Linux on my T43p

[slowfighter]

I wish to install Linux on my T43p: I must overwrite MBR and I wish to delete Predesktop Area (if is still on my HD! Using Linux fdisk I see just 1 partition and there is'nt free space on HD!).
I don't know Rescue and Recovery... do it a backup of ALL Hard Disk?
Can I recovery (using RnR CDs) Predesktop Area, MBR, partitions, etc... ?

[thinkweird]

I would suggest before start installing linux, you need to at least know how to manipulate partitions and also how to backup and restore your system.

Why you must overwrite your MBR? You can still use windows' bootloader to load linux boot information. How to do it?

When installing linux, do not install the boot info on MBR but on the root or boot partition instead, then use this tool called bootpart to get linux boot info and add it to windows' boot manu.

you can find bootpart here:

http://winimage.com/othertl.htm

[Brian Wallen]

It you haven't already made a decision when you see this, you should know that there have been significant problems with Linux recognizing modems in the T43 and other Thinkpad models that shared its chipset.

Although there have been reports of success, I can get neither Xandros 4 nor openSuSE 10.1 to work. After three message exchanges, Xandros Tech Support has given up.

[gustafson]

I wish to install Linux on my T43p: I must overwrite MBR and I wish to delete Predesktop Area (if is still on my HD! Using Linux fdisk I see just 1 partition and there is'nt free space on HD!).
I don't know Rescue and Recovery... do it a backup of ALL Hard Disk?
Can I recovery (using RnR CDs) Predesktop Area, MBR, partitions, etc... ?

... Don't you know that you can install several systems on the same computer? I installed several version of linux on my computer before. You just need to assign two partition for them. you can use linux' boot software to boot windows or install some other softwares to do it for you. MBR is the last thing you want to touch, believe me.

[christopher_wolf]

In addition, make sure you set the security mode of the RnR partition/area to "Secure" within the BIOS, this will really help prevent the area being overwritten.

As stated previously, you need to set up a partition or two on your HDD and set them aside for Linux. Then install Linux and, if you want, use a chainloading system for the bootloaders. Make suer you write your own RnR disk set and make backups beforehand though, just in case anything goes wrong.

As an aside; SuSE 10.1, along with Ubuntu, is probably one of the best Linux distros I have run on my Thinkpad thus far and 99% of the hardware is supported. I haven't physically tested the modem, but it appears to be working fine from the diagnostic information that I saw. If I have time a little later, I will try to dial up to one of my ISP accounts with it and see how it handles.

[Brian Wallen]

christopher_wolfe, more testing and comments from you would be a big help in resolving my modem problems. Xandros Tech Support has given up on this problem and I was not able to get the modem to work in openSuSE 10.1. I didn't see any problem until I actually tried to dial an ISP, then both KNetworkManager and Kinternet could not find the modem, although Yast | Network Devices | Modems correctly identifies the Modem Device. Incidently, for what its worth the trace from the Xandros dialer claimed that it could initialize the modem, but then couldn't find a dial tone, even when, booted to W2k on a drive in the Ultrabay, Windows could successfully complete a connection to this ISP.

I've downloaded a Linuxant driver for this kernel, but will wait unitl I hear from you before trying to install it, since I am new to SuSE and could easily make things worse out of ignorance.

Thanks.
Brian Wallen