I've only run Ubuntu 9 from the liveCd.

According to a FAQ on a Toshiba website, it is not possible to access BIOS settings on the Satellite L5xxx series of laptops except by running a configuration utility from Toshiba that is a Windows program. Pressing the usual key combinations (such as F2) as the machine boots does not bring up the BIOS setup screen. You can press F12 as the machine boots to pick the boot device so you can boot from the DVD drive. However, unless someone discovers a hardware hack or undocumented feature, you can't made the machine all-Linux and have access to the BIOS settings.

A review of the L555D-S7909 model by customer Mad Cat on the NewEgg site points out that some of the hardware on this model is not leading edge.