forums.xandros.com

[machani]

BACKGROUND:
Xandros 4.1 (OCE) installed pretty painlessly on my Toshiba Satellite P100 laptop (model PSPA3C-SD300E), but I immediately noticed the following annoying issues:

(i ) The sound does not work unless you turn the laptop's Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) off. You can do this by changing the string "acpi=on" to "acpi=off" in /etc/lilo.conf and in /etc/devices/cmdappend.inf and then rebooting your laptop a couple of times. This is not a practical solution since, with ACPI off, the CPU fan runs all the time.

(ii) When you do manage to get the sound to work, its volume is low. This makes such things as watching DVD movies pretty impractical.

(iii) The behavior of the battery monitor is irratic. Often the battery monitor does not even display in the task bar and I would see a message in Control Center stating that certain ACPI components were not installed.

Thankfully, by googling for solutions and with some trial and error, I was able to resolve these issues without much difficulty.

(A fourth, minor annoyance is that with a Targus port replicator (model PA095, which Xandros 4.1 recognized) the laptop often does not power off after shutdown and the keyboard has "funky" behavior. This problem is resolved once the port replicator is removed and the external keyboard is connected directly to the laptop).

CAUSES OF THE PROBLEMS:
It turns out the cause of the sound not working is NOT due to a fault on part of Linux, but due to a buggy Differentiated System Description Table (DSDT) supplied by Toshiba. The issue with the low sound volume is due to the installed version of the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) driver not supporting Intel's 82801G (ICH7 Family) sound card properly. The battery monitor issue is due to the kernel's support for the laptop battery and charger being set up as modular.

TO FIX THE PROBLEMS:
Detailed instructions are given further down below. The following are the high level steps:

install the necessary tools from Xandros Networks,
download and install the Intel iASL compiler,
fix the buggy DSDT file,
enable relevant kernel compile options and rebuild the kernel to use the custom DSDT file,
install the new kernel and set up the LILO boot manager to use it, and
update the ALSA sound driver to fix the low sound volume issue.

CAUTION and WARNING:
It is necessary to check that your CPU and GPU fans work normally after installing an updated kernel or after making any modifications to your boot loader. Improper function of the CPU and/or GPU fans can make your laptop run hot and potentially cause damage.

My laptop's GPU fan can be recognized by its short, intense operation (a "whoosh" sound), whereas the CPU fan has a steady low intensity operation. With BIOS version 3.30, my laptop has no issues with either the CPU or the GPU fan before or after performing the fixes detailed further below.

FOR FURTHER READING:
1) Information on Toshiba Satellite P100/P105 series laptops: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_Toshiba_Satellite_P100
2) How to fix common ACPI problems: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Fix_Common_ACPI_Problems
3) Link to gentoo forum on fixing Toshiba laptop sound (See in particular ijontichy's and theta-delta's posts in pages 1 and 2) : http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-444743-postdays-0-postorder-asc-highlight-sndhdaintel+acpi-start-0.html
4) Link to Intel website to get IASL compiler: http://developer.intel.com/technology/iapc/acpi/downloads.htm
5) Link to DSDT repository (where you may find a fixed DSDT file for your Toshiba) : http://acpi.sourceforge.net/dsdt/view.php
6) Link to ALSA website: http://www.alsa-project.org/

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:

NOTE:
(i) Xandros 4.1 was installed in my Toshiba laptop using the "custom" mode with the "full desktop" setting. If you are in doubt, or have made changes to the defaults since installation, then I recommend backing up your data and re-installing Xandros 4.1.

(ii) All console window commands listed are in green and are case sensitive.

(iii) If you are experinced with Linux or Unix, you will probably use the vi or emacs editor when asked to edit a particular file. If you are new to Linux, you can edit files with the kwrite text editor which works like Notepad in Windows. For example, to edit a file called file_name, simply type:
kwrite file_name

1) Ensure that your laptop is connected to the internet.
2) Login to Xandros 4.1 as Administrator (root)
3) Download the necessary tools from Xandros Networks:
Run Xandros Networks (an icon on your desktop), select New Applications and install the following Development applications:

2.6.18 Kernel Source
2.6.18-smp Kernel Headers
C/C++ Development Tools
Debian Development Tools
KDE Development Tools

4) Install bison, flex and libncurses5-dev:
Open a console window and type:

apt-get install bison flex libncurses5-dev

5) Install Intel's ACPI Source Language (iASL) compiler:
Run the FireFox browser and download the "ACPI CA - Unix Build Environment" from here: http://www.intel.com/technology/iapc/acpi/downloads.htm. Save the download file (acpica-unix-20061109.tar.gz) under /usr/src. Now, open a console window and type the following to build the iasl application:

cd /usr/src
tar -xvzf acpica-unix-20061109.tar.gz
cd acpica-unix-20061109/compiler
make

The build should begin and fail, giving you some error messages which include:

[nugh]

I'm new in the forum and new linux user too.
I have a toshiba P105SP921 and when I terminated to install xandros I don't hear nothing.

I try to fix de sound problem follow your instructions, but when I type a "make" command after entered in compiler folder, don't appear any error message like
`yytext_ptr' undeclared

and if I try to open the aslcompilerlex.c file the kwriter opened but don't see nothing, only white page.
I see in the folder /usr/src/acpica-unix-20061109/compiler but in there I not see any file named aslcomplierlex.c

Can you/yours help my please?

thank's

[nugh]

this is the message error give me after type "make" command:
XANWEB:/usr/src/acpica-unix-20061109/compiler# make
cc -Wall -O2 -Wstrict-prototypes -D_LINUX -DACPI_ASL_COMPILER -I../include -c -o aslcompilerparse.o aslcompilerparse.c
make: cc: Command not found
make: *** [aslcompilerparse.o] Error 127

[nugh]

Hi,
I fix the problem with aslcompilerlex, but now I have another.
When I should change the DSDT.dsl file, this file look very different from the file posted in http://vosek.com/dsdt.dsl
and don't present any string with Method (EVNT, 1, NotSerialized)

I try to copy the correct text file in my DSDT.dsl file and compile it. work fine but, when I reach the point after modified the lilo.conf this is the error I recive when I type "lilo" comand:
Added Xandros_4_Home_Edition_Premium *
Added Safe_Video_Mode
Added Configure_(Expert)
Added Windows®_XP
Fatal: Illegal 'root=' specification: /dev/sda6
I don't have any sda6 file.
I think the problem was in DSDT.dsl file, but I don't kwon why this file is so different from the correct file.

anybody help me please?

[nugh]

Hi, after one day full immersion I make it and now my p105 "sound's good"

Thak you very much MACHANI for your great guide!!!
Bye

[machani]

[machani]

[nugh]

Hi machani!

not a problem for the "dev/sda6", I'am completely new in linux world and I have followed yours instructions like a novice. I encountered some problems but I solve it, that's is the best way to knowledge.

I really interesting in your other problem fix
1) Got rid of the annoying "PCI: cannot allocate resourse..." boot messages
2) Upgraded to latest nVidia driver
3) Installed latest version of CodeWeaver Crossover office (6.1)
4) Installed MS Office 2003 and IE6
5) Got the DVD player (XINE) to play encrypted DVDs
6) Got 3DDesktop working

I wait for your post.

bye

[aa5gp]

The recompiled DSDT and lastest Alsa drivers give me sound now.
However, my midi doesn't work. Was your fix suppose to get the midi working as well?

Thanks and Regards,


aa5gp

I got my midi working. It was just a matter of downloading all the ALSA packages for an Intel-HDA and installing/configuring as appllicable...

[machani]

[jtad]

For the method below, I think the fix should be to add a "Return (Zero)" after the while loop not as an else for the if inside the while loop. This looks like the intention of the code is to keep waiting till VZOK = 0x01. The else added will break that

Code:
Method (EVNT, 1, NotSerialized)
{
While (VZOK)
{
If (LEqual (VZOK, 0x01))
{
Store (Arg0, VZOK)
Notify (\_SB.VALZ, 0x80)
Return (Zero)
}
Else
{
Sleep (0x05)
Return (Zero)
}
}
}

Should be

Search for "EVNT" and add the extra "Return (Zero)" as shown below to Else part of the the "EVNT" method.
Code:
Method (EVNT, 1, NotSerialized)
{
While (VZOK)
{
If (LEqual (VZOK, 0x01))
{
Store (Arg0, VZOK)
Notify (\_SB.VALZ, 0x80)
Return (Zero)
}
Else
{
Sleep (0x05)
}
}

Return (Zero)

}

[Kenneth Shadowbane]

Now edit the file called Makefile and set the EXTRAVERSION parameter to point to -dcc-smp. (Again, use your favorite editor). So the first five lines of Makefile should now look like:
Quote:
VERSION = 2
PATCHLEVEL = 6
SUBLEVEL = 18
EXTRAVERSION = -dcc-smp
NAME=Avast! A bilge rat!

Now type:

cp /boot/config-2.6.18-dcc-smp .config
make oldconfig
make xconfig

--------------------------------------------------------------
which makefile are you supposed to do this with?

I am not sure why, but after i type the above code i get this error message

/usr/src/linux# cp /boot/config-2.6.18-dcc-smp .config
cp: cannot stat `/boot/config-2.6.18-dcc-smp': No such file or directory

I also tried it this way and got an error code.

/usr/src/linux# cp /boot/config-2.6.18-dcc-smp.config
cp: missing destination file

any help you can give would be awesome.

[aa5gp]

After I fixed the DSDT.dat, I downloaded all the ALSA packages for an Intel-HDA sound card and installed all the ones applicable to my PC and now all my sound card features work fine. Thanks for a job well done!

aa5g