Install on Dell Inspiron 8600 - Pb with Touchpad, HAL

[Eric SCHAEFFER]

Hi,

I've installed Ubuntu on my new laptop: Dell Inspiron 8600.

Hardware:
- CPU Pentium M 735 1,7GHz
- RAM 1Go
- network adapter (internal) Broadcom 4400
- wireless adapter (internal) Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG
- nVidia GeForce FX Go5200 64Mo

Use sounder 9 cd.

The installation succeeded very well, except that it didn't handle
correctly the screen resolution.
The Inspiron 8600 has a "16/10" aspect ratio (my resolution is
1920x1200), and I had to search for the mode lines on the net and add
them to X configuration file.

The touchpad gives me also troubles.
It seems to be an "ALPS" touchpad (according to xfree86-driver-synaptics
documentation). I've modified synaptics configuration according to the
doc (use the event protocol and the event device), but the driver
doesn't find any touchpad device.
Does the kernel support ALPS touchpad devices ? It must be compiled with
some options (and maybe patched).
I've installed the default installation kernel and the latest 686 one
(linux-image-2.6.8.1-3-686, by the meta package linux-image-2.6-686 and
corresponding restricted modules package).
The touchpad works, as a standard PS/2 mouse, but it's a bit annoying...
(a touchpad without synaptics driver loses all of its interest)

There's another problem: HAL doesn't work. It seems to start but... Hal
device manager doesn't work saying:

root at ins8600:/home/eschaeffer # hal-device-manager

(hal-device-manager:9493): GnomeUI-WARNING **: While connecting to
session manager:
Authentication Rejected, reason : None of the authentication protocols
specified are supported and host-based authentication failed.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/hal-device-manager", line 15, in ?
    DeviceManager()
  File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 54, in
__init__
    "/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager")
  File "/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages/dbus.py", line 83, in
add_signal_receiver
    match_rule = self._get_match_rule(signal_name, interface, service,
path)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages/dbus.py", line 112, in
_get_match_rule
    service = bus_object.GetServiceOwner(service)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages/dbus.py", line 208, in __call__
    reply_message = self._connection.send_with_reply_and_block(message,
5000)
  File "dbus_bindings.pyx", line 557, in
dbus_bindings.Connection.send_with_reply_and_block
dbus_bindings.DBusException: Could not get owner of service
'org.freedesktop.Hal': no such service

lshal says a bit the same:

root at ins8600:/home/eschaeffer # lshal
lshal version 0.2.98
libhal.c 696 : org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceDoesNotExist raised
"Service "org.freedesktop.Hal" does not exist"

*** [DIE] lshal.c:dump_devices():70 : Couldn't obtain list of devices

So, no "automount" of devices :(

Is it a referenced bug ? Or do I need to "configure" something ?

The network adapter and the wifi adapter work (great: 54G wifi
connection), as the sound card.
I haven't tested the internal modem, but I suspect it to be a Lucent win
modem. I'll investigate later.

Eric