Linux, etc. — Installing Ubuntu 12.04 “The Precise Pangolin” on a Dell Latitude D610

Last updated 18-10-2012… except for this:
In february 2021, I successfully installed Q4OS as a lightweight Debian distribution for this rather old 32 bits hardware.

More laptops: Linux on laptops, home

General Hardware Specifications of (my) Dell Latitude D610

Service tag (model) 5DX8S1J

Hardware Components	Status under Linux	Notes
Motherboard Winbond Electronics model 0D4571	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.86GHz, 8 KB L1 cache, 2 MB L2 cache	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
14.1 SXGA+ (1400 × 1050) TFT display	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
Intel Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
2 × 1 GB DIM DDR RAM	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
PATA 80 GB ATA100 5400 rpm 8 MB cache Travelstar 5K160 HTS541680J9AT00 Hitachi hard drive. (Was a 60 GB Fujitsu MHV2060AH. Got to many bad sectors. Replaced 17-10-2012 for this installation.)	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
Modular Floppy Drive	Not tested
NetXtreme BCM5751 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express, Broadcom Corporation	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
Intel 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Modem Controller	Not tested
DVD reader CDRW/DVD TSL462C TSST Corp.	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
BCM4306 802.11a/b/g Wireless Network Controller, Broadcom Corporation	Works	Needs extra firmware. See at the bottom of this page.
59 WHr Lithium-Ion Battery	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
Intel 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller	Works	No special procedure required during installation.

This laptop is operating under Kernel version: 3.2.0

Basic Installation of Ubuntu:

Started in 2004 with Debian (as a newbie, feeling it was the true Linux). Using Ubuntu since 4.10 (October 2004) as a confortable Debian
Easy to find and to download from ubuntu.com
Easy installer
Post-install tweaks: installing and using Gnome Classic (package gnome-session-fallback)

The Broadcom WiFi needs some more firmware, but the package firmware-b43-install didn’t seem to do the job in my situation. I wrote a script b43fw (based on the package). You may want to download it here : b43fw. It depends on the package b43-fwcutter. Executing sudo b43fw does install the firmware and the WiFi works immediately.