dual-boot Windows + Linux okay on IBM Thinkpad?

eeried · 06-17-2005, 09:54 AM

Hello,

I'd like toknow if it's possible to install Linux on IBM Thinkpad R40?

At the moment WindowsXP is there (no choice; preinstalled by IBM and no WindowsCD-Rom -- all there is ia a rescue button) and I'm wondering if IBM doesn"t have files that could somehow block the system or make any other installation somewhat risky.

Looking at the HDD through a Linux Live CD shows IBM has a hidden partition hda2, probably containing its rescue version of WinXP -- it doen't show when you run WinXP.

Everything's all right running on a Live CD, but installing could be tricky - the only problem being that IBM involvement. The laptop isn't mine so I'd have to be extremely careful.

Any advice or tips?

jogi · 06-17-2005, 10:16 AM

http://www.terdmonk.com/drupal/thinkpad/

http://t.webring.com/hub?ring=linuxthinkpad

http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ibm.html

might all prove useful

titanium_geek · 06-17-2005, 10:24 AM

laptops are known to have 'extra' partitions- wise to leave alone because the hold info that is for the laptop- (things like battery levels? etc)

umm, thinkpads are known for their "nice to linux" attitude- check out the HCL.

You will need to make sure all the windows info/data is all at one end of the drive (google, search LQ)
and then make a partition for linux. Depending on your distro, this could be really easy to do.

titanium_geek

eeried · 06-17-2005, 10:38 AM

If it isn't trickier than defrag the Windows partition C:\ (the only one that shows) to make sure I can make some free space for Linux, then it's okay.

I thought of using Qtparted to make the Linux partitions (using a Live CD such as knoppix) , and then install an easy Linux distro such as Ubuntu.

I also though of not installing anything but use Damn Small Linux, possibly on a USB pendrive (I haven't checked if that Thinkpad laptop can boot on a USB device).

Cheers,

synaptical · 06-17-2005, 10:40 AM

i have an R40 with xp, slackware, and i just put ubuntu on it. i wiped that "recovery" partition a long time ago because i like to backup and then just install everything myself if i have to. if it's not your laptop and that's not an option, linux still should work on it no prob; however, i'm not sure what would happen if the recovery partition had to be used: would it wipe the whole drive, or what? i never wanted to find out, so it was useless to me, just taking up space.

fyi, you can usually get the installation CDs from ibm if you call customer service and request them. i think officially they say it has to be within 30 days of getting the laptop, but maybe you could argue with them (or just tell them it was less than 30 days since you got it, etc.) then if anything ever went seriously wrong, the laptop could at least be restored to factory specs using the CDs.

p.s. post back whatever success or problems you have. i'm having a problem i'm trying to sort out with slack 10.1 and the radeon drivers (haven't checked out X in ubuntu yet), and i also have accumulated a few little pointers, like getting the <- page -> keys above the arrow keys to work, remapping the escape key to ` for easier access (ibm puts it waaaaay up out of reach for vim users

), etc. maybe we could help each other twice as fast as it would take each on his own.

eeried · 06-17-2005, 11:04 AM

Quote:

It came with XP preinstalled. It may be good _not_ to boot Win XP at
all, as the first thing it does is converting the FAT32 file system
to NTFS. If you resize it as FAT, you can use for example the well
tested parted. Well I did not know this, so I lost.

Then I first checked out XP a little and installed some programs which
proved to be a bad idea, too, as Win placed some data in the middle of
the hard drive and defragmenting (even with an alternative tool) did
not move it to the beginning. So I had to make a smaller Linux
partition than initially wanted. In the meantime I wiped out XP
entirely anyway...
...
At the next bootup I experienced a little shock, as the machine
complained about a no more existing "predesktop". IBM obviously uses
free space at the end of the harddrive (not a separate partition) to
save a rescue image to reset the whole disk to initial state. Well, I
think I destroyed that one, but first it's an utter waste of disk space,
second one can disable the predesktop in the BIOS so that it does boot
nicely and third it is possible (I heard/read) to get rescue CDs from
IBM anyway, if really needed.

thinkpad and linux

Thanks for the links jogi which led me to that one! I'd forgotten about silly NTFS, for instance...

eeried · 07-12-2005, 04:14 PM

Now I have that IBM laptop in front of me!

I have defragmented the main C: partition -- (hda1 says Linux) -- but a number of files won't be moved to the beginning of the partition, WinXp declares. So they are stuck right at the end of the partition according to the graph.

I used Kaella LiveCD (based on Knoppix), and Qtparted seemed quite ready to resize the partition, but I didn't do it because of those Windows files stuck at the end of the partition. Do those files matter at all?

And I'm not sure Qtparted can resize NTFS partitions, or can it?

What do you think I could or should do? -- as I said this is not my laptop, I don't even have the IBM rescue password. So I can't risk wiping out part of WinXp (though I wouldn't mind at all, personally!)

Many thanks or your help in advance

titanium_geek · 07-12-2005, 09:59 PM

back up those files (ie burn a CD of them) and go ahead. In fact, before you continue, BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP (get the point) everything of importance- especially since it's not your data.

you will need ntfstools to use qtparted to partition ntfs drives.

titanium_geek

eeried · 07-13-2005, 07:43 AM

Thanks , titanium_geek, but how do I know which files I have to back up -- thoses that are at the end of the partition. Or do you suggest I should make an image of the partition?

Thanks for the mention of nfstools: I'm not sure the app is there on Knoppix Live CD or on Ubuntu Live CD or on Damnsmall Linux (all the Live CDs I have!)

Cheers,

eeried · 07-17-2005, 05:01 PM

All done! It worked like a charm!

The fiies that were stuck at the end of the C Windows partition were merely WinXP swapfile -- i was given the hint on the LKurkhere forum for WinXP. So I only had to disable the swapfile, and defrag again.

I used Qtparted to resize the ntfs C Windows partition (using Knoppix Live CD) ; everything seems okay on the WinXP side at first glance -- I'll have to check all the apps work all right in the user account.

I then restored some swap for WinXP.

I installed Ubuntu-Linux on several partitions (swap, /, /home, /tmp, /usr/local, /var/www) which I created inside the free space made by Qtparted.

i know I could have resized the Windows partition directly while installing ubuntu but Qtparted looked more reassuring... and I could check if Win was still working before installing Linux.

The dual-boot looks all right too.

The only thing that failed was the dial-up connection even though I configured the connection with pppconfig -- perhaps because the dial-up cable was not plugged while I installed Ubuntu.

Now I want to install another Linux distro, and make a network to link my old computer (Linux as well) to this swift IBM laptop -- just for fun because the laptop has only been lent to me for the summer.

I'm so pleased not to have to use that silly M$Windows ;-)

Cheers,

titanium_geek · 07-17-2005, 10:41 PM

sorry- I checked out for a week - (mamore river cruise... mmm...) and now I'm back in the cold and ready to get into computer stuff big time.

great to here it worked out for you- sometimes it is just necessary to take a risk. what distro do you want to try? you have your debian based (ubuntu) so try an rpm based or slackbased distro.

slackware is fun and debian eats newbies for breakfast and mandrake and redhat are fun but too simple (and....)

oh boy- I'm ranting again.

titanium_geek