Low Speaker Volume Fix

With DVD playback finally fixed, I can finally watch movies on. However, one thing leads to another and as soon as I started doing this, I noticed that the volume was awfully low. I turned up the volume everywhere as much as I could and looked around a bit and I suddenly realized that I should have dug a little deeper in the volume settings.

If you right-click on the volume icon on the top bar and select Open Volume Control, you can specifically change the volume of your front speakers. Mine were not turned up all the way and once they were, everything sounded much better.

So, if you have sound problems, check the front speaker sound volume.

DVD Playback resolved on XPS 1530

In my last post, I mentioned briefly that I had yet to get DVD playback to work despite trying every solution out there. It turns out it was something as simple as the region not being set on the DVD player. I bumped into this while doing a few things in Vista.

Now, after a quick search I have found what appears to be the solution to this on the Ubuntu side. I haven't tried it since the region was set on Vista but if you have similar problems, give this a shot, especially on a new computer.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/PlayingDVDs

Ubuntu on Dell XPS 1530

I've had my XPS 1530 for a little less than a week now and I had Ubuntu installed just days after I got it so I have had a few days to tweak a few things so that they work as I would like them to.

First of all, as far as installation I simply used the Live CD for Hardy Heron. I did a test run from the CD first. While doing this, I immediately saw that the touchpad did not work as it should so I had to get a USB mouse connected to be able to go through the actual installation. So a tip: if you're trying to do this very same thing, have a USB mouse handy.

Since the 1530 I got came with Vista, I decided to keep it on there. Since I will be using it for business related stuff, I know I will need some Windows apps so I went looking for a way to install Ubuntu and then be able to dual-boot.

With Vista taking up all harddrive space, I didn't want to have to reinstall Vista again. XP is enough of a headache. Fortunately, there's an excellent guide over at apcmag.com that tells you exactly how do make Vista give up a little space for Linux. The site can be found here.

Once I freed up some space for my Ubuntu installation, I got down to business. It didn't take long to install Ubuntu and once I was done, I was ready to start installing all the other software I knew I would be using.

However, first I had do deal a few issues that I had read could come up. In fact, there is a whole range of issues that have been identified specifically for this kind of computer and the fixes that are available. These fixes I found in the Ubuntu wiki.

So, here's a few of the fixes I have implemented:

Eject Button Fix: I noticed fairly quickly that the eject button didn't work. Without a working eject button, your discs are...well, stuck.

Touchpad Fix: One other thing I noticed before anything else, in fact, was that the touchpad was way, way out there as far as being all over the place and crazy. That was literally the first thing I fixed.

Enable NVidia Driver: For what ever reason, the graphics drivers was not enabled by default. It took me a couple of tries to get this one to work and I'm still not sure exactly what I did...but it's working.

The XPS 1530 comes loaded with a number of cool things and naturally I want to use as many as possible. Here's a couple of items:

• integrated camera
• integrated mic
• HDMI output
• VGA output
• remote control

The camera and mic worked without problems (although the mic had to be enabled) in Skype, so no problems there.

HDMI I am still working on, VGA I haven't tried, just as I haven't with the remote control.

Overall, so far I'm enjoying my new laptop with Ubuntu on it. Now, I just need to get that DVD playback to work...

New Laptop - New Linux Adventures

Yesterday, my much anticipated Dell XPS 1530 arrived at my local FedEx office. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick it up just before they closed down for the day and being a Friday night, I now have a whole weekend to get things rolling on this thing.

First of all, the XPS 1530 comes loaded with Vista. I am no Vista fan and if you have read any of my posts before, you know that I've grown quite fond of Ubuntu. Yes, I guess I could have purchased a Ubuntu laptop from Dell right away but I have found that there are things that I really do need Windows for and I can always create a dual boot situation just like on my desktop.

So, with the computer out of the box and the basic stuff like installing some of my more used applications such as Firefix, iTunes, Picasa etc., I just finished burning a new disc with Ubuntu 8.04 on it and I ran the Live scenario to see how it held up.

Seems to work good. Next, it's time to install Ubuntu on there and it seems to be pretty straight forward. For those interested in how I will be doing this, these are the guides I've found and will be relying on to get this little project to work.

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_first.htm
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/InstallingUbuntuOnADellXPSM1530
http://jesperdj.pbwiki.com/Ubuntu+on+the+Dell+XPS+M1530

Will it work? Without a doubt. It'll just be a matter of time.

Having said that, I have to mention that the XPS 1530 is a great computer. After less than 24 hours with it, I've found that it's perfect for my needs and I will be installing plenty of the software I need in the coming days and weeks.