Dell Team

Dell Specs by model for newer laptops	Dell Manuals
Dell Laptop Support	Dell Drivers and Downloads
Late Model Dell Laptop specs by Model	Computersforu.com
How to fix the 3 part screen in Dell Inspiron 8000 series in Hardy	Open the terminal Run sudo displayconfig-gtk Select the correct model for Screen 1 (usually the system manufacturer + native resolution) Set the resolution to the monitor's native resolution Click the OK button Log out Press Ctrl + Alt + F1 to switch to a virtual terminal Run sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf Find the Virtual line under Section "Screen" Change the virtual resolution to the native resolution Press Ctrl + O to save, and Ctrl + X to exit. Run sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart to restart GDM
The fans on dell 8500s do not turn due to a software issue in 9.10 (and all previous versions of Ubuntu!).	This link provides the procedure for working around the problem.
Recycle Notes	Take systems that would be recycled but have working screens and processors faster than 2.0 Ghz to Sergio for online sale.
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Notes on Dell Models

Admin passwords on these models require hardware hacking in order to crack. Unseating the CMOS doesn't appear to work.

Ran into an issue with one of these systems running with an nVidia GPU (Quadro NVS 110M/GeForce Go 7300), where both the nouveau and nvidia drivers would fail to load GDM, instead landing at a console login. Sifting through dmesg revealed some output where either driver would fail "... to evaluate _DSM: 5". The internet recommended adding a 'nomodeset' boot parameter to grub, which didn't change anything; however, then removing the 'nomodeset' option and attempting to boot would produce a black screen which prevented dropping to a console or even responding to Magic Unix Keys. Putting 'nomodeset' back in the boot parameters afforded me a console login again. Le sigh.