My Little Ubuntu Guide

Following is my guide on installing Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 on a Dell 6400 with ATI and the Dell 1390 or other Broadcom WiFi Card. This guide is very simple and uses a script I created to make almost the entire process automated. I’ve tested and re-tested this process and script and know that it works flawlessly on my Laptop. Please DO NOT skip any steps!

This guide shows you how to install using the official release Feisty Fawn CD from Ubuntu.com. If you want a simpler approach, you can simply download my customized DVD iso. With it you can boot it up, click the Install icon, and in less than 10 minutes have the entire system, drivers, and applications installed! See the link at the top of this site for more information.

INITIAL INSTALL & PREP

1. Download the official Feisty Fawn 7.04 Ubuntu Desktop Live CD from Here: Official Ubuntu Live CD. Burn the ISO to CD and boot.

2. After booting into the CD you’ll get an error. Use your arrow keys to highlight “NO” and hit Enter. At the next error screen hit Enter again and you’ll return to a black screen. If you can type any commands, just hit ALT F4 to switch to a different view where you’ll see you’re logged in as user “ubuntu”. You’ll also get an annoying error about bcm43xx that will keep popping up, just ignore it, don’t try to backspace over it, the system doesn’t see it as text. To get the graphics working so you can install, run the following commands, 1 at a time:
Code:


wget http://www.mylittleubuntuguide.com/files/ati
chmod +x ati
./ati

You’ll see X start and you are now running the Live CD in your native resolution!

3. Double click the Install icon and configure your install how you like it.

4. After your system finishes installing it will prompt you before rebooting, ensure you have a network cable connected, and when it boots into the new system you’ll be back to the same error as before… Use your arrows to select NO, hit ENTER and then OK to get to the black login screen. You’ll see that same error regarding BCM43xx appearing, ignore it and type as if it wasn’t there. The command line can’t “read” that error so don’t try to backspace over it, etc. Login using your username and password.

5. Download the script:
Code:

wget http://www.mylittleubuntuguide.com/files/dellinstall

6. Make it executable and run it AS YOU, NOT SUDO:
Code:

sudo chmod +x dellinstall
./dellinstall

Sit back and relax for a moment until you hear your system BEEP. The laptop will reboot and bring you back to the same annoying graphics error. Don’t worry, it will be gone soon.

7. Use the same method to login to the black screen and run the 2nd script AS SUDO:
Code:

sudo ./dellinstall2

During this step, near the beginning, you’ll be prompted several times. Here are the prompts you should receive:
a. Location of your kernel build files for the modem to build - Just press ENTER
b. Your modem’s location or something like that - Just press ENTER
c. Java License Agreement - Hit TAB to highlight OK and press ENTER
d. Java License Agreement - Use your arrow key to highlight YES and press ENTER
e. Skype License Agreement - Hit TAB to highlight OK and press ENTER
f. Skype License Agreement - Use your arrow key to highlight YES and press ENTER
g. VMware Server License Agreement - Hit TAB to highlight OK and press ENTER
h. VMware Server License Agreement - Use your arrow key to highlight YES and press ENTER
i. VMware License Key - Type your serial, hit TAB to highlight OK and press ENTER
After this final prompt, the script will complete unattended. So in other words you can walk away and it will reboot into the new system automatically when finished. Non-Free Codecs are NOT installed by this script, see Note #3 below.

Get a cup of coffee, relax, watch some TV…When it’s finished the system will BEEP, reboot, and you can now use it!

NOTES:
1. To login and have all the cool Beryl effects, at the login screen click “Sessions” then select “Gnome-xgl”. Then login and choose to make it your default session or just this time.

2. To see your system temperature, right click the top panel and select “Add to Panel”, choose the “Hardware Sensors Monitor” and click Add.

3. The DVD and Win32 Codecs are NOT installed by this script. Due to licensing/copyrights/patents we cannot do this. Instead, there will be a link on your Desktop after you log into your new system called “Codecs”. If you accept the agreement below, you can double click the link to install them. When it’s finished installing the icon will disappear.

# ******************* Legal Disclaimer and Agreement **********************************
# *************************** Please Note: ********************************************
# Downloading & Installing the w32codecs (Windows Codecs), libdvdcss2 (DVD Codecs)
# and/or any other non-free codecs without paying a fee to the concerned authorities
# constitutes a crime in the United States of America.
#
# If you are viewing this message from anywhere in the United States of America,
# please do not uncomment the DVD and WIN32 Codecs Section. If you are not from
# the United States of America and take full responsibility for the legal consequences
# of downloading and installing the aforementioned codecs, then you can go ahead and
# install them.
#
# Under any circumstances, www.mylittleubuntuguide.com is NOT responsible for your
# actions, including but not limited to downloading and installing these codecs.
# *************************************************************************************