mchealy
asked on
How do I install Linux on an IBM Thinkpad 760 ED labtop ?
I have an IBM Thinkpad 760 ED labtop and I am trying to install Linux on it as its only operating system (No msdos, windows 95, 98 or NT). The labtop has a removable diskette drive and a removable cd-rom, but only one can be in at the same time (1 bay). I have a 1.2 Gig hard drive. I boot up using the diskette boot disk supplied with the product but, at the stage where it is supposed to recognise the cd-rom, it fails to do so. I tried every cd-rom option, setting the auto-probe option, but nothing works. (Prior to being asked to enter the CD, I remove the diskette drive and enter the cd-rom). I tried to copy the full CD to harddisk and install from there. However, it failed as it told me that I did not have enough space left to do so. I think that the CD-rom should be supported. What should I do? Is it possible that it does not recognise the CD-ROM driver because it initialises from the floppy drive and the CD-ROM device is not installed at that time?
I use to have the same laptop. That is a terrible catch22 but it is a typical laptop problem. Your best option is to do a network install. You will need to have the Linux boot disk and an optional PCMCIA driver disk. From there you will be able to do an ftp of nfs installation. It works!
My first laptop install was a IBM 760 with same problem. I went to my local Linux group and they let me connect to the network and install. This will require a PCMCIA network card. 10 meg cards are cheap or you should be able to borrow one if you can not afford it.
If you are like me you have your own network and ftp server. You could access the files by mounting the CD as a ftp directory.
Good Luck
My first laptop install was a IBM 760 with same problem. I went to my local Linux group and they let me connect to the network and install. This will require a PCMCIA network card. 10 meg cards are cheap or you should be able to borrow one if you can not afford it.
If you are like me you have your own network and ftp server. You could access the files by mounting the CD as a ftp directory.
Good Luck
tdyll came up with a correct answer, 6 minutes after I did. The close time stamp indicates that he was working on it at the same time I was working on mine, and should thus be awarded the points should you decide to go with an NFS or FTP install :)
ASKER
Yes,
tdyll came up with a good answer. Unfortunately, I attempted that solution earlier but will not be allowed access via NFS. We currently are not a linux shop and they are not willing to bend the "rules" of normal engagement. This labtop is my personal labtop. Any other ideas?
tdyll came up with a good answer. Unfortunately, I attempted that solution earlier but will not be allowed access via NFS. We currently are not a linux shop and they are not willing to bend the "rules" of normal engagement. This labtop is my personal labtop. Any other ideas?
Well, it depends on how bad you want to do this. You have a couple of options. You can get a Backpack Pcmcia port CDROM drive and adaptor for about $200. Alternatively, you can get a Docking station from IBM for $700 or you can get the same docking station from Firesale.com for $500. I believe that is a type 9546 laptop. The selectabase III will work with it.
By the way, if you re going to net install your linux distribution, as has been said you ll need the second floppy, and I m not sure for this model but I remember installing linux on a thinkpad and it required the option floppy=thinkpad at the lilo prompt in order to be able to change the floppy (problem with byte ordering for the floppy I think).
Regards,
Regards,
What you fail to mention is whether you tried booting off the CD-ROM or not.
Most laptops that come with this configuration (swappable floppy/CD) are able to boot off the CD-ROM. If you install the CD-ROM drive you should be able to boot off it, and then it should be smooth sailing all the way through.
Most laptops that come with this configuration (swappable floppy/CD) are able to boot off the CD-ROM. If you install the CD-ROM drive you should be able to boot off it, and then it should be smooth sailing all the way through.
ASKER
I tried multiple times to boot off the CD-ROM. However, the IBM thinkpad 760ED series cannot be configured to boot from the CD-ROM, as far as I know. I have done a lot of research on this and messed around with the bios, but have not been able to do it. If it can, let me know.
If you can't do an NFS install, pretty much your only option is a backpack CDROM. Alternately, find a friend with a linux box, and a network, and use their network to do the install...
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You should not have rejected my answer. Your reason was that NFS did not work. THEN CONFIGURE NFS CORRECTLY! How fast is your internet access. If you have a high speed connection you can do an ftp install right from the distributions site or any mirror. Don't reject correct answers because you do not know what you are doing. Thats the last help you get from me.
ASKER
tdyll,
what good is help when it's USELESS. Work on your customer skills, pal!
what good is help when it's USELESS. Work on your customer skills, pal!
Just a thought:
If your CD is supported in linux (check the HCL's). Would it be possible to make your harddrive bootable and put the contents of the boot floppy there. Then you would not have the chicken/egg (floppy/cd) problem.
you may want to check out the following:
http://www.sharethenet.com/faq.html#hardware-harddrive
http://www.diskwarez.com/#bootloaders
If your CD is supported in linux (check the HCL's). Would it be possible to make your harddrive bootable and put the contents of the boot floppy there. Then you would not have the chicken/egg (floppy/cd) problem.
you may want to check out the following:
http://www.sharethenet.com/faq.html#hardware-harddrive
http://www.diskwarez.com/#bootloaders
Do you have an ethernet card? Booting from floppy, and installing from an NFS-exported linux CD may be another option.