Dell Inspiron 1564 Linux Mint Driver
You have entered into one of the more challenging areas in unbuntu - getting wireless to work.First you need to find exactly which wifi card your Dell uses. Check in your devices list in windows and see if you can round up the model of the wifi card.
If you can't find it there, use your dell item code and see if you can get the info on Dell's website. Once you determine the exact model, go to ubuntu's forums and search that model - you may find someone else has already solved the problem.Dell uses a lot of broadcom cards, and broadcom cards tend to be somewhat frustration. Bottom line is you may have to use a work around called NDIS wrapper. You can search that term on ubuntu also as there are many references and articles for NDIS wrapper. An example can be found. I happened to have this link, because I went through the same problem with my Dell latitude (what I'm using as I write this) when I started with linux.Don't give up - wifi can be tough with older laptops and netbooks, but it can be done. Once you have gone through the process, you'll be surprised how much accomplishment you'll feel.As an aside, you might want to look at Linux Mint also - I find the desktop to be more user friendly - I use Mint 13 on my Dell, and Mint 15 on my desktop.Mark.
You have entered into one of the more challenging areas in unbuntu - getting wireless to work.First you need to find exactly which wifi card your Dell uses. Check in your devices list in windows and see if you can round up the model of the wifi card. If you can't find it there, use your dell item code and see if you can get the info on Dell's website. Once you determine the exact model, go to ubuntu's forums and search that model - you may find someone else has already solved the problem.Dell uses a lot of broadcom cards, and broadcom cards tend to be somewhat frustration. Bottom line is you may have to use a work around called NDIS wrapper.
You can search that term on ubuntu also as there are many references and articles for NDIS wrapper. An example can be found. I happened to have this link, because I went through the same problem with my Dell latitude (what I'm using as I write this) when I started with linux.Don't give up - wifi can be tough with older laptops and netbooks, but it can be done. Once you have gone through the process, you'll be surprised how much accomplishment you'll feel.As an aside, you might want to look at Linux Mint also - I find the desktop to be more user friendly - I use Mint 13 on my Dell, and Mint 15 on my desktop.MarkThanks for your suggestion, but in the meantime (I have been inactive for some while) I have1.
Dell Inspiron 1564 Drivers
Purchased an i/o gear dual band wifi USB antennae (December)2. Waited another month3. Taught myself quite a bit of terminal (I am a techie but theres a learning curve to everything right?)4. Learned all (I mean ALL) the specs of my laptop (January)5. Yep - b43-fwcutter was my first 'make it work' experience with linux also. Took a little time, but was worth the effort. I suspect the more you play with linux, the more you'll like it.
I've fully transitioned to linux, but still keep windows around for those rare occasions when I want to do gaming. Other than that, I have found open source programs to replace virtually everything on windows.Good luck with your experimenting - the learning curve can be steep, but once you get the hang of terminal and how the various parts interact, it'll become second nature.Mark.
For quite some time, I've felt the need for an x86 tablet computer that I could carry with me when I was away from my main workstation. This need became a necessity when I started travelling for business, and while my trusty Bonobo Extreme, from System76, was everything I ever needed for a computer to be, it was also a little too bulky and heavy, which made it almost impractical to operate in tight spaces like in a car - while not driving, of course - and in planes. I knew that I needed something that was modern with a tight form factor like that of a Tablet, yet full featured, unlike many Tablets. The ideal tablet computer needed to be cost effective and with known compatibility under Linux 32bit and 64bit. I had considered buying the Surface or the Transformer earlier, but since this was going to be a companion computer and not the primary one, and I needed offline storage to install all my software for when I was on the go, the Surface didn't have enough storage or compatibility to just justify the cost, and in addition to the lack of sufficient storage, the Transformer wasn't powerful enough for my needs. The laptop is very slick and professional looking, which works great, since I intend to take it with me on my business and family trips instead of my more powerful, yet bulky, 17 inch Bonobo Extreme Laptop/Workstation.
The hinges on the Inspiron are very sturdy and the laptop easily folds into a tablet. The touchscreen is very responsive.
With a 500 GB hard disk at my disposal, I am able to use all my office productivity applications, as well as, software development tools and related services, without any difficulty. Now granted that this model is not an i7 or even an i5, but neither is it an Atom or ARM based. It provides a full computing experience with enough horsepower for smoother operation and functioning.
Dell Inspiron 1564 Bluetooth Driver
Installing Linux on it was a breeze. Almost everything worked right out of the box, and the only hiccup under Linux was, the not-so-well supported Wireless/Bluetooth module with Broadcom chipset. However, with little research, I was able to find Intel's Dual Band AC 7260 module, with the proper form factor, that was compatible and well supported under Linux.
Dell Inspiron 1564
A version of that module, 7265, is also listed in Dell's specifications document for this laptop as an option. I suppose, if I had bought this directly from Dell, I might have been able to choose the Intel over the Dell Wifi module.