[tlinux-users:08696] Re: New User With A New Toshiba

Stephe I'm a old Linux user, but just user, I mean I'm not a developer, 
however in my experience GENTOO is the Linux distribution more flexible 
to install any thing that you wants or you need, but it is a little bit 
hard to do, but it is really very well documented at http://www.gentoo.org/
Anyway I suggest you to look for LIVE-CD's or LIVE-DVD's of any Linux 
distribution first to see if your drivers work with it or not, so you 
could start here http://www.linux.org/vendor/hardware/index.html and 
follow some research at Google.
If you need a more flexible installation procedure, you could try 
UBUNTU, SUSE or Sabayon, the last which is based on Gentoo, between 
others, but you will find in each one some difference to handle your 
drivers.
Under any of above distribution and logged in a console you can run :
lspci
lsusb
The first "lspci" will show you  the hardware detected providing useful 
information like this:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML 
and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 
943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 
943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High 
Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express 
Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express 
Port 3 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI 
Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI 
Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI 
Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI 
Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI 
Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface 
Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA 
IDE Controller (rev 02)
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 
Network Connection (rev 02)
03:0b.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 Cardbus Controller
03:0b.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCIxx12 OHCI Compliant 
IEEE 1394 Host Controller
03:0b.2 Mass storage controller: Texas Instruments 5-in-1 Multimedia 
Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
03:0b.3 Generic system peripheral [0805]: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 SDA 
Standard Compliant SD Host Controller

The second one "lsusb" will show you USB devices detected, connected and 
working in your machine like this:

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0483:2016 SGS Thomson Microelectronics 
Fingerprint Reader
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 047d:106a Kensington
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000

The information will show devices detected but it no means that it can 
works in your Linux system, then the ID number like 0483:2016 in my case 
for  my Fingerprint reader means vendor ID 0483 and Product ID 2016
Be careful with HARD DISK DRIVE, because in accordance with my 
experience a lot of user suffer several trouble due to miss 
configuration of their HARD DRIVE, so the system can not run and freeze 
halting the machine.
In my case, I have a Satellite U205-5057 which can not setup the 
Fingerprint reader yet, also I have some trouble with  Mass Storage 
device, some device can not be recognized.
I hope it be useful for you to start your venture in the nice free LINUX 
world.
Good luck
Sigfrido

Stephe wrote:
> I'm trying to go the Linux route, primarily because I want an 
> alternative to Microsoft. I'm willing to work for it, so I'm not 
> looking for Windows Substitute software - - I'm more than happy to go 
> to the mat with adding and subtracting things all manually.
>
> However, I'm having trouble finding drivers for my Toshiba Satellite 
> A135 S4527. The Toshiba Website doesn't seem have nay Linux support 
> for a Satellite Model later than A75 . . .  Do any of you users out 
> there know if any of the satellite models A75 or lower will have 
> drivers that will work on my machine?
>
> As I said, I'm new, and I know that I'm probably asking for help to do 
> what many of you would already know - - but one has to start somewhere.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
>
> Stephe Blake
>
>