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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 .
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.
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| Name | Toshiba Satellite U300-U305 |
| 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) |
| 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 | |
| Card Reader | Yes | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | |
| Camera | Yes | See notes below |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
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 module 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.
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.