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Install Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04.1) on the Dell Mini 9

This is a stage one documentation for installing Ubuntu Hardy 8.04.1 onto a Dell Mini 9 PC from a USB CDROM drive. It will be improved and updated over time.

Please help and update this page

Product description

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is a netbook set to contend with other low-cost ultra-portables such as the EeePC and Aspire One. Dell's addition to the subnotebook market began shipments on September 16th, 2008 starting at $349.[1] It is built by Compal Electronics, who also make the MSI Wind and the HP mininote 2133. [2]

It features an 8.9 inch WSVGA(1024×600) wide-screen display running on a 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom Diamondville CPU. In the US, it has 512 or 1024MB of RAM, 4, 8, or 16GB of SSD Storage, and it comes with Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP, whilst in the UK it is currently only available with 1024MB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, and Windows XP. For connectivity, the device carries WiFi and 3 USB ports. In the US, an optional 0.3 or 1.3 MP webcam and internal bluetooth is available . In the UK a 1.3 MP webcam comes as standard.[3] The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is 1-1.22 inches thick and weighs 1.035 kg.

Why 8.04.01 ?

If you try and install the vanilla 8.04 CD, the CD will try to boot, however it will quickly drop out to a Busybox prompt telling you there is a modprobe problem. This doesn't happen on the updated 8.04.1

Installation

CD Install

The device doesn't come with a CD/DVD drive, so you will need to attach a USB one to the unit, and place your Ubuntu install CD in the drive. To boot from the CD ROM, press 0 during the initial boot screen (where it shows the Inspiron Logo) and choose the CD ROM drive from the drop-down menu.

You can choose either the Try Ubuntu method or the Install Ubuntu method. The OS installs just as you would expect with Ubuntu. If you have never installed Ubuntu, a page with general install instructions can be found at HowtoForge.

When asked, reboot the computer, remove the CD, and unplug the USB Drive.

Installing Kubuntu (KDE 4.1)

I've found the KDE 4 interface to be beter with the 1280x600 screen resolution, Gnome is a great interface, but using packages such as Gimp and Evolution don't scale down corectly, so clicking on next and cancel buttons can be a bit of guesswork.

The KDE 4.1 version of Kubuntu can be downloaded from here,

http://www.kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/download

like Ubuntu, we are looking to use the 8.04.1 release of Kubuntu, you will also need to choose the option marked

Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4 Remix - Featuring the cutting edge KDE 4 with community support only

Boot from the CD, and install the complete OS, reboot when the installation is complete.

This part of the install can also be done, with the downloaded ISO, and the information found on Install from USB Stick

However to get the wifi to work, you will need to run

  • sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade

Then reboot the PC, alternatively, the Ethernet port should work fine.

Updating the packages

Once rebooted, the default Kubuntu 4.1 install isn't the prettiest one, however we can ensure things are a lot more streamlined, by installing the additional packages from the Launchpad repositories.

Open the Konsole app and enter the command

  • sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

and add the line

to the nd of the list, save the file, and exit

Update the repostitory

  • sudo apt-get update

Once the update has complete, you will need to update some packages.

  • sudo apt-get install kubuntu-kde4-desktop kdeplasma-addons amarok-kde4 and kontact-kde4 kate-kde4 kmail-kde4

I've installed a few extra packages from the norm, the Amarok 2 is still flaky at time of writing, let all these packages install and reboot the PC, the login screen might still look a bit strange, compared to the rest of the layout, which should now have the more up to date backdrop.

Open Konsole again, and type

  • sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade

With this done, not only is the interface more streamlined, applications and dialog boxes which would normally open larger than the screen size will become scalable.

Install all the updates, and reboot. You should now have a cleaner looking system, to get the soundard working, followin the above instructions, for fixing the soundcard.

Additional Packages

some additional packages whick you may wish to install, in order to make KDE 4.1 just that little more "appealing" are

*kpowersave - provides a system tray icon displaying remaining power *kscreensaver-kde4 - provides screen savers

Interface changes

  • GTK-QT

To improve the look of GTK (Gnome) apps, use the gtk-qt-engine-kde4 ackage, which makes the apps look a little more slick.

  • sudo apt-get install gtk-qt-engine-kde4

  • FONT SIZES

The default font sizes are very large, and I'd recommend editing the font sizes in the System Settings section, to about 8, keep the fonts however as changing them can make the system look a little strange.e

  • LANCELOT

If you're not a fan of th new KDE menu, thats ok, its a plasmoid, and cna be change easily, using Lancelot as you've already added the necessary repostory, this can be installed quickly, (From Konsole)

  • sudo apt-get install plasmoid-lancelot

Then add the new Widget on the Deskbar plasmoid.

  • Cairo Dock

Cairo-dock is an animated application launch bar for the desktop comparable to Mac OS X's Dock, or Rocket Dock (for those of you who come from Windows).

It is compatible with Compiz-Fusion, Beryl, Compiz, and also Xcompmgr, but it can run without a composite manager (with fake transparency). Cairo-Dock can run under GNOME, KDE, and XFCE.

More information about Cairo-Dock can be found here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CairoDock

  • Change the Login Screen back to GDM

  • Usplash change

KDE 4 will change the USplash (graphical boot and shutdown) theme to Kubuntu. Run these two commands to switch back to the Ubuntu theme, the first will prompt you to select the theme you want:

  • sudo update-alternatives --config usplash-artwork.so sudo update-initramfs -u

Updates

Use a wired connection to fully update your system. Once this connection is established, install all the required updates and reboot the computer.

Known issues

Wifi

If you are having issues with wifi or can't seem to have it recognized, make sure your system is fully updated. Disabling the restricted wifi drivers and re-enabling them may be necessary.

Sound Card

The sound card is much easier to get working. From the command prompt: 

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base

Add this line to the end: 

options snd-hda-intel model=dell

Save the file and exit.

Reboot the computer.

Once the computer is booted, double-click on the sound icon in the toolbar.

Increase the speaker volume.

Other comments

Compiz

Works fine after the updates.

Webcam

Works after all updates applied.

External Links