Linux – Which UNIX or Linux distribution works on a Dell M5010 without having to compile any drivers

dell-inspironlinuxlinux-distributions

I want to have UNIX or Linux on my laptop but I found that the wireless did not work on all the ones I tried. I have not tried again for over 6 months but don't have the time to experiment. It took me a week straight last time, I tried PCBSD (8.1), Ubuntu, OpenSUSE (11.3), and various others. The laptop was just released then, so I can understand why all the drivers might not have been compatible then.

I am hoping someone else has successfully added a distribution and can tell me which.

LAPTOP: Dell Inspiron M5010 (15R) [not to be confused with Dell N5010, which is the Intel version]

Here is my hardware (from Speccy):

  • MS Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
  • CPU: AMD Phenom II N850
  • RAM: 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
  • Chipset: 785GX
  • Southbridge Model: SB850
  • Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250
  • Hard Drive: 488GB Seagate ST950032 5AS SATA Disk Device
  • Audio: IDT High Definition Audio
  • Network: DW1501 Wireless-N WLAN Half-Mini Card

Best Answer

You last tried it 6 months ago, and things have changed since then. Your best bet would be to get an Ubuntu or Fedora LiveCD, and then booting into that. If you are able to use your wireless on the LiveCD, then you should be fine to do a full system installation.

Related Question