Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
Your favorite free O/S
Your favorite free O/S
what is your favorite free operating system? I'm looking for something for one of my free machines... I don't expect much from it and already invested $8 in it for a power supply.... I was thinking of going with Linux Mint or Debian to be different then just installing Ubuntu but what do you like?
My Current Collection:
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
Re: Your favorite free O/S
Mint is easier than Debian and has much better plug and play hardware recognition. I have a portable installation on an express card drive and I have yet to boot it onto a Thinkpad and not have it work with all the different hardware being recognized. W500, W520, X220 Tablet, X201 Tablet, W700 and W701 all work with it with no missing drivers and it doesn't take long to boot either which surprises me because it has to reconfigure the hardware at boot.
I use Debian as my system of choice for Linux servers but Mint and Ubuntu are my favorites as client OSes.
I use Debian as my system of choice for Linux servers but Mint and Ubuntu are my favorites as client OSes.
Currently using: A W500, a W520, two X201Ts, an X220T, an X61T, a 14" T60P, a 15" UXGA T60P, and a W701.
Currently idle: A spare W500, a spare X61T, a 14" T61, a 15" SXGA+ T60, a 14" T60, and my first Thinkpad, a 770X.
Currently idle: A spare W500, a spare X61T, a 14" T61, a 15" SXGA+ T60, a 14" T60, and my first Thinkpad, a 770X.
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I'm going to be using it on a crappy core 2 duo 64 bit windows visa era Dell inspiron 1525 but I gotta find out why it's running the fan at 100% it may need new thermal paste (like most of my machines)MisterB wrote: ↑Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:57 pmMint is easier than Debian and has much better plug and play hardware recognition. I have a portable installation on an express card drive and I have yet to boot it onto a Thinkpad and not have it work with all the different hardware being recognized. W500, W520, X220 Tablet, X201 Tablet, W700 and W701 all work with it with no missing drivers and it doesn't take long to boot either which surprises me because it has to reconfigure the hardware at boot.
I use Debian as my system of choice for Linux servers but Mint and Ubuntu are my favorites as client OSes.
My Current Collection:
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
-
- Admin
- Posts: 18700
- Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
- Location: Mt. Cobb, PA
- Contact:
Re: Your favorite free O/S
Years ago a friend of mine bought a Dell 1525 (against my advice), and it ran hot from day one.
Decent thermal paste (like Thermal Grizzly) might improve it.
Decent thermal paste (like Thermal Grizzly) might improve it.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Check out The Boardroom for Parts, Mods and Other Services.
Check out The Boardroom for Parts, Mods and Other Services.
-
- Sophomore Member
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:40 pm
- Location: British Columbia, Canada
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I like Debian. If you look around for the 'nonfree -including firmware' version, it has a lot of extra drivers in the .iso.
My R500 (also Core2Duo) runs very nicely with Debian and LXDE on the Desktop. It's my everyday machine, and has been for a few years. XFCE might be a better choice if you want a little more automated integration.
My only complaint with Debian at this point involves peripherals. I have a tough time getting full speed out of USB drives, etc. I'm not sure why, because Android Device Bridge works at full speed through the same ports. Sometimes unmounting and remounting a USB drive helps, but sometimes it doesn't. Other than that, I'm completely happy with it.
My R500 (also Core2Duo) runs very nicely with Debian and LXDE on the Desktop. It's my everyday machine, and has been for a few years. XFCE might be a better choice if you want a little more automated integration.
My only complaint with Debian at this point involves peripherals. I have a tough time getting full speed out of USB drives, etc. I'm not sure why, because Android Device Bridge works at full speed through the same ports. Sometimes unmounting and remounting a USB drive helps, but sometimes it doesn't. Other than that, I'm completely happy with it.
Current: R500 | Yoga 260
Rarely Used: Satellite 2410 | 390X | X120e
Gone: Hyundai 486SX/25 | Satellite T1910 | 365XD | T40 | T42 | R400 | T430 | Latitude 5480
Rarely Used: Satellite 2410 | 390X | X120e
Gone: Hyundai 486SX/25 | Satellite T1910 | 365XD | T40 | T42 | R400 | T430 | Latitude 5480
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I tried it on my T60P which has been upgraded with a T7200 processor. It worked just as easily as on newer Thinkpads. Mint is just about the best when it comes to working on different hardware. I've also booted the same image in Virtualbox VMs and the Virtualbox additions are built in so it is compatible with just about any 64 bit hardware or virtual hardware.
I
Currently using: A W500, a W520, two X201Ts, an X220T, an X61T, a 14" T60P, a 15" UXGA T60P, and a W701.
Currently idle: A spare W500, a spare X61T, a 14" T61, a 15" SXGA+ T60, a 14" T60, and my first Thinkpad, a 770X.
Currently idle: A spare W500, a spare X61T, a 14" T61, a 15" SXGA+ T60, a 14" T60, and my first Thinkpad, a 770X.
Re: Your favorite free O/S
ya thank god I only got the Dell for free... I would never pay money for it.... I'm only Thinkpads and Apple computersRealBlackStuff wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:36 amYears ago a friend of mine bought a Dell 1525 (against my advice), and it ran hot from day one.
Decent thermal paste (like Thermal Grizzly) might improve it.
My Current Collection:
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
-
- ThinkPadder
- Posts: 1692
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: Your favorite free O/S
It's ridiculously easy to remove the CPU heatsink (underside access panel), but the fan is a separate unit for some reason.RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:36 amYears ago a friend of mine bought a Dell 1525 (against my advice), and it ran hot from day one.
Decent thermal paste (like Thermal Grizzly) might improve it.
Undervolting works too, since it has a Core 2 Duo CPU.

Daily driver: X220 4291-C91 i7-2620M
Backup: X220 4291-P79 i5-2520M
In pieces: X60s CS U1300 [board only], two retired but working X61Ts
RIP: 760XD 9546-U9E, X61 T7500
Backup: X220 4291-P79 i5-2520M
In pieces: X60s CS U1300 [board only], two retired but working X61Ts
RIP: 760XD 9546-U9E, X61 T7500

Re: Your favorite free O/S
oddly enough I think my 2015 Macbook pro, Dell and Thinkpad T440p are the hottest running machines I own... I'm going to fully dissemble the T440p soon to clean it out and hopefully get it to a point where I can sell it for a T440p with nvidia graphics or upgrade it with a board that has nvidia graphics... at this point i'm set on getting an nvidia T440p
My Current Collection:
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
Re: Your favorite free O/S
Debian is my favorite. 

-
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:03 am
- Location: Singapore
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I have multiple favourites, all of which are Linux distros (those being Debian, Devuan, and KDE Neon), but if I had to pick one, it'd be Devuan, although, If I had to recommend a Linux distro to someone who's new to the world of GNU/Linux, I'd recommend one of the many official "flavours" of Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
R52 | R51 | R52 (parts) | 760ED (Asian) (unbootable/parts) | 760ED (North American) (semi-functioning) | 760EL (North American)Wander wrote:I only have turkey left but I'll let you pick... Mustard Or Mayo? Mustard Or Mayo? Mustard Or Mayo?
Re: Your favorite free O/S
DOS 7.0/V and Fedora, depending on the age of the machine's hardware I expect it to run on.Whitieiii wrote: ↑Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:39 pmwhat is your favorite free operating system? I'm looking for something for one of my free machines... I don't expect much from it and already invested $8 in it for a power supply.... I was thinking of going with Linux Mint or Debian to be different then just installing Ubuntu but what do you like?
Greetings from Tokyo,
IceWobs, IBM Thinkpad Enthusiast
Daily Driver Thinkpads: x61, x220
Under Construction: i-1455, PC110
Occasional Use: 760ED, 535, 535X, T60, R60, T61, T61p
IceWobs, IBM Thinkpad Enthusiast
Daily Driver Thinkpads: x61, x220
Under Construction: i-1455, PC110
Occasional Use: 760ED, 535, 535X, T60, R60, T61, T61p
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I'm currently running Linux Mint with xfce desktop on my Dell with 3gb ram and 5400 rpm hard drive and it's working good enough... It's just a knock around machine to try Linux on and it's been a good machine other than the fan bearing and needing a $5 power supply but I wouldn't mind picking up another early core 2 duo for around $10-20 and use it as a Linux machine
My Current Collection:
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
A30 Pentium 3 512MB ram 60GB HDD Win 98SE
T410 1st Gen i5 4GB ram 320 GB HDD Win 7
HP 8460p 2nd gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Radeon 6570m Win 7
T430 3rd Gen i5 8GB ram 500GB HDD Win 7
T440s 4th Gen i5 8GB ram 300 GB SSD Win 10
T440p 4th gen i5 12GB ram GT 730m 500GB HDD Win 10
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:56 am
- Location: Rochester, New York
Re: Your favorite free O/S
I find OpenBSD runs excellent on older Thinkpads. Nearly all hardware features are fully supported and the system is extremely stable. I can run indefinitely without needing to reboot just closing the lid for sleep or hibernating the machine. OpenBSD does have a somewhat steep learning curve for configuration to get it running optimally but every thing that you need basically works out of the box. As you learn more you can tune it to work even better. In the near future I am thinking of selling some t61 / r61 machines with OpenBSD + Firefox 58 or 59 + Libre Office with everything configured. Without the Windows (and possibly Linux, idk, I have not used Linux actively for many years) bloat you will be amazed at how fast old hardware can perform in the present day. I can watch HD youtube videos, even three or four simultaneously in multiple tabs, etc, on my daily driver X61 with 4 gb of ram, for example.
Meanwhile a T60 that I have with windows 7 installed on in order to run iTunes....struggles to do anything and the OS constantly swaps out to disk / hogs almost all the T60's 3 gb of ram.
Meanwhile a T60 that I have with windows 7 installed on in order to run iTunes....struggles to do anything and the OS constantly swaps out to disk / hogs almost all the T60's 3 gb of ram.
Re: Your favorite free O/S
For older hw I would recommend Debian, but look up how to dl the nonfree-iso or know how to apt get them after basic installation. The documentation on howto do this is easily found on the Debian website.
It's that step IMO that people seem to think is poor hw detection, it's just that you need to add the right firmware to get full functionality.
For new hw go for Arch once you know your way around Linux.
It's that step IMO that people seem to think is poor hw detection, it's just that you need to add the right firmware to get full functionality.
For new hw go for Arch once you know your way around Linux.
Home Win10/i5 Arch//Openbox R61//GNOME 3 X201i/X230 Tablet //Spectrwm T61/X61/X61 Debian 9.2/X32/T60p
Work - Win7/X220T BunsenLabs/Debian 9 T43
Retired T60/X30/X31/X61S RIP T400/T21/X61T/X200T
Work - Win7/X220T BunsenLabs/Debian 9 T43
Retired T60/X30/X31/X61S RIP T400/T21/X61T/X200T
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
SOLD: It was your last chance to get your own T70!
by wujstefan » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:36 am » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 11 Replies
- 1219 Views
-
Last post by wujstefan
Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:07 am
-
-
-
Free for the mailing cost - GPS handheld 7 inch
by RRHODY » Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:50 am » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 0 Replies
- 252 Views
-
Last post by RRHODY
Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:50 am
-
-
-
Mod idea: Power DVD by internal USB adapter, free Ultrabay SATA for MSATA.
by TPFanatic » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:07 pm » in ThinkPad T400/410/420 and T500/510/520 Series - 0 Replies
- 717 Views
-
Last post by TPFanatic
Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:07 pm
-
-
-
Cheap/FREE! Old Thinkpads and Parts - You pay shipping.
by CoolRunnings » Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:19 am » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 22 Replies
- 1035 Views
-
Last post by TheForgottenKing
Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:19 pm
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests