Averatec 7100 install

[azlan]

Averatec 7100 notebook install guide

Forward: I am typing this from some random open wireless connection from some where in Seattle Wa USA. I bought this system because it was cheap ($750 US) had a 3d graphics card and looked to be upgradeable. After almost a week of searching I have finally gotten all of the hardware running on this machine, and I will say without a doubt Gentoo makes the windows partition on the other part of this disk look like a joke. Everything from 3d graphics to dvd playing to wireless works better on the Gentoo side. I'm really impressed. The following is how I got there. I hope that some of this information will be helpful to someone. As well I hope that if there are points missing in my tale we can work out the details for those that come after.

Warning: if you want to keep your window partion read up on it before continuing

Things you will need:
Grab the the Gentoo 2006.0 LiveCD from http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/where.xml .. burn it, you can even do this from the burner in your windows side of your hard drive.

Also you will need a network driver if you are going to use a wireless setup read on and follow the wireless setup part of this guide, otherwise just grab the et131x driver from here.. http://dadams1969.googlepages.com/et131xkernelmodule

Also you will need a recent kernel version less than 2.6.17, again ati-drivers will not work properly. (I used 2.6.16-r9) Hopefully someone will know the proper URI for downloading all of the patches and kernel, otherwise I used a seperate gentoo system to download all of the required files. I also copied /usr/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-sources and burned the patches, kernel, and et131x source to a cdrom.

b]Netwokless install:[/b][ The Averatec Notebooks come with an RaLink wireless card, there are no in kernel drivers to deal with this in any of the Gentoo install cd's, more to the point the only kernel with it is the 2.6.17 and your ATI xpress 200m will not work properly with that kernel version. More on that later.

After defragging and repartitioning, boot up into your livecd. When the system has successfully logged you in as user=gentoo start the gentoo graphical installer. When you get to network setup check the button that says you already have network installed. Continue.. The partitioning tool really wants you to let it make decisions about partions ... just delete everything except you windows partition and let it create the partitions it wants. You will need to select GRP install and active .. something or other.. basically you want to install everything from the install cd. If you don't want Gnome you can emerge KDE later, or as I did just install it all and then emerge KDE later.

Go through the installer and then install that bad boy

When you are done reboot and mount the second cd you made with all the stuff you need. Create /mnt/cdrom, and /usr/portage/distfiles.. mount /dev/hdc to /mnt/cdrom and copy the kernel and kernel-patches to /usr/portage distfiles. Then cp -r /mnt/cdrom/gentoo-sources to /usr/portage/sys-kernel . Your ready to rock. Emerge the kernel you just moved to /usr/portage/distfiles .

Now cp the et131x tar file to /root (I assume you are root at this point) cd ~ and untar it. There will be a tar.bz2 file afterwards, you will need to untar that as well, and then mv the et131x-(version #) dir to simply be et131x . Then patch -p0 < new_ver_x86_3-10-06.patch .. you will get some output..

Then cp -r et131x to /usr/src/linux/drivers/net . Don't worry about the kernel patch from dadams, it doesn't work. Just make menuconfig and then build your kernel. You will need pci express built in under bus options, and of course mtrr under general. Dri wants to be off, and AGPGART makes no difference, I didn't use it. You will want wireless Lan driver support under drivers >> wireless LAN non ham radio. Don't do ieee8021 you need the newer version. Don't do alsa, you will also need the newer version. make && make modules_isntall.. you know the drill..

After it has finnished move you kernel to /boot and adjust grub.conf accordingly. When that is finnished cd to /usr/src/linux/drivers/net/et131x/ and type make .. you will get some output and a shiny new ethernet driver. Move (mv) et131x.ko to /usr/lib//modules/(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/

Ok.. reboot into your new kernel, eth0 should now be up and running. Land line established it's now time to move on.

At this point I stopped did an emerge sync and emerge -u system. I don't know if this helps but it seems the livecd is a little behind the times, so I recomend it.

Sound setup;