I started installing Linux on my Dell Studio 1555 as soon as I got it and checked that everything was alright. I installed OpenSUSE 11.1 initially. I had issues with installing drivers for my ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570. The OpenSUSE wiki said that its drivers had no Linux version. I tried different methods but the drivers just refused to work. Actually the problem is that ATI is gradually making its drivers open source and getting rid of the proprietary drivers. I was on the verge of believing that I had no option but to wait for the release of the Linux drivers and use Windows till then. That was a very bad feeling. Then I thought about giving Ubuntu a try. The proprietary FGLRX driver worked perfectly well with Ubuntu.

I installed Ubuntu and everything seemed to be alright initially. After a while, I realized that there was a problem with sound. In fact, I was getting no sound. I searched the Ubuntu forums and found a simple solution to the issue. Here's how to solve the no-sound problem in Ubuntu on Dell Studio.

You just need to edit the alsa-base.conf file. To do that run this command in the terminal-

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf

Then add this line to the file-

options snd-hda-intel model=dell-m6

Save the file and restart your laptop. This should solve the problem. You should start getting sound now.

I recently installed OpenSUSE 11.1 on my PC.When I installed it,I faced just one problem that bothered me a bit.OpenSUSE was not detecting my ADSL modem connected via USB.I searched for a solution to this problem.Ankur also searched for a solution but most of them said-"Hard luck,get Ethernet".My PC does not have an Ethernet card so connecting the modem through Ethernet was not a possibility.I also did not have time to buy an Ethernet card.I eventually did find a solution to the problem.Read on.

The Solution to the Problem
I kept trying different things to solve this problem.There are 2 types of network managers in openSUSE.You can either use the GNOME Network Manager or you could use the YaST network manager.I tried using the GNOME network manager first.I was unsuccessful in connecting to the Internet using the GNOME network manager.Then I used the YaST Network manager.I first set the DNS in the 'Hostname/DNS' tab and then set the default gateway in the 'Routing' tab.Then I switched to the overview tab and set all the IP address and Subnet preferences.Also set the device to automatically start on cable connection.Basically,I did not do anything special but I just decided to share my experience to help out other people facing the same problem.

If you too are facing the same problem,try doing what I did and leave a comment to tell me if it works or not.