Hi, I recently installed Mandrake v9.2 on my new notebook, a Gateway 450rog 1.3 ghz Intel Centrino (pentium-m) processor w/ 256 mb ram. My problems are: <u>(1)</u> It gets pretty hot.When I'm in windows xp pro, it hardly gets hot at all unless I'm on it for a long long time. Obviously xp has some sort of driver to take advantage of the Centrino battery saving, cooling thing. Also, it uses more battery life in Mandrake than in xp. Is there a driver for Centrino avaiable for Mandrake that I can install? <u>(2)</u> Whenever I (a) use any function keys (i.e. FN + up/down to adjust LCD brightness), (b) connect to AC power when running on batteries, or (c) shut the lid, Mandrake freezes up, forcing me to remove the battery to shut it down. It sometimes freezes on shut down too. Can anyone help me with these two problems? If so, I'd be very thankful :-)

are you using kde or gnome? laptops have always been a bit tricky in linux (i still can't check my battery level on my mdk 9.2 dell) you might find this site useful: http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ also, i hear that kde 3.2 will include a much improved KLaptopDaemon to deal with such matters. i also read recently about an app called VCool for linux that helped to keep searing athlons cooler. apparently it's quite hit and miss, and should be used with caution, but it (or something like it) might keep your chip cooler. as for the function keys/closing the lid/etc i couldn't say, i'm afraid. it sounds like your system knows you want to do something, but is unable to do it, or just does the wrong thing.

Centrino is a technology standard using certain Intel-branded components. Back in the day, one would have called this marketing hype over a new package of products. Depending on how you look at it, this either signifies a company seeking monopolistic control or the beginnings of more unified hardware models. Take your pick. Centrino comprises a wireless card with a certain series of driver, a mobile Pentium processor, and an Intel 855 chipset. All three components are really seperate peices - the integration has to do with how they all contribute to the same goals - low power, light-weight, and the gospel of the Intel name. Perhaps in the reverse order. Laptop Devices in Linux are not ideal. For the hotkeys, there is a hotkeys package. There is also a khotkeys. Also, I think the menu editor in K allows you to map keys as shortcuts. You might try mapping those keys to something else (sorry, would be better than kernel panic). The Centrino issue is of course complex because it takes multiple drivers. This site has pretty much the word on driver support. Just by your luck, the laptopkernel project has been compromised and is closed for investigation. The site says they will be up soon. You might try going through the ACPI Centrino Howto to get your power functions operational or at least stable. As a last resort, simply disable them. Consult your BIOS documentation (or just look) to see if you can disable the lid-closing feature and anything else. ACPI Linux is here. I think in 9.2 ACPI is out of the Cooker. Consult here for instructions on patching the kernel with the most recent version. Simply substitute the version numbers for their current versions.

The short answer is that Linux isn't setup to to throttle back the CPU and power down peripherals like Microsoft does. As mobile technology becomes more commonplace, the Linux community will catch up. FYI, While it *is* annoying, there is no inherent risk with the persistent heat levels. The equipment is designed and tested to run at full throttle for extended periods of time. Think of it as a portable hand warmer. :)