Ubuntu 8.10(Intrepid Ibex) Linux on IBM ThinkPad 600x Laptop

Article for Linux-on-Laptops website
Date Revised January 2009
                     

Hardware Components	Status under Linux	Notes
Pentium III Processor (Coppermine), 498 MHz 256k cache	Works	No special procedure required
448MB PC100 SDRAM	Works	No special procedure required
40 GB ATA Hard Drive	Works	No special procedure required
MATSHITA DVD-ROM SR-8174 - 8X DVD, 28X CD ROM	Works	No special procedure required
Trackpoint or Ext Mouse	Works	No special procedure required
Keyboard	Works	No special procedure required
Video - Neomagic NM2360	Works	Defaults to 1024 x 768 to match display
13.3in. TFT Display 1024 x 768	Works	No special procedure required
Sound - Cirrus Logic CS 4624	Works	No special procedure required
Modular Floppy Drive	Not tested	Floppy drive? Not needed these days!
Agere Systems WinModem 56k	56k modem not tested but was detected correctly.	No special procedure required
High Capacity Battery	Works - battery life predicted accurately	No special procedure required
4 Gb USB Flash Drive	Works	No special procedure required
IBM SelectaBase 600 Port Replicator	Works	No special procedure required

This test using Kernel 2.6.27-9 generic

Conclusion

Linux has arrived. At least on an 8 year old IBM ThinkPad 600X. All the hardware works with no problems (on the laptop itself) and it installs packages flawlessly and updates without a hitch. The only difficulties I experienced were mostly either my own mistakes or when I did things like running the laptop in a port replicator with a 1280x1024 LCD monitor. It works but the display resolution needed to be adjusted. Ubuntu has an excellent on-line Tech Support center (free!) at Ubuntu Tech Forum that answered all my questions whenever I broke something.

Installation of Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex"

Source: Free download of CD ISO from Ubuntu's Website
Boot on Ubuntu CD . There are several options: Live CD (Runs from CD), Install, and several "safe" modes. Also an "Alternate Install" CD for the systems that can't run the "Live CD".

My plan all along was to run Linux of some type so I had left a 10 Gb space unpartitioned on my upgraded 40 Gb harddrive. Windows 2000 Pro was already installed on the other 10 Gb "system" partition. So I just installed Ubuntu 8.10 from the Alternate Install CD.

The install proceeded without a single hitch. I selected "Manual" partitioning and made a Linux swap and an ext3 partition on the 10 Gb unpartitioned space and put Ubuntu on it. The installer correctly detected the Windows 2000 OS that was already there, created a GRUB selection for it, and also detected all my hardware correctly and had all the drivers. The WiFi card didn't have a driver (a Linksys WPC54GX)

Detected Hardware

Most important to me was that my Wifi card worked. The Linksys WPC54GX WiFi adapter needed the Windows Driver installed with NDISWrapper, which was easy to do. Install the NDISWrapper-gtk from the Ubuntu CD which is a simple graphic interface for NDISWrapper, it's then a simple matter of selecting the Windows .inf file from the driver's CD or drivers folder for the WiFi Adapter.

All the other hardware "just worked". The only problem I've had at all was when using the laptop in the IBM Selectabase 600 Port Replicator connected to my Viewsonic 19" LCD monitor. The Login Screen defaults to 1280x1024 when connected to the LCD monitor and the laptop's video card won't handle it without loosing sync and tearing a bit. However, it's easy enough to Log In and once Logged In 1024x768 at 70 Hz resolution works good.

Boot-up Times and other response times

Cold Boot, including log-on of user and full loading of Gnome Desktop: 2 minutes 45 seconds
Opening Firefox browser into home page: 15 seconds.
Open OpenOffice.org Writer: 20 seconds

Shut down time: 40 seconds. This is all it takes for the "Ubuntu" bar to become all black indicating the power can be shut down. Because the ACPI doesn't work the power must be manually shut down. Only hardware problem I've found.

Windows 2000 start up time was 3 minutes and 40 seconds on the same laptop. Almost a minute longer. I timed to end of necessary boot up of programs such as AVG anti-virus and Comodo Firewall (Minimum protection required by Windows)

Installing extra software

Using Applications/Add-Remove and Synaptic package manager - both without error installed or removed packages. I "test drove" a number of packages just to see if I'd like them. Both package managers are a bit slow (but not terribly so) when installing packages once they are downloaded. Slow but precise I guess best describes the package installers. I feel comfortable while installing a package, testing it to see if I like it, then removing it if I don't like it.

I disabled the auto-update intentionally and every week check for updates. Each time the updates install without any problems. There are about 20 or so updates a week and updates for any packages (software) you have installed extra is included. The update process is a bit slow but also is accurate.