This is a guide to running Linux with the Dell Latitude E6400 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 E6400. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the Dell Latitude E6400 page on LapWik.
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For full specifications see the Dell Latitude E6400 specifications page.
| Name | Dell Latitude E6400 |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz |
| Screen | 14.1” WXGA Widescreen |
| RAM | up to 8GB |
| HDD | up to 500GB SATA; 256GB SSD |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW |
| Graphics | NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M |
| Network | Ethernet, Intel 5100 802.11abgn, Bluetooth |
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| HDD | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | Yes | |
| Graphics | Yes | |
| Sound | Yes | |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Depends on configuration, see text | |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Ubuntu 9.04 |
| USB | Yes | |
| Firewire | Not Tested | |
| Card Reader | Yes | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | |
| Camera | Yes |
The NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M in the Dell Latitude E6400 is not supported fully by many Linux distributions and you will need to install the proprietary NVIDIA modules if you want 3D support from this graphic controller. Instructions for doing this on a few Linux distributions is available in the guides section here.
The Intel 5100 wireless controller is supported by Linux kernel version 2.6.27.
Some versions of this laptop include the Dell 1397 and 1510 wireless controllers. These are Broadcom based controller with poor support for Linux and should be avoided.
For sound support you will need to install ALSA 1.0.17 or greater. Most current Linux distributions do not include this so you will need to install it manually. See our guides section here for installation instructions on several distributions.
The main issue with the Dell Latitude E6400 is the wireless controller. You will need to wait until 2.6.27 of the Linux kernel is released to get proper support for this.