Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On 30/05/2015, John Aten welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J Hello. Whilst the query is apparently, relatively long, it is vague and unclear. An important point, is where (in which country), you are located. Also, the above text does not include whether you want to run an external monitor (this sometimes, in itself leads to problems, depending on the hardware and the operating system and available drivers). Now, as an example of the need for such information, one of the computers that I have purchased in the last year, is an Acer laptop, with 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB HDD, for about 400AUD (I am in australia, as is shown in my signature. The price would be equivalent to about 300USD, given the present exchange rate, depending on the government and other charges. The computer came with MS Win8 preinstalled, which required the HDD to be reconfigured, which resulted in the MS Win8 installation taking up about 250GB of the HDD, due to the unmovable files. In the text above, I believe you did not specify the minimum HDD capacity, or, other hardware specifications, that you require. the remianing 250GBN of HDD space, therefore, may or may not be adequate for you. Installing Debian was relatively simple; using the inferior system Setup Utility, the boot system was switched from UEFI, to Legacy, and the installation was, as usual, relatively simple. So, depending on your wants and needs, such a computer may fill your needs. Or, it may not. You need to be more specific in your specificantions requirements. Also, you need to specify which version(s) of Debian Linux, you want to install and run. I also have a super-dooper Acer laptop, that cost me about 2000 AUD, with an i7 CPU and 32GB of RAM. It is powerful, and, after 18 months, I am still trying to get it set up to operate the way that I want, with the functionality that I want. Whether you want or need something like that one, is not clear, from your message above, due to the lack of detail. In this, the proverb in my signature, is useful - clear statement of requirements, is needed. -- Bret Busby Armadale West Australia .. So once you do know what the question actually is, you'll know what the answer means. - Deep Thought, Chapter 28 of Book 1 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy In Four Parts, written by Douglas Adams, published by Pan Books, 1992 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/cacx6j8p2nxlv+6mne+rea+1tg0fgrasonyptat4lsx2ijwk...@mail.gmail.com
Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
John Aten writes: Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Well, some of the cheap Acer Chromebooks come with i3 processors and are more than adequate for what you describe. -- Juha -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/21865.23618.172795.142...@lohi.tutpro.com
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
Hi. On Fri, 29 May 2015 23:37:19 -0400 Doug dmcgarr...@optonline.net wrote: On 05/29/2015 10:38 PM, Robert Crawford wrote: On May 29, 2015 7:04 PM, John Aten welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com mailto:welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J John, I just bought a Dell Latitude D810, I installed 80gb ide hard drive. It came with 512mb ram. I've install a 512 module until my other ram comes in. I 2gb ordered (total 768mb). I installed Xubuntu 14.04.1 on it. It has a single core CPU. Ethernet and WiFi works. I got everything from EBay. This was a low cost laptop. I'm very happy with it. If you want dual core sata hd, look for a latitude D820-D830 series. Robert I If you buy a Dell with Windows 7 installed on it, you'd better try and use Windows to shrink the partition and make room for Linux. … You just by an extra 3.5'' form-factor disk and replace the stock one. Next you install Debian at the new disk, and keep the old one in case you need your notebook repaired. Which measure: a) Saves you the trouble of running Windows and re-partitioning the drive. b) Ensures that those sneaky repair guys would not be able to do highly questionable stuff which includes, but not limited to: - Copying your data. - Completely destroying your custom partitioning *and* your Debian installation by re-installing aforementioned Windows. It's impossible to dual-boot this way, of course. Reco -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20150530103135.d1a07a3f6b11256b27ade...@gmail.com
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On 30/05/15 17:31, Reco wrote: If you buy a Dell with Windows 7 installed on it, you'd better try and use Windows to shrink the partition and make room for Linux. … You just by an extra 3.5'' form-factor disk and replace the stock one. Next you install Debian at the new disk, and keep the old one in case you need your notebook repaired. 3.5 or 2.5? I thought only desktop replacements had 3.5 drives. I think I did similar with the Panasonic I have, bought a new 1TB to replace the 500GB drive and a 2.5 drive case. Loaded fresh 64-bit Windows 7 and Gentoo onto the 1TB drive (the OEM image was 32-bit Win7) and kept the original disk external. I think it wound up being reformatted and used as an off-site backup drive for my web server in the end when one of my existing disks for that purpose developed faults. So there is merit in that suggestion: you get an external HDD that you can use in the meantime and an upgrade at the same time. -- Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL) I haven't lost my mind... ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/55696b03.3030...@longlandclan.yi.org
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On 30/05/15 10:03, John Aten wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I don't recall the full specifications but my father's laptop recently started showing signs of failure so I bought what looked to be the closest equivalent, a Toshiba Satellite L50. http://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/Products-details.phtml?id=id2=66bid=2sid=191907Toshiba%20SATPro%20L50%20PSKTBA-001001%20L50%20i5-4210U,%2015.6 The rough specs: - Intel Core i5 4210U - 4GB RAM (takes low-voltage DDR3) - 750GB HDD It came pre-loaded with Windows 7 Pro and had Windows 8.1 discs in the box. One thing I found though was that the Windows resize tool wouldn't let me shrink the OS image down to make room for a separate D: partition. So I network-booted the thing into Ubuntu 12.04 to use gParted. This worked fine, and on rebooting and doing a disk check, Windows 7 was happy too. Under Ubuntu I was able to try the machine out a little: - Wifi was Atheros-based and JustWorked. - I think the machine features two GPUs, an Intel one and an AMD Radeon one, the Intel one JustWorked, I didn't try any serious 3D stuff that would call on the other. - Ethernet of course worked too (otherwise it'd have trouble network booting) Everything seemed to be doing as advertised. The worst case I'd imagine would be having to download non-free firmware for the wifi, but it otherwise worked with standard drivers on the Ubuntu LiveCD. I don't see Debian as being a particular problem. The only downside with this machine, and it was a big disappointment was the build quality seems to have suffered a bit with the race to the bottom. I bought an 8GB RAM module to up it to 12GB (the previous machine had 8GB total, so I thought I'd either equal or better it). There's no dedicated hatch for HDD or RAM. To get at the RAM slot, you have to take out 12 (I think?) screws and release 4 hidden catches to remove the *entire* bottom panel. Out of the box (before I opened it) the machine rattled a bit: on opening the box I found a loose screw (!) near one of the screen hinges. I think the race to the bottom has hurt all the manufacturers. Other than that though, the machine has been performing solidly for the last few months. So it seems it's a cheap and cheerful rather than a cheap and nasty laptop. The other option might be to look at Lenovo's offerings, there might be some Superfish-ridden ones that sellers will be trying to offload dirt cheap: the malware being easily removed with the Debian installer. ;-) Regards, -- Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL) I haven't lost my mind... ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/556965e3.40...@longlandclan.yi.org
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
Hi. On Sat, 30 May 2015 17:47:15 +1000 Stuart Longland stua...@longlandclan.yi.org wrote: On 30/05/15 17:31, Reco wrote: If you buy a Dell with Windows 7 installed on it, you'd better try and use Windows to shrink the partition and make room for Linux. … You just by an extra 3.5'' form-factor disk and replace the stock one. Next you install Debian at the new disk, and keep the old one in case you need your notebook repaired. 3.5 or 2.5? I thought only desktop replacements had 3.5 drives. A slip of the finger on my side. I meant 2.5. I think I did similar with the Panasonic I have, bought a new 1TB to replace the 500GB drive and a 2.5 drive case. Loaded fresh 64-bit Windows 7 and Gentoo onto the 1TB drive (the OEM image was 32-bit Win7) and kept the original disk external. I think it wound up being reformatted and used as an off-site backup drive for my web server in the end when one of my existing disks for that purpose developed faults. So there is merit in that suggestion: you get an external HDD that you can use in the meantime and an upgrade at the same time. That way it work too, of course. But keeping original disk intact saves you many questions from those service guys. Reco -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20150530105320.73bf3b9d559feef06acdc...@gmail.com
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
Hello, On 29-05-2015, John Aten wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J I would recommend the Libreboot X200[1] 1. http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/libreboot-x200/ Cheers, -- Konstantinos -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20150530122827.gb4...@caleana.l.bugeffect.com
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On 05/30/2015 03:25 AM, Stuart Longland wrote: The other option might be to look at Lenovo's offerings, there might be some Superfish-ridden ones that sellers will be trying to offload dirt cheap: the malware being easily removed with the Debian installer. ;-) I'll add a vote for Lenovo. I've been using Toshibas (earlier) and Dells (later) since laptops first became available. They've always been my daily drivers, so to speak. Years ago Toshibas with plasma displays and the early monochrome LCDs were built like tanks. I got knocked off a motorcycle from behind by a pickup driver's California mirror while carrying a Toshiba laptop in a backpack. I landed on top of the laptop in a great big mud puddle, breaking several ribs in the process. I partially disassembled the entirely intact case, rinsed everything with liberal application of alcohol, dried it all with a high speed fan, and used it without failure for another couple of years. I replaced it only because I needed a more powerful system. The next Toshiba fell apart in my hands within a few months. The Dell Inspiron and Latitude laptops I've used over the years have been downright heavy and flimsy, with failure-prone hinges and creaky keyboards and motherboards. (You can feel them bend a little when you pick them up.) Lots of hard drive and controller failures. (At least they stood by their warranty, but three motherboards and two hard drives on the top-end Latitude in three years was a bit annoying, even with next-day service.) I carry my systems everywhere and every day. If I had used these laptops under mechanically less stressful conditions they might have been fine. A laptop doesn't have to be tough if it's sitting on the same desk every day. But Lenovo -- now that's another story. I bought a T520i over the phone directly from Lenovo when the model first became available. They sold it to me without Windows, cheaper than the ones at their Web site because it didn't include the Microsoft tax. It has run like a train -- in the field at archeological digs, on planes and trains, on park benches, in cafes. It gets about 12-14 hours of solid use per day. The only failure was a key that broke when a student dropped a rock on the keyboard. Lenovo sent a free replacement keyboard with complete instructions for an easy repair at no cost. Everything except the wifi worked with drivers from the main Debian repository. The firmware-iwlwifi package from non-free fixed that. Everything works beautifully. I hope they're still making them like this when (or if) I need a replacement. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/5569b905@comcast.net
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 07:03:40PM -0500, John Aten wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J I have several times purchased used Dell laptops on ebay, a d420, a d620, and a d630, all of which worked with Debian out of the box so to speak. I also had an old Thinkpad a21m that worked flawlessly with Debian (but required an external PCMCIA card for wifi, and installation of relevant drivers). ./tony http://www.tonybaldwin.m.e -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20150530131348.ga10...@myownsite.me
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On Fri, 2015-05-29 at 19:03 -0500, John Aten wrote: I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I haven't found exact specifications, but I think that the Dell/Ubuntu offerings have Nvidia graphics, and that means you're stuck with either proprietary drivers or not-so-well-supported reverse engineered drivers. If you're not looking for high-performance graphics Intel is usually the safe choice. And try to avoid any systems with dual/switchable graphics. You might consider buying a used or refurbished system. Good support usually takes time to develop, so if you want everything to work on a brand new system you might want to run the latest kernel, latest X and Mesa, don't have to be afraid to try patches, file bug reports and feedback. If you plan on running a stable release of Debian, a slightly older system is probably not a disadvantage. -- Cheers, Sven Arvidsson http://www.whiz.se PGP Key ID 6FAB5CD5 signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part
Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On 05/29/2015 10:38 PM, Robert Crawford wrote: On May 29, 2015 7:04 PM, John Aten welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com mailto:welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J John, I just bought a Dell Latitude D810, I installed 80gb ide hard drive. It came with 512mb ram. I've install a 512 module until my other ram comes in. I 2gb ordered (total 768mb). I installed Xubuntu 14.04.1 on it. It has a single core CPU. Ethernet and WiFi works. I got everything from EBay. This was a low cost laptop. I'm very happy with it. If you want dual core sata hd, look for a latitude D820-D830 series. Robert I If you buy a Dell with Windows 7 installed on it, you'd better try and use Windows to shrink the partition and make room for Linux. I have a Latitude E6510, and I used GParted. Windows or Dell, one or the other, didn't like that, and I had trouble with an installation of PCLOS. I wound up with a small partition directly after Windows with a tiny piece of Linux on it, which is otherwise useless, and the real Linux os installed after that partition. Without that partition, Linux won't play. Actually, that partition started out as a large useless partition, but it turned out OK to shrink it down to almost nothing, but not eliminate it. Screwy, but true. I would guess (remember I said *guess*) that if you wipe Windows altogether and format the whole drive with ext4 you won't have that problem. --doug -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/5569306f.1060...@optonline.net
Re: Inexpensive Laptop for Debian
On May 29, 2015 7:04 PM, John Aten welcome.to.eye.o.r...@gmail.com wrote: Hey all, I would like to see if anyone could give some advice or opinions on getting an inexpensive laptop to run Debian. I plan to use the machine for lighter duty functions; writing, web browsing, programming, etc. Basically, I am looking for something with a little more muscle than a Chromebook. Most laptops that I have seen that come with Debian or other distros preinstalled seem to be more expensive than I would like, so that of course leaves me installing it myself. I have researched this, and can never seem to find solid information on the laptops that are currently available; the information is usually a little dated. I have some experience setting up Debian and other distros, but if there are problems with hardware configuration, I get out into the deep end fast. I would like to avoid any problems that are beyond the reach of my very modest skills. I see that Dell offers the Inspiron 14 or 15 3000 series non-touch laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled; this model is around the price/spec range that I would like. I figure, if it runs Ubuntu, then this is possibly a good indication that I could install Debian; I was wondering first, if that is a good assumption, and also if anyone has had any experience with installing Debian on this particular model. (I have an older Inspiron, on which I have had good luck installing several different distros, including Debian, but I don't know that this really indicates anything either.) Second, aside from this particular model, if anyone has recommendations on any other laptops in that price/spec range? I'd appreciate any help and opinions. Thanks, J John, I just bought a Dell Latitude D810, I installed 80gb ide hard drive. It came with 512mb ram. I've install a 512 module until my other ram comes in. I 2gb ordered (total 768mb). I installed Xubuntu 14.04.1 on it. It has a single core CPU. Ethernet and WiFi works. I got everything from EBay. This was a low cost laptop. I'm very happy with it. If you want dual core sata hd, look for a latitude D820-D830 series. Robert I
