Linux® For Dummies®, 8th Edition

Double-Checking Hardware Compatibility

If you’re installing Linux on hardware you already own, just give it a try and then see what doesn’t work. Parts of this section address fixing hardware problems in a general sense. In other chapters, more specific items such as sound cards (Chapter 13), wireless cards (Chapter 9), and so on, are addressed. So, if you run into trouble, start in the specific sections dedicated to particular tasks, and then come here for more general help if you still haven’t solved the problem.

The biggest problem areas are wireless cards (which the Fedora project is heavily targeting for Fedora 7) and the very latest whiz-bang multimedia hardware such as video cards, sound cards, and image scanners. You can check hardware compatibility lists before installing or purchasing new hardware, but they are of limited use because the hardware world changes so quickly. If you’re interested in looking, use the Red Hat Enterprise Linux listings at http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl/. (There’s no official Fedora list.) Keep in mind that this list focuses on business equipment instead of home items, so just because you don’t see something listed there doesn’t mean it’s not supported.

Don’t worry about items being Certified (heavily tested to make sure they work properly) or not. Supported and Compatible are fine most of the time for a home user. Ultimately, the best way to ...