T42 with a swappable DVD/CDRW drive - linux? which flavor?

[titianmom]

Hi all,

I would like to load LINUX onto a T42 with 1 GB RAM, 40 GB HD, with it's swappable DVD/CDRW drive.

Currently there isn't an OS on the HD. I'm assuming that I just have to go into BIOS and make sure it boots off the DVD/CDRW for the LINUX load CD/DVD.

(I'm a bit new at this...so bare with me.)

Questions:

Which LINUX flavor should I use or does anyone else have the same platform with LINUX loaded?

How did you partition the HD?


Thanks!
Kim

[kiwipad]

Yes, to install from a CD or DVD you will need to make sure the optical drive is ahead of the hdd in the BIOS boot order.

Most distros will suggest a sensible partitioning layout as part of the install - even easier if you are just wanting a Linux on the hdd (i.e. no Windows or multiple Linux installs). But you would expect at least a Linux "swap" partition (typically around 2x your physical RAM size), a partition for "root" (which will be called "/") and for ease of use a partition for /home where all your own user files will be stored (not to be confused with Linux /usr directory which doesn't contain "user" files !).

As to which distro? Whichever suits your needs or you like the look of ! A lot of people like Ubuntu (or its variants) for its "ease of use". My own preferences are Fedora and openSuse because they are just so well built. See my sig as to what might work and for + info or help when you get to install, suggest you post in the Linux forum here. And enjoy Linux life !

IG

[Tasurinchi]

Hi!

You may want to check these topics as well:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=77303
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 37&start=0

Cheers!

[poshgeordie]

Welcome to the forums Kim, and to Linux too!

I run Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid i386 on my Thinkpads (T30, T4x something) and everything works fine out of the box.

I chose this version because it's the last one where everything does work without problems.

A good pictorial HowTo is here using the downloaded i386 Desktop image.

Once you've downloaded the program - I presume in Windows - to burn the .iso, first download the appropriate version of IsoRecorder.
When you burn the CD, burn it very slowly (less than x10); fast burning creates disc errors.

To install from the CD, at the initial (welcome) screen press F12 and CD to boot from.

Let us know how you get on.

[kiwipad]

Hey Nick

Very good point about older distros and stuff "just working". Of particular interest to T4x users would probably be problems getting the ATI driver working correctly (if at all in some distros from what I've seen) and of course KDE network manager becoming somewhat less than reliable!

From a Suse point, v11.0 was probably the most "out of the box" useable on my T42, which would co-incide with Ubu 8.10.

Flipside of course is that other things do work better in the new releases and they are more likely to be secure (notwithstanding general update/support availability). And I have to say Suse11.2 just flies on my T42 compared to 11.1 and 11.0, both startup and use. OK I can't have fancy 3D stuff but I can live without that!

IG

[Tasurinchi]

Very good point about older distros and stuff "just working". Of particular interest to T4x users would probably be problems getting the ATI driver working correctly

Not only the T4x's, also the X3x's as the X31 of my signature had the same issue. Ubuntu 9.04 was working graphics-wise so slow that I went back to Win7.

Maybe I should dig a bit in my hard drive to see if I find an ISO file of the old ubuntu distros and retry again...

cheers

[RealBlackStuff]

When you burn the CD, burn it very slowly (less than x10); fast burning creates disc errors.

I have a Pioneer DVR-116D DVDRW in my PC. http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews ... leId=23814
I always burn at the highest possible speed (40x for CD on this burner) and I'm using an older Nero 6 Ultimate under XP-Pro/SP3.
I've yet to see a coaster (over 400 CDs and DVDs so far).
Maybe IsoRecorder isn't that good?

[poshgeordie]

Maybe IsoRecorder isn't that good?

I too burn general data / music type CD's at full speed - it's only .iso's I burn slowly.

This is due to advise from numerous Ubuntu Forums posts which suggested this after people were burning coasters at full speed. Having said that I've tried to find a recent (in the last year) post to illustrate the point but can't so maybe I'm out of date!

I've no idea whether IR is better or worse than any other .iso burning program - I only use it because it takes a couple of clicks, without needing to change menu settings.

Another distro worth trying and which has had great reports is Debian Lenny, which is what Ubuntu is based on.

[ajkula66]

I've been running Mint since 4.0 on a plethora of T4x units and have always been above and beyond pleased...

[titianmom]

I appreciate the suggestions and will look into them.

Best regards,
Kim