448 includes a chip identified as the Atheros AR5006EG, however it may not work (yet) with madwifi. It works with WinXP drivers under ndiswrapper. Search Google for instructions (with MDV2008.0 blacklist ath_pci, and download AR5006EG drivers from www.atheros.cz)

To get sound working the the U300/U305 you will need to add the following line to your /etc/modprobe.conf (or your distribution's equivalent) file:
options snd-hda-intel model=ref position_fix=1
However it's possible you already have a line that starts with options snd-hda-intel, in that case append model=ref position_fix=1 to the end of that line. Note: this procedure is not required with MDV2008.0 and the U305-S7448 (and probably others). Sound works out of the box
Working with Ubuntu Gutsy, a fix must be done, which is described here.

Webcam is identified as Chicony USB 2.0 Camera and works with uvcvideo driver. Automatic detection works with MDV2008.0 and demonstrated to work on Yahoo with Kopete.

Bluetooth may show "no bluetooth adapter" message in kbluetooth in Mandriva 2008 64bit, though I could swear that the live CD with the 32bit version was able to set up the icon in the non-grayed out form once.

Related Resources

Preparing your laptop for Linux
Configuring the ipw3945 driver for the Intel 3945ABG wireless controller
Configuring the iwl4965 driver for the Intel 4965AGN wireless controller
Increasing battery life

Summary

The Toshiba Satellite U300 and U305 laptop requires a bit of tinkering to get it working properly. It may be a difficult laptop to configure for inexperienced Linux users. However with the right distribution, it can be relatively easy. Specifically, Mandriva 2008.8 installs and detects most hardware (save the wifi) correctly the first time around.

If you are looking to purchase this laptop you can visit Toshiba's Satellite page.

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