Hi,
I have been using Linux for a while; not as an extensive programmer but as a part of supporting Open source and exploring new ideas.
While experimenting with different distros, i faced a problem with some flavours regarding drivers. Let’s take Ubuntu(most common and supported), I used it on one of the drives, and kept upgrading it with each new release. But if i installed it fresh from the CD, it does not contain the drivers, especially Display drivers. Incase of upgrading, the drivers from the older version are available but in case of fresh install what one could do?? If there is no display what one can do next?? Similiar situation came with SuSe, it just says drivers not found. Though the drivers are generic but they fails on my machine.
This keeps me wondering how can I get hands over the new flavours on my laptop(HP 4410s). :
Is there any tool, list, site or any way that one can whether a particular Linux will run on his machine or not by providing/checking(against) his machine configuration?? Or he has to do the hit and trial or follow the lenghty upgrade procedure?? :-\
Thanks in advance.
Hi abhishek, and welcome to the forum
I know of no (up to date) site/tool for checking which distribuions of Linux will work “out of the box” … well there’s linlap.com, but the 4410s isn’t listed ???
That said, there’s little that Linux can’t be made to work on to varying degrees, it’s usually just a matter of how much work’s involved.
But if this is the machine:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01743139&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=101&prodSeriesId=3934799&prodTypeId=321957
I can see no real problems with the latest Ubuntu based distributions, Ubuntu 12.04, Mint 13, Peppermint 3, etc.
It may be worth picking up a LiveCD, booting to it, opening a terminal, and posting the output from:
sudo lshw
so we can check the listed hardware for known issues.
If on the other hand you’re looking for which laptop to buy … Ubuntu have a hardware compatibility list:
http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/
but it doesn’t contain much … and certainly doesn’t list all hardware Ubuntu works on, just hardware from partners who have bothered to submit hardware for certification 
Thanx Mark.
Indeed you pointed the correct machine, i have. Just that it has C2D not i3.
I tried running Ubuntu live CD but didnt help. I guess Windows 7 has corrupted it all. Or there might be some other problem i got after i sanitized my system while to remove backtrack. All the mess started especially after that.
Does sanitizing the system from boot menu options affects on hardware?? Bcoz after that i wasnt able to run Slax, Suse, Ubuntu n even WinXP.