As you have noticed, installing Ubuntu 11.10 directly on the Toshiba L745D/P745D (A6-3400M) is not possible. There are a few problems that you must first resolve. First of all, the maximum amount of partitions is used – 4. Next, the AMD 6520g video card is not supported by the open source driver. And lastly there are some BIOS bugs that you must work around. Fortunately there is a work around for each problem and below you will find the steps required to get your notebook up and running with Ubuntu.
Partition Preparation
Before proceeding back up all of your data and the Toshiba drivers found in the Start menu under Toshiba.
Freeing up a partition for Ubuntu is not to difficult, and you actually have a quite a few options.
- During the first Windows 7 first boot select the option to delete the partition with the unused language.
- Wipe the drive entirely and install Ubuntu.
- Delete one restore partition (~13 GB).
- Download the GParted Live CD: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php
- Press Tab when the Live CD boots up, add the following at the end: radeon.modeset=0
- Use CloneZilla to back up your Windows partition, wipe your drive (your can use GParted), restore Windows, and then finally install Ubuntu.
Ubuntu Installation and Graphics Fix
- Download Ubuntu 11.04: http://releases.ubuntu.com/natty/
- Install Ubuntu 11.04, but don’t bother with the updates
- Install the proprietary fglrx driver by going into: System —> Administration –> Hardware Drivers
- Upgrade Ubuntu using the Update Manager
- Reboot
- Add the AMD compiz fix repository using Terminal:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:vanvugt/compiz
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
- Reboot
- Add the CompizConfig Settings Manager using Terminal:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager - Launch the CompizConfig Settings Manager from the Dash
- Click on the Composite icon
- Uncheck Detect Refresh Rate
- Set the Refresh Rate to 60
- Close the window
Ubuntu 11.10 should be installed and now working properly.
Kernel Enhancement
The AMD A6-3400M is a relatively new APU that is not fully optimized under the 3.0.0 kernel. I discovered that updating to the 3.1.0 kernel produced a significant performance improvement. You can download the latest kernel snapshot here:
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/daily/current/
Internal Microphone
The internal microphone will not work if you have Fast Boot enabled in the BIOS. If you install Ubuntu with Fast Boot enabled, you will have to reinstall it with Normal Boot enabled to get your microphone working. This is a BIOS bug, and Windows users will also experience the same problem.
Wireless Not Working After Resuming From Suspend
It seems that there is another BIOS bug relating to the LAN adapter where there is a conflict between the Atheros LAN adapter and the Realtek wireless adapter. This conflict doesn’t allow you to reconnect after you resume from suspend. To get around this bug disable the LAN adapter in the BIOS.
Issues
As of now there is only one remaining issue that needs to be fixed:
- the wireless and brightness hotkeys are not working
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/735756
This really isn’t an issue, as everything can be adjusted within Ubuntu.
Raul
January 23, 2012 at 5:50 am
It was really helpful,I was trying to figure out why I got a black screen whenever I started ubuntu 11.10. I am really grateful. My computer is a Toshiba L775D with an A6 3400M APU.
Thanks a bunch
phenix
February 11, 2012 at 4:56 am
I’ll try to reinstall 11.04, in fact PinguyOS 11.04, and go for the kernel upgrade, maybe it will help more with everything. Anyway, while still in 11.04 I cannot bring the mic. to work, even if I installed the OS with the normal boot selected in BIOS. I enhanced the internal amplifier at 40db (alsamixer in a terminal and following the keys suggested) and in vain. Only an external mic. would work (if I can say so) but so bad, so distorted and low… As I said, I’ll do a kernel upgrade with the hope it will help. BTW, the sound card, codec: ATI R6xx HDMI, and from Toshiba site: Conexant CX 20587-11Z software sound!!!
phenix
February 11, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Did all the steps 1-13 you described in the Ubuntu Installation and Graphics Fix, here above. It installed the kernel 2.6.38-13 (I had before the -9). Only difficulty was to find the Composite icon at step 10: I supposed it was the General Options icon, Display Settings tab, and found there and changed all the settings you described at step 11 & 12.
Tried after that to upgrade to 11.10 from the DVD choosing install (directly), but screen went dark and didn’t came back when the DVD stopped turning. Pressed shut down button on the computer (who should have enabled the shut down menu, I couldn’t see) than pressed Enter (the first option in this menu is shut down, so it should have taken it, even if I could see nothing) and it stopped.
Also tried to install the kernel 3.3.0 (latest at this moment). Downloaded the image (36MB) and installed it. Reboot and screen kept to change its colour from totally black to something dark too, like it was looking for the good video drive and couldn’t get it. Forced reboot and entered the previous kernel (2.6.38-13) option from the grub. After that, uninstalled the kernel 3.3.0 from the Synaptic Package Manager (option complete removal). Reboot and all was fine.
Now, I did all that hoping the mic. will start to work. It didn’t. And all was installed (from the very beginning) with the boot set in BIOS to the normal boot option. Can’t Skype!
JB
March 13, 2012 at 8:20 pm
Muchas gracias, estuve buscando informacion al respecto y no habia encontrado nada, la informacion fue de mucha utilidad, saludos…
Tito Reista
April 7, 2012 at 4:59 pm
buntu bener . .
Anonymous
April 10, 2012 at 10:55 am
thanks dude. but can you give more details on the partitioning procedure?