| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/18/2009 8:28:29 PM | I've been wanting to run Linux on one of my old IBM PC's for a long time now, so that I can learn about it. Unfortunately, I'm in a catch-22 scenario: to get Linux to run on any IBM pc, requires an experienced linux user to modify the installation. I've googled to many Linux suggestion sites, but have yet to find any distros that just plain work. Every single one, YES INCLUDING UBUNTU, will either run but not load to the hard drive, or will run SOME functions, but not link to the internet, and NONE of them will let me use wireless features.
I have old T40 laptops, newer T60's, M35's, and other older machines. None will install any form of linux to the hard drive, run it, connect to the internet, connect wirelessly, AND run the mouse at the same time.
Any suggestions would be most welcome, other than snide sy insulting ones. | |
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- don
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 2 | |
| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/18/2009 9:00:49 PM | Looks like openSUSE will install and work fine without any problems...
http://forums.opensuse.org/archives/sls-archives/archives-suse-linux/archives-hardware-support/archives-notebooks/373753-ibm-thinkpad-t40.html
What do you have to lose from trying?
http://software.opensuse.org/
the PowerPC/IBM option might be the best one for your IBM but not sure if it's an eSeries/pSeries...otherwise, I would try the x86 cd
PowerPC
ppc: e.g. Apple® Computers before 2006 with non-Intel® CPU, IBM® eSeries™, IBM® pSeries™
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- don
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 3 | |
| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/18/2009 9:32:32 PM | &
http://fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=229843
...................
Only Fedora, DSL and openSUSE have been successful, with Fedora and openSUSE-Gnome the only ones that could get online wirelessly out-of-the-box
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/19/2009 1:17:56 AM | Without knowing the spec of the IBMs , it would be better for you to find out about the minimum requirements needed for most linux distros.
Nowdays , with most recent linux GUI based installs , you will need the minimum of P3 800 Mhz , 256 Mb of Ram and a 8 mb graphics card and a bootable CD ROM drive ,
For lower spec machines you can do a text based install , but you will not have any GUIs to use.
I run Fedora Core 5 on a P3 1Ghz machine with 512 Mb of Ram and a 128 Mb graphics card and it is quite fast. | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/19/2009 3:07:48 PM | This post makes no sense...I'm sorry, but it doesn't.
An "IBM PC" is basically just a standard PC platform...even though IBM started the x86 craze...their PC's shouldn't of had anything to prevent Linux from installing or working.
I think the biggest problem you're having is a lack of hardware support. You mention laptops...laptops are FAMOUS for having unsupported hardware due to the fact manfactuers like to use propritary hardware...my Compaq laptop's wireless didn't work when I first intalled ubuntu...one simple command fixed that.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTestingTeam has a list of laptops that will work with Ubuntu and which distro is needed to work..along with details...for example, you mentioned you have a T60...they have two different T60 models listed...Ubuntu works on them with some minor things not wanting to work.
But, it doesn't require an expiereced linu user to modify the installation...most of these problems have rather simple how-to's if you dig deep enough.
But I think your problem is you're just using some bizarre hardware, and NOTHING related to it being an IBM. The biggest problem in trying to learn about linux is that when you try to do it on a laptop and not a desktop that's got standard supported hardware, you're going to run in to these problems and since you've never used linux before, you're going to think it just won't work on that particular brand of PC.
Take a look at the laptoptesting database for the models you've got and see what other people have reported. | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/19/2009 9:05:24 PM | I was thinking the same thing when I read it, makes no sense. I have installed Linux on 100+ machines of differing types and sure there have been some niggles here and there but never one that would just outright refuse to install. My first Linux box was a old, old, old K6-2 400Mhz machine running Ubuntu 6.xx or something, I ran that right through until the 8.x series at which time I built a new gamer and turned the retiring gamer in to my new Linux box. If nothing else you should be able to run from a Live CD. My distro of choice at the moment is PC Linux OS.
Three I would recommend are:
Crunch Bang! Linux
AntiX
Arch Linux (this one will definitely help you learn Linux)
I am actually looking to buy a laptop now that I will turn in to a triple boot machine with Win XP, Linux (not sure what distro yet) and OpenSolaris. That way I have one of each type of environment- Windows, Linus and Unix.
Find a desktop that is a few years old someone is selling on craigslist or something and get a good supply of CD-RW as you will probably start wanting to try several different distros.
Welcome to the dark side, you'll be glad you came, trust me. :) | |
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- don
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 7 | |
| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/20/2009 2:59:29 AM | I think he was looking for everything working 'out of the box' on an older IBM laptop...
to get Linux to run on any IBM pc, requires an experienced linux user to modify the installation. I've googled to many Linux suggestion sites, but have yet to find any distros that just plain work.
[ubuntu] IBM ThinkPad wireless won't run:
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-816804.html
&
Various issues here:
http://thunk.org/tytso/linux/t40.html
http://bellet.info//laptop/t40.html
So I can see how googling it might be intimidating for someone new to linux | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/20/2009 8:12:17 AM | | I installed PCLOS on an older IBM thinkpad for a guy a few months ago and everything, including wireless worked fine. Just had to configure the wireless in PCC, that's it. | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/21/2009 2:22:41 PM | | I am running Ubuntu on a Dell D610 right now, installed perfect with no hardware conflicts.... if you install it direct to the hard drive. If you try to run it as a liveCD it never works very well in my experience. I have used Linux Mint from a bootable pen drive with quite a lot of success on HP, IBM, Lenovo and Dell machines from models ranging from 2005 - present. I have also installed Ubuntu to the hard drive of an IBM ThinkPad T60 again with no conflicts. | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/21/2009 2:59:34 PM | | Very strange. I have got an old IBM laptop to install Mandrake Linux and that was back in 1995 & the laptop was about 4 years older then that. | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/21/2009 5:53:11 PM | Do this hit up google type in T40 laptop linux yeh will get tons of info.
Allot of the older hardware isnt quite plug-n-play so to speak you will need to tweak the installation a bit to get it working right.
If yeh really interested in learning about linux look up "linux from scratch " | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/21/2009 7:32:45 PM | Thanks for your extended response, subtlecaffiene, but as I tried to explain(badly I guess) in my OP, I HAVE looked online A LOT trying to find linux that works on my IBM LABELED machines (not the vague 'PC's' you seem to think I meant). I have read of a bunch of Linux versions that will work MOSTLY on the T40's and T60's, but they always require modifications that I don't understand how to make, because I'm such a newby. I AM certainly trying to be lazy by asking for a ready-made linux package that would work, and I readily accept criticism for that (though it's pointless, since calling me a nerf-hearder will neither get me where I'm going, or make me go away). I tried writing directly to some linux forums, but was ignored.
Thanks to the other posters who made suggestions, I will try them. I was hoping to find someone by chance who had actually installed linux on one of the models I mentioned WITHOUT having to add modifications (which are simple, I'm sure, AFTER you understand linux, but which I have yet to learn, because I can't get linux to RUN enough to learn it yet).
Thanks, every one. | |
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- don
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 13 | |
| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/22/2009 12:21:37 AM | IBM T40: openSuSE v10
Looks like openSUSE will install and work fine without any problems...
http://forums.opensuse.org/archives/sls-archives/archives-suse-linux/archives-hardware-support/archives-notebooks/373753-ibm-thinkpad-t40.html
^^^This is someone who asked your question...check it out^^^
Download openSuSE v10.3:
( openSUSE-10.3-GM-GNOME-i386.iso )
http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/10.3/iso/cd/openSUSE-10.3-GM-GNOME-i386.iso
______________________________________________________________________
IBM T60: Fedora Core 9 (Red Hat's Free Distro)
http://chi-10g-1-mirror.fastsoft.net/pub/linux/fedora/linux/releases/9/Fedora/i386/iso/Fedora-9-i386-DVD.iso
-or-
http://chi-10g-1-mirror.fastsoft.net/pub/linux/fedora/linux/releases/9/Fedora/i386/iso/ | |
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/22/2009 12:34:05 AM |
I HAVE looked online A LOT trying to find linux that works on my IBM LABELED machines (not the vague 'PC's' you seem to think I meant). I have read of a bunch of Linux versions that will work MOSTLY on the T40's and T60's, but they always require modifications that I don't understand how to make,
There are two problems that you face with the IBM machines :
1) low specs on the IBM machines
2) Linux hardware compatibility.
You will need to take an inventory of the various machines to obtain the specs for each component of CPU , Ram , graphics card and HDD to see if they can run linux , as well as finding out about each component chipset for all the peripheral components such as motherboard , graphics card , network card , sound card , controller cards.
Being IBM machines , they could contain non standard proprietary hardware components that are not compatible with linux , particularly if they are the older IBM computers.
Linux is quite different to Ms Windows in that Linux is very hardware dependent and that quite a lot of hardware manufacturers don't provide linux drivers for their hardware.
Now days , quite a lot of the newer hardware is supported by linux , but if the hardware is older than say 5 years or that they are proprietry hardware , then perhaps you may have problems with hardware compatibility.
Here is one web page that gives a list of Linux compatiable hardware , it is not up to date , but it will give you an idea of searching for web pages that has linux hardware compatibility lists.
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/
( do a google search on "linux hardware compatibility list" )
This may also be helpful to you
Linux in IBM laptops.
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ibm.html
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| Linux on IBM PC's?
Posted: 9/23/2009 5:44:53 AM | dude,
I am a network admin for Department of defense. We have 3 t40 and 2 t60's running fedora core! give that a try!
Steve | |
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