Thinkpads Forum

So here it goes,

I got this 600E free today. First thing I did was put in it two 256mb memory sticks and an WD 320GB hard drive.

I try to install Linux and it install but when it reboots it cannot find the booting device, so I was thinking maybe it didn't like the Linux so I try to install Win XP Pro. Same result it starts installing fine but when it reboots to complete installation I get the alt+DEL+CNTL alert; So I imagine it can't boor from the hard drive.

Any Ideas?

I set in the BIOS the CD as first then the HD1.

Not sure if that makes a difference.

Just a hunch, but I would try dividing that HDD up into some smaller partitions, and then see what happens.

Neil wrote:Just a hunch, but I would try dividing that HDD up into some smaller partitions, and then see what happens.

I removed and tries with a 80GB one with same results, how small do you think I should partition it?

I dunno, 80GB should be small enough. Are you using a caddy with screws in the side? Sometimes some of the pins will miss the socket if you don't have. I had the same problem once with either my 600E or 600X, would act like it was going through the whole install routine, but then would not boot. Turned out that my HDD pins were not all lining up.

Good point, but when I'm realizing the installation the Setup sees the drive just fine so it should be seated correctly I guess.

I been messing with this for four hours, I am going to give it a break.

Will continue tomorrow.

Thanks

Did you upgrade the BIOS? You might have to. Some older ThinkPads have an 8 Gig limit. Windows 2000 & XP and (with upgrades) OS/2 see past the BIOS; Windows 9x/ME don't. Linux probably does. When you try to reeboot, the BIOS can't handle it.

With the BIOS upgraded, the limit should be 128 Gig, so you'll still need the Boot partition to be 128 Gig or smaller.

I have the same drive in my 600X, with XP on a 128 Gig partition, and it works fine.

BIOS is outdated, so that may be the problem.

The thing is that I don't have a floppy drive to update the BIOS and I don't see an ISO option for me to try with a CD.

Thanks.

It has the BIOS version IBET42WW from 6/24/99

The type number of the laptop is: 2645-45U

It fixes the following:

<1.22 - IBET54WW>
- (New) Support for Windows XP
- (Fix) OS installation failure with CD-ROM boot

File details

Version: 1.22 (IBET54WW)
Release Date: 2001/10/12

File link File size File description

spsdib54.exe 628,030 BIOS - System Program Service Diskette

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... sdib54.exe


And I find these instructions on how to create a bootable cd for BIOS upgrade but you need a floppy drive to create the disk.

Now I'm stuck on this step.

http://www.bay-wolf.com/bootcd.htm

You can pick up an internal floppy drive for the 600 series for $7.50 on eBay, with free shipping and buy-it-now.

Any problem you can solve for $7.50 is not a big problem

--Paul

Paul Pennington wrote:You can pick up an internal floppy drive for the 600 series for $7.50 on eBay, with free shipping and buy-it-now.

Any problem you can solve for $7.50 is not a big problem

--Paul

You are right, but I found this USB floppy disk that I used in my T40 so will give it a try today.

BTW- I made a mistake in the subject, it's a 600 model not 600E.

cmarti wrote:Fist thig I did was put in it two 256mb memory sticks and an WD 320GB hard drive. <later> BTW- I made a mistake in the subject, it's a 600 model not 600E.

In that case, I'd also look into a possible memory problem. The 600 normally does not fully support two 256MB modules; there may be a special 256MB that exists but that would be the exception. You can verify this by looking at the memory total displayed during the boot process. If you see "425408 KB OK", then the module in the front slot (closest to the UltraSlimBay opening) is only being recognized as 128KB (32MB onboard + 256MB in the rear slot and 128MB in the front = 416MB). Pull out the rear module, re-boot and then the memory total should be 163264 KB (32MB + 128MB = 160MB). Re-install the rear module, remove the front module and then the memory total should be 294336 KB (32MB + 256MB = 288MB). While I have just verified these numbers on my own 2645-45U, I don't have a spare hard drive large enough (>100GB) to test and see if the system can handle it. It already has the IBET54WW BIOS.

I would suggest not attempting to update the BIOS with this type of memory configuration (two 256MB modules). Who knows what might happen in this situation. Pull out the front module so that system will consider all of the "installed" memory as "usable". I'd also run a memory diagnostic (as you have just received the system and may not know the history behind it: flaky operation, random BSODs, etc.) using either the built-in memory test from the Easy-Setup menu or boot the system with a memtest86+ disk.

Ray,

Did the memory check and it came out good, the memory reported when booting is 425408 KB OK

I understand that the total memory installed will never show as a whole because of BIOS limitations.

Right now I am running the BIOS check utility to see if I get any errors, but I do have two 128mb PC-100 FRU memory sticks that I can put in to test it if the problem is the ram.

Will report back once the test finishes.

Thanks.

Well the test doesn't fail but neither pass, it's stuck on the part where it's testing the ram.

I will try again without the pc-133 rams in it.

Hi cmarti,

I also got a TP for free these days, but it's a 600e.

Ntl we share very similar problems: a bigger HD (>128GB; with Linux und xp on it) and more RAM don't work yet. Then we both can't upgrade the BIOS (with spsdih47 in my case) because of an absent FD; I read somewhere here in the forums about someone who somehow managed to burn a bootable CD with an upgrade but finally failed upgrading because the media wasn't a floppy.

Btw, what distro are you using?
You'd find plenty of manuals and howtos at http://tuxmobil.org/ibm.html. And last but not least here's also a linux forum---but probably you already knew that before...
My favorite is Arch, and it has a specific wiki about installing it onto this fine machine.
And there are also ways to get an encyrpted dual boot system.

I also would like to do all that, but got stuck in the basics, or say hardware limitations as said above: The 600e didn't accept my 160GB HD, and I couldn't make use of my 2x256MB-CL3-dimms (though they are counted up correctly), too, because they are no low-density ones (see here).

But the worst thing is, that I can't boot from CD...
Don't know, if the CDROM is broken, or if stupid me wasn't able to convince the EZsetup to boot from it (see my other recent post). -- But you managed to boot from CD, right? So you can do me a little favour: pls. tell me in detail how you configured EZsetup for this (the versions shouldn't differ, I guess)---this would be great!

Until I obtain a ultraslimbay-floppy I'll try to avoid those booting probs with a special promissing bm called plop. First for testing with a (cloned) w98-partition (with boot in "safe mode" then!) from another lappy on a 6.4GB drive, and if this works on a 160GB drive, finally with xp. Let's see...
(Addition: To avoid partiton table errors I prefer to create and format/manage win/fat32-partitons with win-tools and linux partitions with linux ones...)

gµlp

Well got the external floppy disk thanks to Neil, but still can't use it because my current laptops don't have a floppy disk that I can use to create the BIOS update floppy.

Now I'm stuck again, so by any chance do anyone has an 600 BIOS update CD image that can email me of host somewhere?

I even tried to do a virtual floppy drive on this laptop but fails because windows 7 cannot create the driver.

Again if anyone can make the BIOS update CD image and can email it to me or host it on filehosting.org or similar site, I would be very grateful.

Thanks ALL!

Well...bummer! Had I known that I would have sent a floppy disk along with the BIOS image on it when I sent the drive.

Oh, well! Don't you have a friend or neighbor with a floppy drive that can create the BIOS boot disk for you?

Neil wrote:Well...bummer! Had I known that I would have sent a floppy disk along with the BIOS image on it when I sent the drive.

Oh, well! Don't you have a friend or neighbor with a floppy drive that can create the BIOS boot disk for you?

No man, everybody's computers now come without one.

Will have to wait for the opportunity to create one.

I'm having fun with this 600, the screen was flickering on it and I for it by replacing the inverter.

Yeah, I forget that we are just about the only ones who still enjoy messing around with these old computers. I'm not sure just how many floppy drives I have around here. Let's see, both the desktop computers that are in service now have floppy drives, and I still have two more of the 600 series ThinkPad floppies and two or three UltraBay Plus drives that I can use in the A3x T30 and T2x machines. Still, with all those drives around, I rarely have a need for one.

I still use floppies on newer machines to support older ones. Just about all my laptops have a floppy drive internal or external and those that don't can use one of my external USB floppy drives. For the real old Thinkpads you need to boot from a floppy anyway to install the OS from the CD.

For most computer users the CDR, DVDR, and then USB external hard drives drives killed the need for a floppy, MO, ZIP, Jaz, Syquest, etc drives and even tape drives for backup. Some people even have a sepereate server machine to dump files on as backup or overflow from their main machine.

Update! Got the BIOS update floppy created with a desktop PC at work, updated the 600 to Version: 1.22 (IBET54WW)
Release Date: 2001/10/12 and it's installing XP Pro right now.

So yes the BIOS was what was needed to fix it.

I made a mistake the drive I put in it's a 250GB one not a 320GB and it's just fine without partitioning it.

Thanks to all for the help especially Neil for sending me the floppy drive which is soo.. cool.