Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal on Sony Vaio X

Ubuntu now works completely out of the box for the Sony Vaio X. One can forget about using the Unity desktop environment though - it's beyond sluggish. Moving back to the fallback/older GUI is the perfect option. Just follow the usual guidelines for installing Ubuntu from USB.

As always, take precaution before completely removing Windows if you want to get the WWAN 3G modem working. See step 3 of this post.

Confirmed to be working:

• Display (GMA500, info)
• External display/VGA (with Fn+F7 - non mirror dual untested)
• Audio (with keyboard volume control/mute / Fn+F2,F3,F4)
• Webcam (with Skype)
• Trackpad (with edge scrolling and two-finger scrolling)
• Bluetooth (with Mouse and Headset)
• Youtube video/audio (full screen working but rather laggy/chippy)
• WLAN

Not working:

• Display brightness keyboard controls / Fn+F5,F6 (adjusts ok but has no effect on display)

Not tested:

• WWAN 3G modem (Qualcomm Gobi 2000)
• Hibernate/sleep (will try and close lid after publishing this article - EDIT: ALERT! Had to re-install everything after Sleep-test !!! :-)

My tweaks:

$ sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback # And log in with Classic No Effects ditching Unity and Compiz

$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout 'menu:minimize,maximize,close' # move windows buttons to the right 

$ gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout --type=string 
'menu:minimize,maximize,close' # again for chrome

$ gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences always-use-location-entry true # Fix broken address bar in Nautilus

Remove top desktop panel (place tray on the bottom right and set up Ubuntu Main menu bottom left using Alt-Right clicks), Tweak my MS-mouse speed. 

Getting the Logitech diNovo Edge Keyboard to work with Ubuntu 12.04

Modify the 97-bluetooth-hid2hci.rules file:

sudo gedit /lib/udev/rules.d/97-bluetooth-hid2hci.rules

 Look for the folowing lines:

 # Logitech devices
KERNEL=="hiddev*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \ RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

Simply change from hiddev to hidraw like:

 # Logitech devices
KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \ RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

Restart Ubuntu (sudo reboot now). Short-press connect button on both keyboard and dongle. Done.

Same fix also works for Ubuntu 11.10, only use the file 62-bluez-hid2hci.rules file instead:

sudo gedit /lib/udev/rules.d/62-bluez-hid2hci.rules

Sony Vaio X and Ubuntu 12.04 Precise

So, here is how to install Ubuntu 12.04 on a Sony Vaio X (my model: VPCX11S1E).

With minor adjustments, the intel GMA500 video card is now working out of the box.

I don't use the built-in WWAN 3G modem but if you do you should probably keep some driver files from the Windows partition! See this post.

Working:

• LAN + WLAN
• Trackpad with edge scrolling/scroll area (no/disabled multi touch/two-finger scrolling)
• Audio/built-in speakers/microphone and camera (mic really bad though) and volume control
• Graphics with brightness (after fix below)
• USB/Bluetooth
• Suspend (works sometimes, I don't really use/test the suspend feature)

Not working/tested:

• External VGA
• Graphics boots up with faulty resolution sometimes (including during installation). Just reboot to fix.
• WWAN 3G modem

Steps:

1. Create Ubuntu install USB (info).

2. On the USB, add the following boot options to syslinux.cfg:
quiet splash console=tty1 acpi_backlight=vendor acpi_osi=Linux acer_wmi.blacklist=yes mem=1920mb

3. Install Ubuntu from USB and reboot (to a black screen).

4. Fix the black screen by dropping to console (Crtl-Alt-F1) and log in.
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
# Change GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash console=tty1 acpi_backlight=vendor acpi_osi=Linux acer_wmi.blacklist=yes mem=1920mb"
# Change GRUB_GFXMODE=1366x768x32
# Add GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=1366x768x32
sudo update-grub
sudo nano /etc/grub.d/01_915resolution# Add echo insmod 915resolution
# Add echo 915resolution 58 1366 768 32
sudo chmod a+x /etc/grub.d/01_915resolution
sudo reboot

5. Fix suspend:
sudo nano /etc/pm/config.d/gma500
# Add ADD_PARAMETERS='-quirk-vbemode-restore'

Vaio X and Ubuntu 11.04 Natty

Here is how I make my Sony Vaio X work with Ubuntu 11.04.

The installation/upgrade is not seamless and still need some tweaks.

Working:

• LAN + WLAN
• Trackpad (no scroll area and no multi touch)
• Audio/built in speakers
• Graphics *
• USB/Bluetooth
• WWAN 3G modem (Qualcomm Gobi 2000) *

Not working:

• Built in web camera (haven't even tried)
• Stand by / hibernation

Here are my steps:

1. Install Ubuntu from USB (info).

Keep a few files from Windows 7 before completely removing it (see 3. below).

* 2. Install EMGD video driver for GMA 500 (info):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gma500/emgd

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install xorg-emgd emgd-dkms

sudo emgd-xorg-conf

# Replace /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-emgd.conf with http://paste.ubuntu.com/612551/

# Make brightness buttons work:

sudo apt-get install emgdbl

# Add "blacklist poulsbo" to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

# Add "emgdbl" to /etc/initramfs-tools/modules

# Add "acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=video" to /etc/default/grub (GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT)

sudo update-initramfs -c -k all

sudo update-grub

sudo reboot

* 3. Install WWAN 3G modem support:

# Make sure you have the following files backed up from Windows 7:

# C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Images\Sony\UMTS\AMSS.mbn

# C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Images\Sony\UMTS\Apps.mbn

# C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Images\Sony\6\UQCN.mbn

sudo mkdir /lib/firmware/gobi

sudo cp AMSS.mbn Apps.mbn UQCN.mbn /lib/firmware/gobi

sudo apt-get install gobi-loader

# and then Enable Mobile Broadband in the network tray application.

Vaio X and Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick

Here is how I make my Sony Vaio X work with Ubuntu 10.10.

I recently upgraded from 10.04 (here is my guide for installing 10.04) and found 10.10 much better (includes WWAN loader).

The installation/upgrade is not seamless and still need some tweaks.

Working:

• LAN + WLAN
• Trackpad with scroll area (no multi touch)
• Audio/built in speakers
• 2D graphics with external display (3D and Hardware Video Acceleration is also claimed to work) *
• USB/Bluetooth *
• WWAN 3G modem (Qualcomm Gobi 2000) *
• Built in web camera (Tested ok with Skype, PIP does not work / worked in 10.04)

Not working:

• Stand by / hibernation (kernel regression? - display comes back too bright or white)

Here are my steps:

1. Install Ubuntu from USB (instructions here).

Keep Windows 7 (WWAN drivers are located there).

* 2. Install Poulsbo video driver for GMA 500 (information here):
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gma500/ppa && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install poulsbo-driver-2d poulsbo-driver-3d poulsbo-config && sudo reboot

* 3. Bug fix for USB/Bluetooth:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub
# append " memmap=1K#0x7f800000" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT)
# My working example: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash mem=1900mb nohz=off acpi_osi=Linux memmap=1K#0x7f800000"
sudo update-grub

* 4. Install WWAN 3G modem support:
sudo mkdir /lib/firmware/gobi
sudo cp "/media/70E256E3E256ACDA/Program Files/QUALCOMM/Images/Sony/UMTS/"* /lib/firmware/gobi
sudo cp "/media/70E256E3E256ACDA/Program Files/QUALCOMM/Images/Sony/6/UQCN.mbn" /lib/firmware/gobi
sudo apt-get install gobi-loader
# and then Enable Mobile Broadband in the network tray application.

The above leaves the Vaio X fully working. I have always been a fan of hibernation but with web browsers being able to remember windows/tabs between restarts I'm still surviving without so far.

Vaio X and Ubuntu 10.04

For Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick, see this post.

For months we put up with poor performance and non-working fixes for my Vaio X. Even though Jakob Westhoffs articles put us in the right directions, they got a bit dated when the Ubuntu 10.04 release finally came.

10.04 does not take care of everything:

Working:

• Bluetooth
• USB
• LAN + WLAN
• Built in web camera (Skype)
• Trackpad with scroll area (no multi touch)
• 2D graphics with external display (3D and Hardware Video Acceleration is also claimed to work) *
• Audio & built in speakers *

Not working:

• Stand by & hibernation (10.04 kernel regression?)
• WWAN 3G modem (modem is detected but so far disconnects from network)

Here are my steps for a working installation:

1. Install Ubuntu from USB (instructions here).

No need to keep Windows 7 (unless you want to experiment with some of the WWAN solutions out there).

* 2. Install Poulsbo video driver for GMA 500 (instructions here).

They just recently included instructions for the 3D and Video Acceleration beta installation.

* 3. Install Alsa 1.0.23 for built in speaker support (instructions here).

10.04 comes with Alsa 1.0.21 but Vaio X requires 1.0.23. Tested with kernel 2.6.32-22, 2.6.32-23, 2.6.32-24 and 2.6.32-25.

The above leaves the Vaio X fully working. For WWAN I use my 3G phone over bluetooth. I have always been a fan of hibernation but with web browsers being able to remember windows/tabs between restarts I'm surviving without so far.

Stop automatic restart after Windows Update

Problem:

Windows restarts without user prompt when certain updates has been installed automatically during Windows Update leaving the following message:

Your computer was recently updated! Windows recently downloaded and installed an important security update to help protect your computer. This update required an automatic restart of your computer.

Solution/how to:

• Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc
• Under Computer Configuration go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
• Find No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations, double click on it, Enable it and click OK.

More information (server auto reboot policy change): http://blogs.technet.com/b/mu/archive/2008/10/02/windows-update-and-automatic-reboots.aspx