Ubuntu on Dell D630

From Smop.co.uk

This isn't going to be a detailed D630 guide, just the essential details.

Contents 1 Hard disk errors 2 No sound 3 Wireless 4 External monitor

Hard disk errors

If you keep getting these:

[  104.302163] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x2 SAct 0x5 SErr 0x0 action 0x2 frozen
[  104.302178] ata1.00: (spurious completions during NCQ issue=0x0 SAct=0x5 FIS=
004040a1:00000008)
[  104.302191] ata1.00: cmd 60/48:00:cb:82:39/00:00:03:00:00/40 tag 0 cdb 0x0 da
ta 36864 in
[  104.302195]          res 40/00:18:bb:e8:1d/00:00:04:00:00/40 Emask 0x2 (HSM v
iolation)
[  104.302208] ata1.00: cmd 60/08:10:2b:77:71/00:00:04:00:00/40 tag 2 cdb 0x0 da
ta 4096 in
[  104.302211]          res 40/00:18:bb:e8:1d/00:00:04:00:00/40 Emask 0x2 (HSM v
iolation)

Workaround is to add to /etc/rc.local:

echo 1 > /sys/block/sda/device/queue_depth

Either reboot or run that command as root.

No sound

See the Ubuntu wiki (method G):

• sudo aptitude install linux-backports-modules-generic
• add to somewhere in /etc/modprobe.d/ (I personally have a local file):
  • options snd-hda-intel model=dell-m42
• either reboot or remove and reload sound:
  • lsmod | awk '/snd/ {print $1}' | rmmod
  • modprobe snd-hda-intel
• suspend/resume works fine

• No microphone
  • some people say it works (barely), but I can't get it working at all
  • see #131133 and #153119
• Update: partial success - it works, quality is fine, but I have to use an external mic:
• run alsamixer
  • set Digital Input Source (on playback screen!) to Analog Inputs (not Digital Input 1 as most people do)
  • capture the "Capture" device (not "Capture 1" device)
  • set "Digital" device sound to about two-thirds - any higher and it distorts badly
  • set "Capture" device to zero (if you set it higher you also get distortion)

Wireless

The wireless broke overnight for me, I may try the iwl drivers instead of the ipw3945. I've not had this happen since FWIW. Wireless does suspend/resume fine (you can stop acpi-support from downing the interface and unloading the module if you like).

External monitor

This is a real problem - I'm currently having to swap between two xorg.conf's. xrandr doesn't detect the monitor at all.