This is a guide to running Linux with the Dell Latitude E5500 laptop.
This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which modules you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required modules have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.
This page is just for discussing using Linux on the Dell Latitude E5500. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the Dell Latitude E5500 page on LapWik.
If you would like to edit this page please first view our Editing Guidelines.
For full specifications see the Dell Latitude E5500 specifications page.
| Name | Dell Latitude E5500 |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 2.0GHz |
| Screen | 15.4” WXGA Widescreen |
| RAM | 1GB |
| HDD | 80GB |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW |
| Graphics | Intel 4500MHD Graphics Accelerator |
| Network | Ethernet, Intel 5100 802.11abgn, Bluetooth |
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| HDD | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | Yes | |
| Graphics | No | |
| Sound | Yes | |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | No | |
| Bluetooth | Not Tested | |
| USB | Yes | |
| Firewire | Not Tested | |
| Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested |
The Intel 4500MHD Graphics Accelerator in the Dell Latitude E5500 is not yet supported in Linux. This means that you will be forced to use the slow “vesa” driver for support which is far from ideal. It is expected that proper support will be available by the end of 2008.
The Intel 5100 wireless controller is also not yet supported by Linux. Support for this controller will be available in the upcoming kernel version 2.6.27.
For audio support you will need to install ALSA version 1.0.17 or higher. Since most Linux distributions do not include this as standard you will need to install it manually. See our guides section for installation instructions on several distributions
As it stands at the moment the Dell Latitude E5500 is not suitable for Linux. The current issues with the graphics and wireless makes this laptop nearly unusable but it is likely that we will start seeing Linux distributions supporting this laptop by the end of 2008.