How to get Ubuntu on IBM Thinkpad 240 w/ no CD drive 300mghz 64 ram

email: <email address hidden>

it seems to old for what you want from it.

64M would not let you get a good performance from your laptop.

I would suggest instead to use LTSP so you can convert your old laptop into a THIN Client.

With this setup you'll have a pretty good machine as fast as your main computer.

I'm gonna point you to some docs you must read, because the configuration of LTSP needs some work. Please don't let this to discourage you, because you'd obtain a very nice setup at the end.

www.ltsp.org. look for the documentation link so you can have some background about LTSP.

and if you go to the wiki and search for LTSP you'll find several guides that would help you with this task.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/?action=fullsearch&context=180&value=ltsp&titlesearch=T%C3%ADtulos

i hope that this can help you or at least show you an alternative for the installation you want to perform.

You might also get Xubuntu to work as well.

From Xubuntu's website:
Minimum system requirements

To run the Desktop CD (LiveCD + Install CD), you need 128 MB RAM, when using the Alternate Install CD you can do with 64 MB.

To install Xubuntu, you need 1.5 GB of free space on your hard disk.

Once installed, Xubuntu can run with 64 MB RAM, but it is strongly recommended to use at least 128 MB RAM.

Just wondering if you got Xubuntu to run on your laptop? Or if you are having other problems? Can you please update this support ticket?

Hi Johathan,

It is great of you to have emailed me again. I really appreciate this.

I looked at the links to the information regarding thin clients. I
would rather fully install the OS vs making it a thin client.

I did down load XUbuntu to the second partition on the IBM and am
hoping to be able to run the install from within Win98. Is this
possible. From what I have read it seemed as though it is.

Otherwise, do you recommend running the install files on the 2nd
harddrive partition from a floppy that the laptop can boot to?

I am not that experienced with all the Linux commands so whatever I
do needs to be clearly spelled out and maybe towards the easy side.

Regards and have a great day,
Mark

On Nov 7, 2006, at 7:42 AM, Jonathan Jesse wrote:

> Support request #2303 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+ticket/2303
>
> Comment:
> Just wondering if you got Xubuntu to run on your laptop? Or if you
> are having other problems? Can you please update this support ticket?

Mark,

I'll be honest and say I do not know how to solve your problem. Did you try any of the IRC channels, like #ubuntu or #xubuntu to get help? Also might want to look at the ubuntu forums (http://www.ubuntuforums.org) for help. Sorry that I don't know an answer for you.

Jonathan

Do you have an USB port ?

Hi Nicolas,

Yes, the laptop does have an USB port.

Mark

On Nov 11, 2006, at 5:48 AM, Nicolas DERIVE wrote:

> Support request #2303 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+ticket/2303
>
> Comment:
> Do you have an USB port ?

Look at here so, it is a solution if you have an USB key and you can boot from. If your minimal requirements are not enough for Ubuntu, try replace it with Xubuntu, which is lighter.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

Hope that it helps you.

I have a Thinkpad 240 here, and have Xubuntu running on it with 192Mb RAM.

The laptop has 64Mb RAM on board, and has a memory socket under the keyboard which can take a 144 pin SDRAM. This may either be a standard 64 or 128Mb module, or a special 4K refresh 256Mb module. Most 256Mb modules are not suitable. The 4K refresh modules tend to be more expensive.

For example:
http://british-computer-spares.co.uk/parts/11318/33L3069_33L3070_256Mb_T20_600E_IBM_Thinkpad_memory.html

The Thinkpad 240 bios *Does not* support USB booting. It boots from Floppy or internal hard drive. This can make installation of Ubuntu tricky. There are, however, several options:

1) Remove hard drive from machine. Connect to a desktop computer via a 2.5" to 3.5" converter, install [X|K|U]buntu, put back in Thinkpad. Hard drive is very easy to remove. 2 screws from a flap at front underneath. Caddy slides out.
OR

<WARNING> Use the commands below only once you understand them. If you use these commands incorrectly as root on a system, you can loose all your data in seconds DO NOT TYPE THE COMMANDS BELOW ON ANY MACHINE WHICH HAS VALUABLE DATA ON IT</WARNING>

2) If you have a floppy drive and suitable network adapter, install Ubuntu on another hard drive in another machine. Ensure the partitions don't exceed size of hard drive installed on Thinkpad. Boot with single disk GNU/Linux (Eg tomsrbt). Boot 'donor' machine with CD. Copy entire disk across network.
On donor machine:
dd if=/dev/sda | gzip | nc -l -p 5000
On recipient thinkpad
nc 10.0.0.1 5000 | gunzip >/dev/hda

That is assuming you are using tomsrbt on the thinkpad which uses hda not sda as the hard drive name. And the donor machine is booted with Ubuntu CD (not from hard drive as FS will be mounted and unclean), which uses sda, not hda, and that the donor machine ip address is 10.0.0.1.

OR
3) If you have a single disk linux which supports USB mass storage, copy an image of the drive to pen drive, copy back to thinkpad hard drive using dd.
On donor machine booted with Ubuntu CD:
dd if=/dev/sda | gzip >/media/myusbdisk/mydiskimage.img.gz
Change pen drive over. On recipient machine booted with single disk linux with USB support
zcat mydiskimage.img.gz >/dev/sda

Again, please see warning above, and think very carefully before using these commands. You will be imaging one drive to another, and if you start imaging a drive, you will immediately irretrievably loose all data on destination drive. Use these commands at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for data loss from using these commands.

What you could do is make a bootable Smart Boot Manager on a floppy (there are instructions in the Ubuntu community docs), and install PUD GNU/Linux (based on Ubuntu last time I checked) to a flash drive.
Then, you would boot the Smart Boot Manager Floppy which would allow you to choose an appropriate media from which to boot. If you've installed PUD correctly to the flash drive, you _should_ be able to boot it like a CD.

If all this doesn't work, you can use the Puppy boot floppy to boot Puppy from a flash drive, but that's not Ubuntu.

 I also have a Thinkpad 240 ,and have Windows 2000 running on it with 320Mb RAM. (64+256)

 I try to get another OS on my laptop and I get here.

 As what I know many 240 owner in Taiwan have upgraded their memory to 320 Mb, 64Mb on board, and 256Mb.

 The special SDRAM requires, what I know, 256Mb, PC100, 2 sides with 16 chips => each side with 8 chip。
 I hope this information would be helpful.

 http://tw.f2.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/b42914613?r=1186564707

Yesterday, I just bought one , I costs about 20.6 US dollars