ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks

2008-10-06T23:52:00Z

Igorr: /* Drives that work out of the box */

==Problem Description==

When replacing the system disk with one that is not a ThinkPad option designed for the specific model, the BIOS will display an "Error 2010" warning during every boot. The system may still boot successfully, but may be unreliable or slow.

Additionally, the following ATA commands are implemented by ThinkPad-branded drives but are not supported by most other laptop drives:
* <tt>UNLOAD IMMEDIATE</tt> (needed for the [[Active Protection System]]; see [[Problem with APS harddisk parking]])
* <tt>SECURITY FEATURE SET</tt> (needed for disk password protection)

==Affected Models==
The "Error 2010" issue exists only on the following models:
* ThinkPad {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
* ThinkPad {{R52}}
* ThinkPad {{X41}}, {{X41T}}

Missing ATA commands affect all ThinkPad models which normally offer these features.

==Affected Operating Systems==

The reliability and performance issues depend on the operating system. They have been reported for Windows. It is not clear to what degree Linux is susceptible.

==Status==

The error is displayed when the system drive is not one of the few approved disks listed inside the BIOS, and may indicate a real problem. These systems have a SATA disk controller, and employ a SATA-to-PATA bridge in order to use PATA (IDE) drives. It is rumored that this bridge requires changes in the drive firmware, and the BIOS checks for this adapted firmware.

Recent BIOSs provide the option to disable the need to press Esc after the message (for ThinkPad {{T43}} models 26xx, BIOS version [http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=ibm&lndocid=MIGR-58597#bios 1.24 or higher]).

There are no such issues for disks used in the UltraBay Slim 2nd Hard Drive Adapter.

* [http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?&lndocid=MIGR-60169 IBM problem discussion]

==Solutions==

===Disable the message===

A recent BIOS for your machine may provide the option to disable need to press Esc after the message (under <tt>Startup -> Boot after message for Hard drive...</tt>). However, the delay and beeps are still enforced. Note that the error message could indicate a real problem, which will not be resolved by disabling the message.

===Use dedicated ThinkPad option parts===

Use a ThinkPad-branded option drive listed as designed for your specific ThinkPad Model.

===Upgrade the drive firmware===

IBM provides firmware upgrades ([http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-41008 old], [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-62282 new]) for some of its option drives to make them compatible with the affected ThinkPad models. The upgrades are available only for certain drive models, and may work only when the drive is sold as an IBM options (see below). Most drives do not have such upgrades, and some manufacturers have refused to adapt their firmware to the limitations of ThinkPad systems.

====Drives that work out of the box====
* Seagate ST9120821A (120GB 5400RPM)
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST980825A (80GB 7200RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.23
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021A (100GB 7200RPM) (one user reports [http://stderr.org/pipermail/thinkpad/2006-May/021869.html success], another reports [[Talk:Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks#Seagate_Momentus_7200.1|failure]]; see [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=195619#195619 here] too).
* Seagate Momentus 5400.3 ST9160821A (160GB 5400RPM) with firmware 3.ALE on T43 with BIOS 1.29 and EC 1.06. The infamous 2010-error comes up during bootup, but the drive works fine and hdapsd can issue unload immediate to the drive.
* Fujitsu MHV2040AH (040GB 5400RPM) this is the default disk for T43s
* Fujitsu MHV2060AH (060GB 5400RPM)
* Fujitsu MHV2100AH (100GB 5400RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.23
* Fujitsu MHV2120AH (120GB 5400RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.27 and R52 with BIOS 1.29

For a list of drives that provide the UNLOAD IMMEDIATE feature needed for [[HDAPS]] (whether or not they trigger the 2010 error), see [[Problem with APS harddisk parking]].

{{WARN|Even drives with identical part numbers may carry firmware with different compatibility status, so do not blindly rely on this list.}}

====Drives that will work after a firmware update====
Note that Windows is necessary for the firmware update, but may not boot before the firmware update is applied. Therefore a second machine or an Ultrabay HDD adapter may be required for the update.

* Fujitsu MHT2080AH (80GB 5400RPM), using [http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/fwhd3318.exe this firmware update]
* Hitachi 5K100 and 7K100 drives using [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=20858 this instructions]. This has been verified and seems to work correctly on all drives if applied in the right way.

This picture is showing two identical drives, one docked into the ultrabay (not updated) and the other one in the primary slot showing up with the IBM ("I") and not the OEM firmware.
[[Image:Updated_drive.jpg]]

====Drives which produce an error and are not known to have working firmware====
* Hitachi DJSA-220
* Hitachi HTS726060M9AT00
* Seagate ST9100823A (100GB 5400RPM)
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021A (100GB 7200RPM) (one user reports [http://stderr.org/pipermail/thinkpad/2006-May/021869.html success], another reports [[Talk:Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks#Seagate_Momentus_7200.1|failure]]).
* Seagate Momentus 5400.3 ST9120822A (120GB 5400RPM)
* Samsung HM160JC (5400RPM 160GB M80)

The following drives have firmware updates, but the firmware update software has been reported to refuse updates for no obvious reason:

* Hitachi HTS548080M9AT00 (80GB 5400RPM)
* Hitachi HTS541080G9AT00
* Toshiba MK4019GAX (40GB 5400RPM)
* Toshiba MK1032GAX (100GB 5400RPM)

It has been [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=101863#101863 reported] that for Hitachi drives, firmware update is possible only with drives manufactured for IBM. Other Hitachi drives may use PROM instead of EPROM for the firmware and thus cannot be updated.

===Use an Ultrabay adapter===

You can use most PATA drives through an [[UltraBay Slim HDD Adapter]] (or the equivalent for your system or docking station). This can be a convenient configuration to use the second HD as a data drive. Another useful configuration is having the second drive bootable to a different OS, since it insulates you from many, though not necessarily all dual boot problems related to multiple OSs on the same physical volume. Most modern BIOS provides a boot manager function ahead of any OS load, so the "alternate" OS need not even know that another OS is present. In the case of the T43, installing the second OS onto a drive in the 2nd HDD Adapter is problematic since that bay is where the CDROM/DVDROM normally sits, so some extraordinary procedure is needed. This might be from a bootable USB-connected CDROM/DVDROM or a network source if your OS supports it; it may also be possible to mount the CDROM/DVDROM in a dock and do the install from there. Be careful of OS installations or disk management functions that attempt to write identification information to the disk that isn't theirs.

===BIOS downgrade===

''Tell IT systems'' is claiming that a BIOS downgrade to v1.01 will solve the problem, and provide [http://www.tell-it.ch/harddisk.php instructions] (which, incidentally, copy portions of this page in violation of copyright). The instructions are specific to certain ThinkPad {{R52}} and T43-1xxx models. A similar report is made [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=13113#112153 here]. '''This procedure is not recommended'''. It requires downgrading to an ancient BIOS version, which may have adverse effects. Also, while the old BIOS version may not include the code to generate the warning, the underlying problem will probably still exist. See the [[Talk:Problem_with_non-ThinkPad_hard_disks#Downgrade_the_BIOS_to_v1.01|discussion page]].

==Links==

* Discussion about [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=11059 Problems with non-thinkpad option drives on T43 thinkpads] at thinkpads.com.

* Guide on [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=20858 flashing a retail HD to IBM official FW] at thinkpads.com. ''Follow this guide at your own risk although some people have reported that it works''.

* New guide for flashing retail Hitachi drives [http://hdsurvivor.blogspot.com/2007/08/lenovo-hard-drive-upgrade-and-error.html Lenovo Hard Drive Upgrade and Error 2010] at [http://hdsurvivor.blogspot.com/ Helpdesk when Helpdesk wasn't Cool]. This quide uses newer firmware available from Lenovo and works with the 7K100 model drive.

Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks

2008-10-06T23:48:57Z

Igorr: That drive actually works

==Problem Description==

When replacing the system disk with one that is not a ThinkPad option designed for the specific model, the BIOS will display an "Error 2010" warning during every boot. The system may still boot successfully, but may be unreliable or slow.

Additionally, the following ATA commands are implemented by ThinkPad-branded drives but are not supported by most other laptop drives:
* <tt>UNLOAD IMMEDIATE</tt> (needed for the [[Active Protection System]]; see [[Problem with APS harddisk parking]])
* <tt>SECURITY FEATURE SET</tt> (needed for disk password protection)

==Affected Models==
The "Error 2010" issue exists only on the following models:
* ThinkPad {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
* ThinkPad {{R52}}
* ThinkPad {{X41}}, {{X41T}}

Missing ATA commands affect all ThinkPad models which normally offer these features.

==Affected Operating Systems==

The reliability and performance issues depend on the operating system. They have been reported for Windows. It is not clear to what degree Linux is susceptible.

==Status==

The error is displayed when the system drive is not one of the few approved disks listed inside the BIOS, and may indicate a real problem. These systems have a SATA disk controller, and employ a SATA-to-PATA bridge in order to use PATA (IDE) drives. It is rumored that this bridge requires changes in the drive firmware, and the BIOS checks for this adapted firmware.

Recent BIOSs provide the option to disable the need to press Esc after the message (for ThinkPad {{T43}} models 26xx, BIOS version [http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=ibm&lndocid=MIGR-58597#bios 1.24 or higher]).

There are no such issues for disks used in the UltraBay Slim 2nd Hard Drive Adapter.

* [http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?&lndocid=MIGR-60169 IBM problem discussion]

==Solutions==

===Disable the message===

A recent BIOS for your machine may provide the option to disable need to press Esc after the message (under <tt>Startup -> Boot after message for Hard drive...</tt>). However, the delay and beeps are still enforced. Note that the error message could indicate a real problem, which will not be resolved by disabling the message.

===Use dedicated ThinkPad option parts===

Use a ThinkPad-branded option drive listed as designed for your specific ThinkPad Model.

===Upgrade the drive firmware===

IBM provides firmware upgrades ([http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-41008 old], [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-62282 new]) for some of its option drives to make them compatible with the affected ThinkPad models. The upgrades are available only for certain drive models, and may work only when the drive is sold as an IBM options (see below). Most drives do not have such upgrades, and some manufacturers have refused to adapt their firmware to the limitations of ThinkPad systems.

====Drives that work out of the box====
* Seagate ST9120821A (120GB 5400RPM)
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST980825A (80GB 7200RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.23
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021A (100GB 7200RPM) (one user reports [http://stderr.org/pipermail/thinkpad/2006-May/021869.html success], another reports [[Talk:Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks#Seagate_Momentus_7200.1|failure]]; see [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=195619#195619 here] too).
* Fujitsu MHV2040AH (040GB 5400RPM) this is the default disk for T43s
* Fujitsu MHV2060AH (060GB 5400RPM)
* Fujitsu MHV2100AH (100GB 5400RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.23
* Fujitsu MHV2120AH (120GB 5400RPM) on T43 with BIOS 1.27 and R52 with BIOS 1.29

For a list of drives that provide the UNLOAD IMMEDIATE feature needed for [[HDAPS]] (whether or not they trigger the 2010 error), see [[Problem with APS harddisk parking]].

{{WARN|Even drives with identical part numbers may carry firmware with different compatibility status, so do not blindly rely on this list.}}

====Drives that will work after a firmware update====
Note that Windows is necessary for the firmware update, but may not boot before the firmware update is applied. Therefore a second machine or an Ultrabay HDD adapter may be required for the update.

* Fujitsu MHT2080AH (80GB 5400RPM), using [http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/fwhd3318.exe this firmware update]
* Hitachi 5K100 and 7K100 drives using [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=20858 this instructions]. This has been verified and seems to work correctly on all drives if applied in the right way.

This picture is showing two identical drives, one docked into the ultrabay (not updated) and the other one in the primary slot showing up with the IBM ("I") and not the OEM firmware.
[[Image:Updated_drive.jpg]]

====Drives which produce an error and are not known to have working firmware====
* Hitachi DJSA-220
* Hitachi HTS726060M9AT00
* Seagate ST9100823A (100GB 5400RPM)
* Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021A (100GB 7200RPM) (one user reports [http://stderr.org/pipermail/thinkpad/2006-May/021869.html success], another reports [[Talk:Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks#Seagate_Momentus_7200.1|failure]]).
* Seagate Momentus 5400.3 ST9120822A (120GB 5400RPM)
* Samsung HM160JC (5400RPM 160GB M80)

The following drives have firmware updates, but the firmware update software has been reported to refuse updates for no obvious reason:

* Hitachi HTS548080M9AT00 (80GB 5400RPM)
* Hitachi HTS541080G9AT00
* Toshiba MK4019GAX (40GB 5400RPM)
* Toshiba MK1032GAX (100GB 5400RPM)

It has been [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=101863#101863 reported] that for Hitachi drives, firmware update is possible only with drives manufactured for IBM. Other Hitachi drives may use PROM instead of EPROM for the firmware and thus cannot be updated.

===Use an Ultrabay adapter===

You can use most PATA drives through an [[UltraBay Slim HDD Adapter]] (or the equivalent for your system or docking station). This can be a convenient configuration to use the second HD as a data drive. Another useful configuration is having the second drive bootable to a different OS, since it insulates you from many, though not necessarily all dual boot problems related to multiple OSs on the same physical volume. Most modern BIOS provides a boot manager function ahead of any OS load, so the "alternate" OS need not even know that another OS is present. In the case of the T43, installing the second OS onto a drive in the 2nd HDD Adapter is problematic since that bay is where the CDROM/DVDROM normally sits, so some extraordinary procedure is needed. This might be from a bootable USB-connected CDROM/DVDROM or a network source if your OS supports it; it may also be possible to mount the CDROM/DVDROM in a dock and do the install from there. Be careful of OS installations or disk management functions that attempt to write identification information to the disk that isn't theirs.

===BIOS downgrade===

''Tell IT systems'' is claiming that a BIOS downgrade to v1.01 will solve the problem, and provide [http://www.tell-it.ch/harddisk.php instructions] (which, incidentally, copy portions of this page in violation of copyright). The instructions are specific to certain ThinkPad {{R52}} and T43-1xxx models. A similar report is made [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=13113#112153 here]. '''This procedure is not recommended'''. It requires downgrading to an ancient BIOS version, which may have adverse effects. Also, while the old BIOS version may not include the code to generate the warning, the underlying problem will probably still exist. See the [[Talk:Problem_with_non-ThinkPad_hard_disks#Downgrade_the_BIOS_to_v1.01|discussion page]].

==Links==

* Discussion about [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=11059 Problems with non-thinkpad option drives on T43 thinkpads] at thinkpads.com.

* Guide on [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=20858 flashing a retail HD to IBM official FW] at thinkpads.com. ''Follow this guide at your own risk although some people have reported that it works''.

* New guide for flashing retail Hitachi drives [http://hdsurvivor.blogspot.com/2007/08/lenovo-hard-drive-upgrade-and-error.html Lenovo Hard Drive Upgrade and Error 2010] at [http://hdsurvivor.blogspot.com/ Helpdesk when Helpdesk wasn't Cool]. This quide uses newer firmware available from Lenovo and works with the 7K100 model drive.

Buyers Guide

2007-08-09T19:00:57Z

Igorr: /* Long-time Weaknesses of certain models */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is dedicated to hints about buying used or new ThinkPad models. You can find notes about typical weaknesses of used ThinkPads here and other things you should care about when choosing a ThinkPad and where to buy it.
|}
==Build it yourself and save money==
Lenovo offers more flexibility than any other major manufacturer of laptop computers, at least that I know of. Their "configure-to-order" (CTO) offerings let you build the computer you want, without paying for anything you don't want. The basic CTO includes the mainboard and CPU, but no RAM, disk, mini-PCI cards, software, or other add-ons. You can even get a laptop in a CTO configuration.

I built my {{X32}} notebook with 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, USB DVD-ROM CD-RW drive, and 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI for a grand total of US$1,206, including tax and shipping.

Start with the complete list of [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_product_list.cfm products]. Look for items that end with "CTO" or "Custom." Choose the chassis you want. Then add whatever [http://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/Upgrades.html upgrades] you need that only Lenovo offers (such as WiFi). Fill in the rest of the components from other, less expensive vendors.

Update: you cant do this nowadays. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you cant do it online. You might have to 'con' a sales agent.

Response to update: I did not need to con anyone. I just ordered the CTO chassis and the parts I needed from their website. I placed the order on August 18, 2005 and received all the shipments by August 26, 2005.

Comment from visitor: [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_feature_product.cfm?display=main&cat_id=24 Try this page]. You can at least get a Z60 with the titanium cover in a more stripped down model than is otherwise available.

==Various deals==

Special prices: You can get a laptop from Lenovo for special price if you are a student, alumni, researcher
or something like that. You need to go to education -> computers for home -> students (or such), and
now click on "My Account" to create a new account. Perhaps there is another way, but you must end up with a student
account. Then you get around 5% off the web price.

You can also buy a Lenovo thinkpad pre-configured with Linux from [http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp60.html here]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== Special deals for certain customer groups ==
IBM makes huge discounts to students and teachers:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;"
! country !! shops & target groups
|-
| Austria ||
* [http://www.studentline.at/ Studentline.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.notebook4u.at/ notebook4u.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.abax.at/academic/ ABAX] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.bostelmann.com/ Computer Bostelmann] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| France ||
*[http://www.ibm.com/easyaccess/education IBM education homepage]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Germany ||
*[http://www.notebooksbilliger.de notebooksbilliger.de] (pupils, students)
*[http://www.lapstars.de lapstars.de] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.ok1.de ok1] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.campusrabatt.de/index.php ADD Datensysteme: CampusRabatt] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.pro-com.org pro-com Datensysteme]:
**[http://www.pro-com.org/b2b pro-com b2b] (businesses)
**[http://www.nofost.de/ NOFOST] (students & university staff)
**[http://www.no4ed.de/ NOFOED] (pupils & teachers)
**[http://www.nofoch.de/ NOFOCH] (clinics and medical institutions and their staff)
**[http://www.pro-com.org/lf pro-com luf] (universities, schools & other educational and research institutes)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Switzerland ||
*[http://www.rabais-etudiant.ch/ Rabais-Etudiant] (students, teachers, schools)
*[http://www.studentenrabatt.ch/ Studentenrabatt] (students, teachers, schools)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| United States ||
* [http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/education/ Education] (K-12 and Higher Education)
* [http://www.dealmine.com/search_by_product.php?s=thinkpad Comparison shop] at DealMine.com to find Thinkpad and membership discounts [http://www.dealmine.com/deals_from/Union_Plus/23 AFL-CIO/AFT] matched up at various stores
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== Buying FRUs ==

You can buy single components, called, FRU (Field Replacement Unit), directly from Lenovo.

* US orders: https://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/parts/parts_r.html
* Other countries: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-50278&sitestyle=lenovo

To find the right FRU, you can look up your model's part lists here:
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=TPAD-FRU Service parts list index - ThinkPad General]

== Official list of linux certified computers ==

* A [http://www.lenovo.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48NT8D.html list] of completed Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to by Linux preinstalled thinkpad==
* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007

== Buying on eBay ==
* Many sellers do not know exactly what they have. Get the full 7-digit machine type if at all possible. Compare it to the specifications in the *book.pdf series: twbook.pdf, tabook.pdf, tawbook.pdf, etc, to determine actual screen size, original CPU speed, original hard disk, etc.
* You can try getting the serial number as well to check the warranty status at IBMs support pages.
* Check completed auctions carefully to determine going prices for comparable machines.
* Be aware if any port covers are missing. If they are, see if any current auctions are running to check availability.
* If the unit doesn't come with a hard drive, know whether it has the caddy and cover. Make sure that the three passwords are NOT set or that you know the right passwords before you install your hard drive! If you don't: A password can be set into your hard disk automatically, making it a brick - useful for door stopping only!
* Anything with a PIII or later most likely came with a Windows Certificate of Authenticity. Find out whether the listed machine does. Even if you don't want it, it may help resale value when you '''sell''' the machine.
* Read the feedback of the seller on items he has sold, especially electronics, computers and laptops. If meangranny is suddenly selling T43's after three years of lace, stay away.
* If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There's a reason no one else is bidding on it.

==Long-time Weaknesses of certain models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Model !! Issues
|-
| {{390X}} || *models with 15" display are said to have weak display cables that tend to break.
|-
| {{600X}} || Battery problems.
|-
||{{A20p}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges
|-
||{{A31}} || Several reports of [[Problem with garbled screen]] independent on Operating System
|-
| {{A30}}, {{A30p}}, {{A31}}, {{A31p}} || *seem to have a mechanical design that can cause the motherboard to break. At least there are a significant number of reports of broken motherboards on these models.
|-
| {{T30}} || *had a problem with memory sockets detaching from the system board. IBM replaced these free of charge even after warranties expired.
|-
| {{T20}} || Many models have a problem of gradually dying. Attempting to turn on will only cause a blinking light, and many attempts must be made in order to start the machine. Eventually, the machine is no longer bootable.
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T41}}?), which limits the available alternatives for optical drives. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region.
|}

Buyers Guide

2007-08-09T18:57:14Z

Igorr: /* Long-time Weaknesses of certain models */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is dedicated to hints about buying used or new ThinkPad models. You can find notes about typical weaknesses of used ThinkPads here and other things you should care about when choosing a ThinkPad and where to buy it.
|}
==Build it yourself and save money==
Lenovo offers more flexibility than any other major manufacturer of laptop computers, at least that I know of. Their "configure-to-order" (CTO) offerings let you build the computer you want, without paying for anything you don't want. The basic CTO includes the mainboard and CPU, but no RAM, disk, mini-PCI cards, software, or other add-ons. You can even get a laptop in a CTO configuration.

I built my {{X32}} notebook with 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, USB DVD-ROM CD-RW drive, and 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI for a grand total of US$1,206, including tax and shipping.

Start with the complete list of [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_product_list.cfm products]. Look for items that end with "CTO" or "Custom." Choose the chassis you want. Then add whatever [http://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/Upgrades.html upgrades] you need that only Lenovo offers (such as WiFi). Fill in the rest of the components from other, less expensive vendors.

Update: you cant do this nowadays. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you cant do it online. You might have to 'con' a sales agent.

Response to update: I did not need to con anyone. I just ordered the CTO chassis and the parts I needed from their website. I placed the order on August 18, 2005 and received all the shipments by August 26, 2005.

Comment from visitor: [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_feature_product.cfm?display=main&cat_id=24 Try this page]. You can at least get a Z60 with the titanium cover in a more stripped down model than is otherwise available.

==Various deals==

Special prices: You can get a laptop from Lenovo for special price if you are a student, alumni, researcher
or something like that. You need to go to education -> computers for home -> students (or such), and
now click on "My Account" to create a new account. Perhaps there is another way, but you must end up with a student
account. Then you get around 5% off the web price.

You can also buy a Lenovo thinkpad pre-configured with Linux from [http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp60.html here]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== Special deals for certain customer groups ==
IBM makes huge discounts to students and teachers:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;"
! country !! shops & target groups
|-
| Austria ||
* [http://www.studentline.at/ Studentline.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.notebook4u.at/ notebook4u.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.abax.at/academic/ ABAX] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.bostelmann.com/ Computer Bostelmann] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| France ||
*[http://www.ibm.com/easyaccess/education IBM education homepage]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Germany ||
*[http://www.notebooksbilliger.de notebooksbilliger.de] (pupils, students)
*[http://www.lapstars.de lapstars.de] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.ok1.de ok1] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.campusrabatt.de/index.php ADD Datensysteme: CampusRabatt] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.pro-com.org pro-com Datensysteme]:
**[http://www.pro-com.org/b2b pro-com b2b] (businesses)
**[http://www.nofost.de/ NOFOST] (students & university staff)
**[http://www.no4ed.de/ NOFOED] (pupils & teachers)
**[http://www.nofoch.de/ NOFOCH] (clinics and medical institutions and their staff)
**[http://www.pro-com.org/lf pro-com luf] (universities, schools & other educational and research institutes)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Switzerland ||
*[http://www.rabais-etudiant.ch/ Rabais-Etudiant] (students, teachers, schools)
*[http://www.studentenrabatt.ch/ Studentenrabatt] (students, teachers, schools)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| United States ||
* [http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/education/ Education] (K-12 and Higher Education)
* [http://www.dealmine.com/search_by_product.php?s=thinkpad Comparison shop] at DealMine.com to find Thinkpad and membership discounts [http://www.dealmine.com/deals_from/Union_Plus/23 AFL-CIO/AFT] matched up at various stores
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== Buying FRUs ==

You can buy single components, called, FRU (Field Replacement Unit), directly from Lenovo.

* US orders: https://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/parts/parts_r.html
* Other countries: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-50278&sitestyle=lenovo

To find the right FRU, you can look up your model's part lists here:
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=TPAD-FRU Service parts list index - ThinkPad General]

== Official list of linux certified computers ==

* A [http://www.lenovo.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48NT8D.html list] of completed Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to by Linux preinstalled thinkpad==
* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007

== Buying on eBay ==
* Many sellers do not know exactly what they have. Get the full 7-digit machine type if at all possible. Compare it to the specifications in the *book.pdf series: twbook.pdf, tabook.pdf, tawbook.pdf, etc, to determine actual screen size, original CPU speed, original hard disk, etc.
* You can try getting the serial number as well to check the warranty status at IBMs support pages.
* Check completed auctions carefully to determine going prices for comparable machines.
* Be aware if any port covers are missing. If they are, see if any current auctions are running to check availability.
* If the unit doesn't come with a hard drive, know whether it has the caddy and cover. Make sure that the three passwords are NOT set or that you know the right passwords before you install your hard drive! If you don't: A password can be set into your hard disk automatically, making it a brick - useful for door stopping only!
* Anything with a PIII or later most likely came with a Windows Certificate of Authenticity. Find out whether the listed machine does. Even if you don't want it, it may help resale value when you '''sell''' the machine.
* Read the feedback of the seller on items he has sold, especially electronics, computers and laptops. If meangranny is suddenly selling T43's after three years of lace, stay away.
* If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There's a reason no one else is bidding on it.

==Long-time Weaknesses of certain models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Model !! Issues
|-
| {{390X}} || *models with 15" display are said to have weak display cables that tend to break.
|-
| {{600X}} || Battery problems.
|-
||{{A20p}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges
|-
||{{A31}} || Several reports of [[Problem with garbled screen]] independent on Operating System
|-
| {{A30}}, {{A30p}}, {{A31}}, {{A31p}} || *seem to have a mechanical design that can cause the motherboard to break. At least there are a significant number of reports of broken motherboards on these models.
|-
| {{T30}} || *had a problem with memory sockets detaching from the system board. IBM replaced these free of charge even after warranties expired.
|-
| {{T20}} || Many models have a problem of gradually dying. Attempting to turn on will only cause a blinking light, and many attempts must be made in order to start the machine. Eventually, the machine is no longer bootable.
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T41}}?), which limits the available alternatives for optical drives. Some T43 have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region.
|}

Buyers Guide

2007-08-09T18:52:09Z

Igorr: /* Long-time Weaknesses of certain models */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is dedicated to hints about buying used or new ThinkPad models. You can find notes about typical weaknesses of used ThinkPads here and other things you should care about when choosing a ThinkPad and where to buy it.
|}
==Build it yourself and save money==
Lenovo offers more flexibility than any other major manufacturer of laptop computers, at least that I know of. Their "configure-to-order" (CTO) offerings let you build the computer you want, without paying for anything you don't want. The basic CTO includes the mainboard and CPU, but no RAM, disk, mini-PCI cards, software, or other add-ons. You can even get a laptop in a CTO configuration.

I built my {{X32}} notebook with 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, USB DVD-ROM CD-RW drive, and 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI for a grand total of US$1,206, including tax and shipping.

Start with the complete list of [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_product_list.cfm products]. Look for items that end with "CTO" or "Custom." Choose the chassis you want. Then add whatever [http://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/Upgrades.html upgrades] you need that only Lenovo offers (such as WiFi). Fill in the rest of the components from other, less expensive vendors.

Update: you cant do this nowadays. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you cant do it online. You might have to 'con' a sales agent.

Response to update: I did not need to con anyone. I just ordered the CTO chassis and the parts I needed from their website. I placed the order on August 18, 2005 and received all the shipments by August 26, 2005.

Comment from visitor: [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_feature_product.cfm?display=main&cat_id=24 Try this page]. You can at least get a Z60 with the titanium cover in a more stripped down model than is otherwise available.

==Various deals==

Special prices: You can get a laptop from Lenovo for special price if you are a student, alumni, researcher
or something like that. You need to go to education -> computers for home -> students (or such), and
now click on "My Account" to create a new account. Perhaps there is another way, but you must end up with a student
account. Then you get around 5% off the web price.

You can also buy a Lenovo thinkpad pre-configured with Linux from [http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp60.html here]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== Special deals for certain customer groups ==
IBM makes huge discounts to students and teachers:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;"
! country !! shops & target groups
|-
| Austria ||
* [http://www.studentline.at/ Studentline.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.notebook4u.at/ notebook4u.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.abax.at/academic/ ABAX] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.bostelmann.com/ Computer Bostelmann] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| France ||
*[http://www.ibm.com/easyaccess/education IBM education homepage]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Germany ||
*[http://www.notebooksbilliger.de notebooksbilliger.de] (pupils, students)
*[http://www.lapstars.de lapstars.de] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.ok1.de ok1] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.campusrabatt.de/index.php ADD Datensysteme: CampusRabatt] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.pro-com.org pro-com Datensysteme]:
**[http://www.pro-com.org/b2b pro-com b2b] (businesses)
**[http://www.nofost.de/ NOFOST] (students & university staff)
**[http://www.no4ed.de/ NOFOED] (pupils & teachers)
**[http://www.nofoch.de/ NOFOCH] (clinics and medical institutions and their staff)
**[http://www.pro-com.org/lf pro-com luf] (universities, schools & other educational and research institutes)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Switzerland ||
*[http://www.rabais-etudiant.ch/ Rabais-Etudiant] (students, teachers, schools)
*[http://www.studentenrabatt.ch/ Studentenrabatt] (students, teachers, schools)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| United States ||
* [http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/education/ Education] (K-12 and Higher Education)
* [http://www.dealmine.com/search_by_product.php?s=thinkpad Comparison shop] at DealMine.com to find Thinkpad and membership discounts [http://www.dealmine.com/deals_from/Union_Plus/23 AFL-CIO/AFT] matched up at various stores
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== Buying FRUs ==

You can buy single components, called, FRU (Field Replacement Unit), directly from Lenovo.

* US orders: https://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/parts/parts_r.html
* Other countries: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-50278&sitestyle=lenovo

To find the right FRU, you can look up your model's part lists here:
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=TPAD-FRU Service parts list index - ThinkPad General]

== Official list of linux certified computers ==

* A [http://www.lenovo.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48NT8D.html list] of completed Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to by Linux preinstalled thinkpad==
* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007

== Buying on eBay ==
* Many sellers do not know exactly what they have. Get the full 7-digit machine type if at all possible. Compare it to the specifications in the *book.pdf series: twbook.pdf, tabook.pdf, tawbook.pdf, etc, to determine actual screen size, original CPU speed, original hard disk, etc.
* You can try getting the serial number as well to check the warranty status at IBMs support pages.
* Check completed auctions carefully to determine going prices for comparable machines.
* Be aware if any port covers are missing. If they are, see if any current auctions are running to check availability.
* If the unit doesn't come with a hard drive, know whether it has the caddy and cover. Make sure that the three passwords are NOT set or that you know the right passwords before you install your hard drive! If you don't: A password can be set into your hard disk automatically, making it a brick - useful for door stopping only!
* Anything with a PIII or later most likely came with a Windows Certificate of Authenticity. Find out whether the listed machine does. Even if you don't want it, it may help resale value when you '''sell''' the machine.
* Read the feedback of the seller on items he has sold, especially electronics, computers and laptops. If meangranny is suddenly selling T43's after three years of lace, stay away.
* If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There's a reason no one else is bidding on it.

==Long-time Weaknesses of certain models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Model !! Issues
|-
| {{390X}} || *models with 15" display are said to have weak display cables that tend to break.
|-
| {{600X}} || Battery problems.
|-
||{{A20p}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges
|-
||{{A31}} || Several reports of [[Problem with garbled screen]] independent on Operating System
|-
| {{A30}}, {{A30p}}, {{A31}}, {{A31p}} || *seem to have a mechanical design that can cause the motherboard to break. At least there are a significant number of reports of broken motherboards on these models.
|-
| {{T30}} || *had a problem with memory sockets detaching from the system board. IBM replaced these free of charge even after warranties expired.
|-
| {{T20}} || Many models have a problem of gradually dying. Attempting to turn on will only cause a blinking light, and many attempts must be made in order to start the machine. Eventually, the machine is no longer bootable.
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T41}}?), which limits the available alternatives for optical drives. Some T43 have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region.
||}

Buyers Guide

2007-08-09T18:51:10Z

Igorr: /* Long-time Weaknesses of certain models */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is dedicated to hints about buying used or new ThinkPad models. You can find notes about typical weaknesses of used ThinkPads here and other things you should care about when choosing a ThinkPad and where to buy it.
|}
==Build it yourself and save money==
Lenovo offers more flexibility than any other major manufacturer of laptop computers, at least that I know of. Their "configure-to-order" (CTO) offerings let you build the computer you want, without paying for anything you don't want. The basic CTO includes the mainboard and CPU, but no RAM, disk, mini-PCI cards, software, or other add-ons. You can even get a laptop in a CTO configuration.

I built my {{X32}} notebook with 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, USB DVD-ROM CD-RW drive, and 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI for a grand total of US$1,206, including tax and shipping.

Start with the complete list of [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_product_list.cfm products]. Look for items that end with "CTO" or "Custom." Choose the chassis you want. Then add whatever [http://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/Upgrades.html upgrades] you need that only Lenovo offers (such as WiFi). Fill in the rest of the components from other, less expensive vendors.

Update: you cant do this nowadays. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you cant do it online. You might have to 'con' a sales agent.

Response to update: I did not need to con anyone. I just ordered the CTO chassis and the parts I needed from their website. I placed the order on August 18, 2005 and received all the shipments by August 26, 2005.

Comment from visitor: [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_feature_product.cfm?display=main&cat_id=24 Try this page]. You can at least get a Z60 with the titanium cover in a more stripped down model than is otherwise available.

==Various deals==

Special prices: You can get a laptop from Lenovo for special price if you are a student, alumni, researcher
or something like that. You need to go to education -> computers for home -> students (or such), and
now click on "My Account" to create a new account. Perhaps there is another way, but you must end up with a student
account. Then you get around 5% off the web price.

You can also buy a Lenovo thinkpad pre-configured with Linux from [http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp60.html here]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== Special deals for certain customer groups ==
IBM makes huge discounts to students and teachers:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;"
! country !! shops & target groups
|-
| Austria ||
* [http://www.studentline.at/ Studentline.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.notebook4u.at/ notebook4u.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.abax.at/academic/ ABAX] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.bostelmann.com/ Computer Bostelmann] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| France ||
*[http://www.ibm.com/easyaccess/education IBM education homepage]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Germany ||
*[http://www.notebooksbilliger.de notebooksbilliger.de] (pupils, students)
*[http://www.lapstars.de lapstars.de] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.ok1.de ok1] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.campusrabatt.de/index.php ADD Datensysteme: CampusRabatt] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.pro-com.org pro-com Datensysteme]:
**[http://www.pro-com.org/b2b pro-com b2b] (businesses)
**[http://www.nofost.de/ NOFOST] (students & university staff)
**[http://www.no4ed.de/ NOFOED] (pupils & teachers)
**[http://www.nofoch.de/ NOFOCH] (clinics and medical institutions and their staff)
**[http://www.pro-com.org/lf pro-com luf] (universities, schools & other educational and research institutes)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Switzerland ||
*[http://www.rabais-etudiant.ch/ Rabais-Etudiant] (students, teachers, schools)
*[http://www.studentenrabatt.ch/ Studentenrabatt] (students, teachers, schools)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| United States ||
* [http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/education/ Education] (K-12 and Higher Education)
* [http://www.dealmine.com/search_by_product.php?s=thinkpad Comparison shop] at DealMine.com to find Thinkpad and membership discounts [http://www.dealmine.com/deals_from/Union_Plus/23 AFL-CIO/AFT] matched up at various stores
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== Buying FRUs ==

You can buy single components, called, FRU (Field Replacement Unit), directly from Lenovo.

* US orders: https://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/parts/parts_r.html
* Other countries: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-50278&sitestyle=lenovo

To find the right FRU, you can look up your model's part lists here:
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=TPAD-FRU Service parts list index - ThinkPad General]

== Official list of linux certified computers ==

* A [http://www.lenovo.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48NT8D.html list] of completed Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to by Linux preinstalled thinkpad==
* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007

== Buying on eBay ==
* Many sellers do not know exactly what they have. Get the full 7-digit machine type if at all possible. Compare it to the specifications in the *book.pdf series: twbook.pdf, tabook.pdf, tawbook.pdf, etc, to determine actual screen size, original CPU speed, original hard disk, etc.
* You can try getting the serial number as well to check the warranty status at IBMs support pages.
* Check completed auctions carefully to determine going prices for comparable machines.
* Be aware if any port covers are missing. If they are, see if any current auctions are running to check availability.
* If the unit doesn't come with a hard drive, know whether it has the caddy and cover. Make sure that the three passwords are NOT set or that you know the right passwords before you install your hard drive! If you don't: A password can be set into your hard disk automatically, making it a brick - useful for door stopping only!
* Anything with a PIII or later most likely came with a Windows Certificate of Authenticity. Find out whether the listed machine does. Even if you don't want it, it may help resale value when you '''sell''' the machine.
* Read the feedback of the seller on items he has sold, especially electronics, computers and laptops. If meangranny is suddenly selling T43's after three years of lace, stay away.
* If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There's a reason no one else is bidding on it.

==Long-time Weaknesses of certain models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Model !! Issues
|-
| {{390X}} || *models with 15" display are said to have weak display cables that tend to break.
|-
| {{600X}} || Battery problems.
|-
||{{A20p}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges
|-
||{{A31}} || Several reports of [[Problem with garbled screen]] independent on Operating System
|-
| {{A30}}, {{A30p}}, {{A31}}, {{A31p}} || *seem to have a mechanical design that can cause the motherboard to break. At least there are a significant number of reports of broken motherboards on these models.
|-
| {{T30}} || *had a problem with memory sockets detaching from the system board. IBM replaced these free of charge even after warranties expired.
|-
| {{T20}} || Many models have a problem of gradually dying. Attempting to turn on will only cause a blinking light, and many attempts must be made in order to start the machine. Eventually, the machine is no longer bootable.
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T41}}?), which limits the manufacturers of optical drives. Some T43 have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one region.
||}

Recovering from Recovery CDs

2007-07-18T21:22:53Z

Igorr: /* How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts? */

Information about the recovery process using IBM provided recovery CDs.

==Coverage of this approach==
If you install from a Recovery CD, you should get all your drivers and
pre-installed software back.

==Things to be aware of==
===Obtaining Recovery CDs===
If you have your PreDesktop Area intact, you can [[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|make a set of Recovery CDs]].
Otherwise, you have to try to
[[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|obtain them from IBM]].
===How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts?===
Recovery deletes the first partition and then installs to the first
block of contiguous free space (which could be bigger than the original
first partition if there was free space after it). Later partitions
are safe. The partition must be at least 8GB or so or else the
recovery will either fail or produce a corrupt {{Windows}} installation.
You can save a little space if you intervene during some of the IBM
software installs, reduce the swap size and disable hibernation, but
you have to time this carefully.
{{WARN|On my Z61m, RnR3 wiped the WHOLE disk when booted from CD and told to install from the IBM-discs}}
{{WARN|On my T43, the R&R process overwrites the partition table (although not the partitions after the initial 8GB). If you want your linux installation to survive "restore to factory state" from R&R (partition or optical media), write down the partition table on a piece of paper, boot off a live CD, shrink the (restored) ntfs partition and restore the original partition table, once the restoration procedure is complete.}}

===Possible Causes of Failure During Recovery===
The Recovery CDs (shipped from IBM) are a set of up to 8 CDs, one of which is bootable and takes you into an interface almost identical to the [[predesktop area]]. It is possible that when you click "Restore From Factory Contents" (which will actually restore from the other seven CDs), before it begins writing to the hard drive, it may give you an error message that says something like "Restore failed to initialize" and refuse to go further. In my case, completely wiping the hard drive (by booting from a Linux LiveCD and using gnu scrub) fixed the problem. The Restore was able to begin without further problems. Pre-restore, my preboot partition and the whole partition table were likey messed up, which may have been what caused the error.

A common problem during recovery *using CD's* is that if the recovery has been started by pressing f12 and choosing the "Boot from CD" the recovery starts fine and it will until the 2nd restart of the machine at which point it hangs / gives error messages of missing files or "unable to initialise" and following recovery attempts will fail with the "unable to initialize" error.

What happens is that pressing the F12 causes the Boot record to become corrupt, the recovery should -ALLWAYS- be started by changing the boot order in the "startup sequence" of the bios leaving the CDD as the top boot device will ensure a correct recovery.
failing to do this and thus having a corrupt boot record requires the MBR (Master boot record) to be deleted before running a recovery will work.

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-4VFUDU IBMs Official recovery instructions]

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-SDD&sitestyle=lenovo Deletion Tool to remove a corrupt MBR]

Recovering from Recovery CDs

2007-07-18T21:21:54Z

Igorr: /* How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts? */

Information about the recovery process using IBM provided recovery CDs.

==Coverage of this approach==
If you install from a Recovery CD, you should get all your drivers and
pre-installed software back.

==Things to be aware of==
===Obtaining Recovery CDs===
If you have your PreDesktop Area intact, you can [[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|make a set of Recovery CDs]].
Otherwise, you have to try to
[[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|obtain them from IBM]].
===How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts?===
Recovery deletes the first partition and then installs to the first
block of contiguous free space (which could be bigger than the original
first partition if there was free space after it). Later partitions
are safe. The partition must be at least 8GB or so or else the
recovery will either fail or produce a corrupt {{Windows}} installation.
You can save a little space if you intervene during some of the IBM
software installs, reduce the swap size and disable hibernation, but
you have to time this carefully.
{{WARN|On my Z61m, RnR3 wiped the WHOLE disk when booted from CD and told to install from the IBM-discs}}
{{WARN|On my T43, the R&R process overwrites the partition table (although not the partitions after the initial 8GB). If you want your linux installation to survive "restore to factory state" from R&R (partition or optical media), write down the partition table on the piece of paper, boot off a live CD, and shrink ntfs partition and restore the original partition table, once the restoration procedure is complete.}}

===Possible Causes of Failure During Recovery===
The Recovery CDs (shipped from IBM) are a set of up to 8 CDs, one of which is bootable and takes you into an interface almost identical to the [[predesktop area]]. It is possible that when you click "Restore From Factory Contents" (which will actually restore from the other seven CDs), before it begins writing to the hard drive, it may give you an error message that says something like "Restore failed to initialize" and refuse to go further. In my case, completely wiping the hard drive (by booting from a Linux LiveCD and using gnu scrub) fixed the problem. The Restore was able to begin without further problems. Pre-restore, my preboot partition and the whole partition table were likey messed up, which may have been what caused the error.

A common problem during recovery *using CD's* is that if the recovery has been started by pressing f12 and choosing the "Boot from CD" the recovery starts fine and it will until the 2nd restart of the machine at which point it hangs / gives error messages of missing files or "unable to initialise" and following recovery attempts will fail with the "unable to initialize" error.

What happens is that pressing the F12 causes the Boot record to become corrupt, the recovery should -ALLWAYS- be started by changing the boot order in the "startup sequence" of the bios leaving the CDD as the top boot device will ensure a correct recovery.
failing to do this and thus having a corrupt boot record requires the MBR (Master boot record) to be deleted before running a recovery will work.

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-4VFUDU IBMs Official recovery instructions]

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-SDD&sitestyle=lenovo Deletion Tool to remove a corrupt MBR]

Recovering from Recovery CDs

2007-07-18T21:20:58Z

Igorr: /* How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts? */

Information about the recovery process using IBM provided recovery CDs.

==Coverage of this approach==
If you install from a Recovery CD, you should get all your drivers and
pre-installed software back.

==Things to be aware of==
===Obtaining Recovery CDs===
If you have your PreDesktop Area intact, you can [[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|make a set of Recovery CDs]].
Otherwise, you have to try to
[[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|obtain them from IBM]].
===How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts?===
Recovery deletes the first partition and then installs to the first
block of contiguous free space (which could be bigger than the original
first partition if there was free space after it). Later partitions
are safe. The partition must be at least 8GB or so or else the
recovery will either fail or produce a corrupt {{Windows}} installation.
You can save a little space if you intervene during some of the IBM
software installs, reduce the swap size and disable hibernation, but
you have to time this carefully.
{{WARN|On my Z61m, RnR3 wiped the WHOLE disk when booted from CD and told to install from the IBM-discs}}
{{WARN|On my T43, the R&R process overwrites the partition table (although not the partitions after the initial 8GB). If you want your linux installation to survive "restore to factory state" from R&R (partition or optical media), write down the partition table on the piece of paper}}

===Possible Causes of Failure During Recovery===
The Recovery CDs (shipped from IBM) are a set of up to 8 CDs, one of which is bootable and takes you into an interface almost identical to the [[predesktop area]]. It is possible that when you click "Restore From Factory Contents" (which will actually restore from the other seven CDs), before it begins writing to the hard drive, it may give you an error message that says something like "Restore failed to initialize" and refuse to go further. In my case, completely wiping the hard drive (by booting from a Linux LiveCD and using gnu scrub) fixed the problem. The Restore was able to begin without further problems. Pre-restore, my preboot partition and the whole partition table were likey messed up, which may have been what caused the error.

A common problem during recovery *using CD's* is that if the recovery has been started by pressing f12 and choosing the "Boot from CD" the recovery starts fine and it will until the 2nd restart of the machine at which point it hangs / gives error messages of missing files or "unable to initialise" and following recovery attempts will fail with the "unable to initialize" error.

What happens is that pressing the F12 causes the Boot record to become corrupt, the recovery should -ALLWAYS- be started by changing the boot order in the "startup sequence" of the bios leaving the CDD as the top boot device will ensure a correct recovery.
failing to do this and thus having a corrupt boot record requires the MBR (Master boot record) to be deleted before running a recovery will work.

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-4VFUDU IBMs Official recovery instructions]

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-SDD&sitestyle=lenovo Deletion Tool to remove a corrupt MBR]

Recovering from Recovery CDs

2007-07-18T21:20:47Z

Igorr: /* How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts? */

Information about the recovery process using IBM provided recovery CDs.

==Coverage of this approach==
If you install from a Recovery CD, you should get all your drivers and
pre-installed software back.

==Things to be aware of==
===Obtaining Recovery CDs===
If you have your PreDesktop Area intact, you can [[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|make a set of Recovery CDs]].
Otherwise, you have to try to
[[Ordering_Recovery_CDs#Creating_Recovery_CDs_from_the_preinstalled_O.2FS|obtain them from IBM]].
===How does the recovery process deal with existing partition layouts?===
Recovery deletes the first partition and then installs to the first
block of contiguous free space (which could be bigger than the original
first partition if there was free space after it). Later partitions
are safe. The partition must be at least 8GB or so or else the
recovery will either fail or produce a corrupt {{Windows}} installation.
You can save a little space if you intervene during some of the IBM
software installs, reduce the swap size and disable hibernation, but
you have to time this carefully.
{{WARN|On my Z61m, RnR3 wiped the WHOLE disk when booted from CD and told to install from the IBM-discs}}
{{WARN|On my T43, the R&R process overwrite the partition table (although not the partitions after the initial 8GB). If you want your linux installation to survive "restore to factory state" from R&R (partition or optical media), write down the partition table on the piece of paper}}

===Possible Causes of Failure During Recovery===
The Recovery CDs (shipped from IBM) are a set of up to 8 CDs, one of which is bootable and takes you into an interface almost identical to the [[predesktop area]]. It is possible that when you click "Restore From Factory Contents" (which will actually restore from the other seven CDs), before it begins writing to the hard drive, it may give you an error message that says something like "Restore failed to initialize" and refuse to go further. In my case, completely wiping the hard drive (by booting from a Linux LiveCD and using gnu scrub) fixed the problem. The Restore was able to begin without further problems. Pre-restore, my preboot partition and the whole partition table were likey messed up, which may have been what caused the error.

A common problem during recovery *using CD's* is that if the recovery has been started by pressing f12 and choosing the "Boot from CD" the recovery starts fine and it will until the 2nd restart of the machine at which point it hangs / gives error messages of missing files or "unable to initialise" and following recovery attempts will fail with the "unable to initialize" error.

What happens is that pressing the F12 causes the Boot record to become corrupt, the recovery should -ALLWAYS- be started by changing the boot order in the "startup sequence" of the bios leaving the CDD as the top boot device will ensure a correct recovery.
failing to do this and thus having a corrupt boot record requires the MBR (Master boot record) to be deleted before running a recovery will work.

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-4VFUDU IBMs Official recovery instructions]

[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-SDD&sitestyle=lenovo Deletion Tool to remove a corrupt MBR]

Talk:Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T15:05:28Z

Igorr:

How did you measure? - I just checked the value after 2 minutes in idle.
Any better ideas? Maybe a script with min/avg/max values over a time period?

[[User:Defiant|Defiant]] 13:02, 28 April 2007 (CEST)
--

I observed the power_now "counter" provided by tp_smapi over a short period of time (30 seconds, maybe?)

Talk:Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T15:05:16Z

Igorr:

How did you measure? - I just checked the value after 2 minutes in idle.
Any better ideas? Maybe a script with min/avg/max values over a time period?

[[User:Defiant|Defiant]] 13:02, 28 April 2007 (CEST)
--
I observed the power_now "counter" provided by tp_smapi over a short period of time (30 seconds, maybe?)

Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T09:24:22Z

Igorr:

This page reports the minimal consumptions of Thinkpads when idle. This means, in principle: minimum brightness, CPU and GPU at lowest speed, no wifi, hard drive spun down, no pcmcia cards inserted (see details of each entry).

This kind of information has several uses: comparing one's consumption with other that of other people's setups, knowing which model to use as a gateway/file server, etc.

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"

! Model !! OS !! Remarks !! consumption
|----
|{{600E}} PIII/450 || Archlinux 0.8/xfce || || 8W
|----
|{{T41p}}||Ubuntu 7.04|| Undervolted, fglrx, no dri || 8.3W
|----
|{{T43}} (2669)||Gentoo (2.6.20-gentoo-r5)|| Undervolted, fglrx (powerstate=1), DRI, no alsa, no usb modules, no networking || 12.7W

Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T09:20:27Z

Igorr:

This page reports the minimal consumptions of Thinkpads when idle. This means, in principle: minimum brightness, CPU and GPU at lowest speed, no wifi, hard drive spun down, no pcmcia cards inserted (see details of each entry).

This kind of information has several uses: comparing one's consumption with other that of other people's setups, knowing which model to use as a gateway/file server, etc.

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"

! Model !! OS !! Remarks !! consumption
|----
|{{600E}} PIII/450 || Archlinux 0.8/xfce || || 8W
|----
|{{T41p}}||Ubuntu 7.04|| Undervolted, fglrx, no dri || 8.3W
|----
|{{T43}}||Gentoo (2.6.20-gentoo-r5)|| Undervolted, fglrx (powerstate=1), DRI, no alsa, no usb modules || 12.7W

Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T09:19:38Z

Igorr:

This page reports the minimal consumptions of Thinkpads when idle. This means, in principle: minimum brightness, CPU and GPU at lowest speed, no wifi, hard drive spun down, no pcmcia cards inserted (see details of each entry).

This kind of information has several uses: comparing one's consumption with other that of other people's setups, knowing which model to use as a gateway/file server, etc.

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"

! Model !! OS !! Remarks !! consumption
|----
|{{600E}} PIII/450 || Archlinux 0.8/xfce || || 8W
|----
|{{T41p}}||Ubuntu 7.04|| Undervolted, fglrx, no dri || 8.3W
|----
|{{T43}}||Gentoo (2.6.20-gentoo-r5)|| Undervolted, fglrx (powerstate=1), DRI, no alsa || 12.7W

Idle consumptions

2007-04-28T09:18:36Z

Igorr:

This page reports the minimal consumptions of Thinkpads when idle. This means, in principle: minimum brightness, CPU and GPU at lowest speed, no wifi, hard drive spun down, no pcmcia cards inserted (see details of each entry).

This kind of information has several uses: comparing one's consumption with other that of other people's setups, knowing which model to use as a gateway/file server, etc.

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"

! Model !! OS !! Remarks !! consumption
|----
|{{600E}} PIII/450 || Archlinux 0.8/xfce || || 8W
|----
|{{T41p}}||Ubuntu 7.04|| Undervolted, fglrx, no dri || 8.3W
|----
|{{T43}}||Gentoo|| Undervolted, fglrx (powerstate=1), DRI, no alsa || 12.7W

Ipw2200

2007-04-13T20:26:56Z

Igorr: /* Power Management */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
=== Intel PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Driver for WiFi ===
Linux driver for the 802.11bg and 802.11abg NICs - miniPCI cards - found in Centrino laptops. This driver only works on 2.6.x kernels (2.6.4 or newer).

Starting with kernels 2.6.14 the driver is included in kernel.

The following adapters sold by IBM use these chips:
* [[Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Mini-PCI Adapter]]
* [[Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Mini-PCI Adapter]]
|}

{{NOTE|Make sure you have installed the firmware! The ipw2200 documentation will tell you where to find these firmware files and where to install those.}}

=== Project Homepage / Availability ===
http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/

Included in mainline Linux kernels, tracking the SourceForge version with about 6 months delay.

=== Packages ===
*{{Fedora}} Packages(1): Fedora Core includes the ipw2200-drivers in FC3 (with updates) and FC4. You still need to grab the firmware from http://rpm.livna.org/
*{{Fedora}} Packages(2): http://www.atrpms.net/name/ipw2200/
*{{Mandriva}}: The ipw2200 driver modules are included in the stock kernel package; the firmware is included in the commercial distribution or available from http://plf.zarb.org/.
*{{Gentoo}}: The driver is in the portage tree: emerge net-wireless/ipw2200 and net-wireless/ipw2200-firmware
*{{Debian Sarge}} includes the source code for the modules in package ipw2200-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2200-source). You additionally need to download firmware manually.
*{{Debian Etch}} includes a version of the modules in its kernel or for a later version install package ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64; or the source code for them in ipw2200-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2200-source) to compile one yourself. You additionally need to download firmware manually.

=== Status ===
In development, usable, WEP 128bit encryption works, WPA and WPA2 work with drivers >= 1.0.2 using [[wpa_supplicant]], monitor/rfmon is supported as with version >= 1.0.6. Generally works well, but some users experience problems (especially with firmware restarts and with WPA functionality using [[wpa_supplicant]]). Passing the <tt>hwcrypto=0</tt> module parameter improves reliability for many users.

The [[ipw2200]] driver up to version 1.0.6 (in combination with some newer kernels) had a problem getting DHCP leases (it turned out to be a bug in the broadcasting code). Version 1.0.7 seems to have fixed this.

Older [[ipw2200]] driver versions shipped by many distributions have been reported to freeze a T43 after several minutes of intensive communication. Installing version 1.1.2 of the driver solved the problem.

Latest stable versions:
* ipw2200 driver: 1.2.0
* firmware: 3.0
* ieee80211 stack: 1.2.15

Latest development versions:
* ipw2200 driver: 1.1.4
* firmware: 3.0
* ieee80211 stack: 1.2.15

Mainline kernels contain older (but mostly functional) versions of ipw2200 and ieee80211, and still require the addition of the [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] files. To get the latest versions you need to separately install the [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ipw2200] module and [http://ieee80211.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ieee80211] stack.

==Installation==
=== Installation from sourcecode ===
Download the latest [http://ieee80211.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ieee80211] stack and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ieee80211-1.2.15.tgz}}
:{{cmdroot|cd ieee80211-1.2.15}}
:{{cmdroot|make}}
:{{cmdroot|make install}}

Download the latest [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ipw2200] module and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-1.2.0.tgz}}
:{{cmdroot|cd ipw2200-1.2.0}}
:{{cmdroot|make}}
:{{cmdroot|make install}}

Download the matching [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-fw-3.0.tgz -C /lib/firmware}}

=== Installation on Debian Sarge ===
{{cmdroot|apt-get install ipw2200-source}}

{{cmdroot|module-assistant -t build ipw2200-source}}

[is this how module-assistant works in Sarge?]

=== Installation on Debian Etch ===

The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.

The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching version 3.0 [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:

:{{cmdroot|tar -xvf ipw2200-fw-3.0.tgz -C /lib/firmware}}

:{{cmdroot|mv /lib/firmware/ipw2200-fw-3.0/* /lib/firmware}}

=== Installation on Debian Unstable ===
Install ieee80211-source:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install ieee80211-source}}
:{{cmdroot|module-assistant -t build ieee80211-source}}

The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.

There is a bug in the {{Debian}} package (last checked: Dec 30th 2005) that prevents from linking to <tt>ieee80211</tt> modules using module-assistant. In case it is not fixed in your version, fall back to the regular source installation procedure described above.

The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:

:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-fw-2.4.tgz -C /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware}}

see /etc/hotplug/firmware.agent for details on configured firmware locations

Make sure that your firmware files are not in a subdirectory (dmesg will give you warnings after any modprobe when firmware can't be loaded)

=== Installation on Fedora Core ===
Installation on Fedora Core 5 works out of the box provided you install the ipw2200-firmware package. However, certain parts of the install process may not set up the wireless networking in a friendly manner using GNOME system tray icons and other tools. Bill Moss has written some excellent HowTo articles, including using VPNC to connect to a remote Cisco IPSec network.

* [http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/fc2-ipw2200.shtml Fedora Core 5 and the IPW2200 Wireless Driver]
* [http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/nm.shtml Fedora Core 5 NetworkManager, NetworkManager-vpnc and Wireless Driver IPW2200]

===Testing the driver ===
:{{cmdroot|modprobe ipw2200}}
:{{cmdroot|iwconfig}}

{{cmdroot|dmesg}} output might look similar to this:
ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.6
ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.8
ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation
ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection

NB: To make the wifi LED work on the thinkpad, pass the option {{bootparm|led|1}} to the kernel while loading the module. eg. {{cmdroot|1=modprobe ipw2200 led=1}}. This can also be accomplished by adding that option to the file where your distribution looks for modprobe options so that it becomes automatic.

In debian this can be done by putting a file named after the module in /etc/modutils with the options in it

here we might run a cmd like this

:{{cmdroot|1=echo options ipw2200 led=1 > /etc/modutils/ipw2200 }}

then we must run update-modules to remake /etc/module.conf

:{{cmdroot|update-modules}}

== WPA support ==

Use [[wpa_supplicant]] with the <tt>-Dwext</tt> argument (not <tt>-Dipw</tt>), and pass the <tt>hwcrypto=0</tt> argument to the <tt>ipw2200</tt> module.

There are some very detailed instructions with working sample configurations on the following link:
[http://www.bughost.org/ipw/wpa_howto.txt ipw2200 WPA instruction]

== Power Management ==
The ipw2200 driver has power management capabilities, which comes in handy while operating on battery.

To enable reduced power consumption mode, issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7}}
where <tt>wlan0</tt> is the name of your interface. This will reduce idle power consumption by 1-2 Watts compared to no power management. To return to the "normal" operation mode, you can issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 set_power 6}}.

In order to check current settings, you can issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 get_power}}.

More information on these option is available in the {{path|README.ipw3945}} file in the <tt>ipw3945</tt> package ({{path|README.ipw2200}} seems to be rather sketchy about the details of power management). You may want to turn power management on/off on demand in an ACPI script that catches battery/AC events, so that this happens automatically.

Note that there have been [http://www.bughost.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=1074 reports] that some versions of ipw2200 react with a firmware error to power management commands. This [http://www.bughost.org/bugzilla/attachment.cgi?id=1024 patch] could alleviate the problem.

*To disable the radio (and further reduce power consumption) when the card is not in use, issue:
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill}}
*To enable the radio, issue:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill}}
*To make the radio off by default after boot, add
options ipw2200 disable=1
to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} or equivalent (on kubuntu 6.10 {{path|/etc/modprobe.d/options}}).

See {{path|README.ipw2200}} in the <tt>ipw2200</tt> package for details and other options.

== Changing the enabled channels ==
Permitted WiFi channels vary with geography due to regulation. The EEPROM in this chip contains a country code (programmed by the hardware manufacturer), and the driver converts this to a channel list and enforces it.

If you carry your laptop to a different regulatory region, you may need to change the list of permitted channels according to local regulations. There are two ways to accomplish this:

===Patching the ipw2200 driver===
You can alter the ipw2200 driver sourcecode to hard-code the country code instead of reading it from EEPROM. For example, this will allow all 14 channels (perfect for those special occasions in international water):
<pre>
--- ipw2200.c.orig
+++ ipw2200.c
@@ -11344,7 +11344,7 @@ static int ipw_up(struct ipw_priv *priv)
memcpy(priv->net_dev->dev_addr, priv->mac_addr, ETH_ALEN);

for (j = 0; j < ARRAY_SIZE(ipw_geos); j++) {
- if (!memcmp(&priv->eeprom[EEPROM_COUNTRY_CODE],
+ if (!memcmp("ZZR",
ipw_geos[j].name, 3))
break;
}
</pre>

For the list of codes and their meaning, see the "<tt>ipw_geos</tt>" table in the [http://lxr.free-electrons.com/source/drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c#10382 ipw2200.c sourcecode].

===Patching the EEPROM===

Alternatively, you can change the country code in the EEPROM once and for all, and then use the standard ipw2200 driver.

See this guide:
* [http://saftware.de/#ipw2200 Patching the EEPROM].

Instead of the <tt>hd</tt> program mentioned there, you can use the more common <tt>od</tt> program:
echo -n ZZD | od -t x1
0000000 5a 5a 44
0000003

{{WARN|If this procedure goes wrong, you may ruin your wireless card.}}

== Additional Comments ==
Your kernel may include an old version of the ipw2200 driver. It is recommended to use the latest version.

Make sure you also install the firmware version needed by the driver version you use. You can find the firmware [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php here]. To install it, decompress the <tt>.tgz</tt> file into {{path|/usr/lib/hotplug/firmware}} or {{path|/lib/firmware}} depending on your disto.

The driver doesn't appear to support the MII interface, so any tools like automatic network configuration managers (i.e. whereami) that rely on mii-tool do not work.

[[Category:Drivers]]

Ipw2200

2007-04-13T20:25:19Z

Igorr: /* Power Management */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
=== Intel PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Driver for WiFi ===
Linux driver for the 802.11bg and 802.11abg NICs - miniPCI cards - found in Centrino laptops. This driver only works on 2.6.x kernels (2.6.4 or newer).

Starting with kernels 2.6.14 the driver is included in kernel.

The following adapters sold by IBM use these chips:
* [[Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Mini-PCI Adapter]]
* [[Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Mini-PCI Adapter]]
|}

{{NOTE|Make sure you have installed the firmware! The ipw2200 documentation will tell you where to find these firmware files and where to install those.}}

=== Project Homepage / Availability ===
http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/

Included in mainline Linux kernels, tracking the SourceForge version with about 6 months delay.

=== Packages ===
*{{Fedora}} Packages(1): Fedora Core includes the ipw2200-drivers in FC3 (with updates) and FC4. You still need to grab the firmware from http://rpm.livna.org/
*{{Fedora}} Packages(2): http://www.atrpms.net/name/ipw2200/
*{{Mandriva}}: The ipw2200 driver modules are included in the stock kernel package; the firmware is included in the commercial distribution or available from http://plf.zarb.org/.
*{{Gentoo}}: The driver is in the portage tree: emerge net-wireless/ipw2200 and net-wireless/ipw2200-firmware
*{{Debian Sarge}} includes the source code for the modules in package ipw2200-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2200-source). You additionally need to download firmware manually.
*{{Debian Etch}} includes a version of the modules in its kernel or for a later version install package ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64; or the source code for them in ipw2200-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2200-source) to compile one yourself. You additionally need to download firmware manually.

=== Status ===
In development, usable, WEP 128bit encryption works, WPA and WPA2 work with drivers >= 1.0.2 using [[wpa_supplicant]], monitor/rfmon is supported as with version >= 1.0.6. Generally works well, but some users experience problems (especially with firmware restarts and with WPA functionality using [[wpa_supplicant]]). Passing the <tt>hwcrypto=0</tt> module parameter improves reliability for many users.

The [[ipw2200]] driver up to version 1.0.6 (in combination with some newer kernels) had a problem getting DHCP leases (it turned out to be a bug in the broadcasting code). Version 1.0.7 seems to have fixed this.

Older [[ipw2200]] driver versions shipped by many distributions have been reported to freeze a T43 after several minutes of intensive communication. Installing version 1.1.2 of the driver solved the problem.

Latest stable versions:
* ipw2200 driver: 1.2.0
* firmware: 3.0
* ieee80211 stack: 1.2.15

Latest development versions:
* ipw2200 driver: 1.1.4
* firmware: 3.0
* ieee80211 stack: 1.2.15

Mainline kernels contain older (but mostly functional) versions of ipw2200 and ieee80211, and still require the addition of the [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] files. To get the latest versions you need to separately install the [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ipw2200] module and [http://ieee80211.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ieee80211] stack.

==Installation==
=== Installation from sourcecode ===
Download the latest [http://ieee80211.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ieee80211] stack and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ieee80211-1.2.15.tgz}}
:{{cmdroot|cd ieee80211-1.2.15}}
:{{cmdroot|make}}
:{{cmdroot|make install}}

Download the latest [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ipw2200] module and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-1.2.0.tgz}}
:{{cmdroot|cd ipw2200-1.2.0}}
:{{cmdroot|make}}
:{{cmdroot|make install}}

Download the matching [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-fw-3.0.tgz -C /lib/firmware}}

=== Installation on Debian Sarge ===
{{cmdroot|apt-get install ipw2200-source}}

{{cmdroot|module-assistant -t build ipw2200-source}}

[is this how module-assistant works in Sarge?]

=== Installation on Debian Etch ===

The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.

The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching version 3.0 [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:

:{{cmdroot|tar -xvf ipw2200-fw-3.0.tgz -C /lib/firmware}}

:{{cmdroot|mv /lib/firmware/ipw2200-fw-3.0/* /lib/firmware}}

=== Installation on Debian Unstable ===
Install ieee80211-source:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install ieee80211-source}}
:{{cmdroot|module-assistant -t build ieee80211-source}}

The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2200-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2200-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2200-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.

There is a bug in the {{Debian}} package (last checked: Dec 30th 2005) that prevents from linking to <tt>ieee80211</tt> modules using module-assistant. In case it is not fixed in your version, fall back to the regular source installation procedure described above.

The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php firmware] and install it:

:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf ipw2200-fw-2.4.tgz -C /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware}}

see /etc/hotplug/firmware.agent for details on configured firmware locations

Make sure that your firmware files are not in a subdirectory (dmesg will give you warnings after any modprobe when firmware can't be loaded)

=== Installation on Fedora Core ===
Installation on Fedora Core 5 works out of the box provided you install the ipw2200-firmware package. However, certain parts of the install process may not set up the wireless networking in a friendly manner using GNOME system tray icons and other tools. Bill Moss has written some excellent HowTo articles, including using VPNC to connect to a remote Cisco IPSec network.

* [http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/fc2-ipw2200.shtml Fedora Core 5 and the IPW2200 Wireless Driver]
* [http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/nm.shtml Fedora Core 5 NetworkManager, NetworkManager-vpnc and Wireless Driver IPW2200]

===Testing the driver ===
:{{cmdroot|modprobe ipw2200}}
:{{cmdroot|iwconfig}}

{{cmdroot|dmesg}} output might look similar to this:
ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.6
ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.8
ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation
ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection

NB: To make the wifi LED work on the thinkpad, pass the option {{bootparm|led|1}} to the kernel while loading the module. eg. {{cmdroot|1=modprobe ipw2200 led=1}}. This can also be accomplished by adding that option to the file where your distribution looks for modprobe options so that it becomes automatic.

In debian this can be done by putting a file named after the module in /etc/modutils with the options in it

here we might run a cmd like this

:{{cmdroot|1=echo options ipw2200 led=1 > /etc/modutils/ipw2200 }}

then we must run update-modules to remake /etc/module.conf

:{{cmdroot|update-modules}}

== WPA support ==

Use [[wpa_supplicant]] with the <tt>-Dwext</tt> argument (not <tt>-Dipw</tt>), and pass the <tt>hwcrypto=0</tt> argument to the <tt>ipw2200</tt> module.

There are some very detailed instructions with working sample configurations on the following link:
[http://www.bughost.org/ipw/wpa_howto.txt ipw2200 WPA instruction]

== Power Management ==
The ipw2200 driver has power management capabilities, which come in handy while operating on battery.

To enable reduced power consumption mode, issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7}}
where <tt>wlan0</tt> is the name of your interface. This will reduce idle power consumption by 1-2 Watts compared to no power management. To return to the "normal" operation mode, you can issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 set_power 6}}.

In order to check current settings, you can issue:
:{{cmdroot|iwpriv wlan0 get_power}}.

More information on these option is available in the {{path|README.ipw3945}} file in the <tt>ipw3945</tt> package ({{path|README.ipw2200}} seems to be rather sketchy about the details of power management). You may want to turn power management on/off on demand in an ACPI script that catches battery/AC events, so that this happens automatically.

However, there have been [http://www.bughost.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=1074 reports] that some version of ipw2200 react with a firmware error to power management commands. This [http://www.bughost.org/bugzilla/attachment.cgi?id=1024 patch] could alleviate the problem.

*To disable the radio (and further reduce power consumption) when the card is not in use, issue:
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill}}
*To enable the radio, issue:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill}}
*To make the radio off by default after boot, add
options ipw2200 disable=1
to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} or equivalent (on kubuntu 6.10 {{path|/etc/modprobe.d/options}}).

See {{path|README.ipw2200}} in the <tt>ipw2200</tt> package for details and other options.

== Changing the enabled channels ==
Permitted WiFi channels vary with geography due to regulation. The EEPROM in this chip contains a country code (programmed by the hardware manufacturer), and the driver converts this to a channel list and enforces it.

If you carry your laptop to a different regulatory region, you may need to change the list of permitted channels according to local regulations. There are two ways to accomplish this:

===Patching the ipw2200 driver===
You can alter the ipw2200 driver sourcecode to hard-code the country code instead of reading it from EEPROM. For example, this will allow all 14 channels (perfect for those special occasions in international water):
<pre>
--- ipw2200.c.orig
+++ ipw2200.c
@@ -11344,7 +11344,7 @@ static int ipw_up(struct ipw_priv *priv)
memcpy(priv->net_dev->dev_addr, priv->mac_addr, ETH_ALEN);

for (j = 0; j < ARRAY_SIZE(ipw_geos); j++) {
- if (!memcmp(&priv->eeprom[EEPROM_COUNTRY_CODE],
+ if (!memcmp("ZZR",
ipw_geos[j].name, 3))
break;
}
</pre>

For the list of codes and their meaning, see the "<tt>ipw_geos</tt>" table in the [http://lxr.free-electrons.com/source/drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c#10382 ipw2200.c sourcecode].

===Patching the EEPROM===

Alternatively, you can change the country code in the EEPROM once and for all, and then use the standard ipw2200 driver.

See this guide:
* [http://saftware.de/#ipw2200 Patching the EEPROM].

Instead of the <tt>hd</tt> program mentioned there, you can use the more common <tt>od</tt> program:
echo -n ZZD | od -t x1
0000000 5a 5a 44
0000003

{{WARN|If this procedure goes wrong, you may ruin your wireless card.}}

== Additional Comments ==
Your kernel may include an old version of the ipw2200 driver. It is recommended to use the latest version.

Make sure you also install the firmware version needed by the driver version you use. You can find the firmware [http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php here]. To install it, decompress the <tt>.tgz</tt> file into {{path|/usr/lib/hotplug/firmware}} or {{path|/lib/firmware}} depending on your disto.

The driver doesn't appear to support the MII interface, so any tools like automatic network configuration managers (i.e. whereami) that rely on mii-tool do not work.

[[Category:Drivers]]

Fglrx

2007-04-01T23:20:59Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
== ATI fglrx driver ==
This is a proprietary Linux binary-only driver for ATI graphic chips with support for 3D acceleration.

Also see [[R300|opensource driver]] with 3D support
|}

==Availability / Project Homepage==
Home page: http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

== Packages ==
The ATI drivers have explicit permission for repackaging and redistribution of the Linux drivers. Many distributions are supported within the installer, and many more repackaged by external developers. Please visit the [http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Category:Distributions Distribution Page at the Unofficial ATI driver Wiki]

*{{Debian}} packages: http://www.stanchina.net/~flavio/debian-official/fglrx-driver.html
** These packages have been added to Debian unstable as <tt>fglrx-driver</tt>, so you can now apt-get them and use module-assistant to install.
** If you are on stable sarge with backport's kernel 2.6.15, download ATI's installer, let it build Debian packages and proceed as usual. There's a [http://jroller.com/page/erAck?entry=lot_day_6_2_fglrx detailed description] available.
*{{SUSE}} packages: http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html
*{{Gentoo}} {{cmdroot|emerge ati-drivers}}
*{{Fedora}} 4 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install kernel-module-fglrx-$(uname -r) ati-fglrx }}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Fedora}} 5 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install xorg-x11-drv-fglrx}}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Arch Linux}}
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-ARCH)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-archck}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-archck)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-utils}} (xorg7 stuff and tools)
*{{Ubuntu}}
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Dapper_Installation_Guide Dapper Drake Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Breezy_Installation_Guide Breezy Badger Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Edgy_Installation_Guide Edgy Eft Howto]

== Building for Xorg 7.0==
To compile fglrx versions <= 8.24.8 for Xorg 7.0.0, fake Xorg 6.9.0 by
:{{cmdroot|1=export X_VERSION=x690; sh ati-driver-installer-8.24.8-x86.run}}
Next, move the various resulting libraries and modules from /usr/X11R6 to /usr/lib/xorg

In {{path|/usr/src/ATI}} additional sources are installed for fireglcontrol and fgl_glxgears

== Status ==
Current version: 8.35.5 (28th March 2007).
Major changes:
* 8.35.5: Beta AMD Catalyst Control Centre, X-Server termination from console does not result in a blank screen.
* 8.34.8: Radeon Xpress 1250 support, X-Video on x86_64 fix, hibernation mode fix. Kernel 2.6.20 requires some patching (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.34.8|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.33.6: X.Org 7.2 support, kernel 2.6.19 support, some fixes in the installer, 2 more bugfixes. Resume from suspend works if you make sure you have set "VbetoolPost no" and "EnableVbetool no" in your suspend to ram hibernate conf (/etc/hibernate/ram.conf on ubuntu/debian).
* 8.32.5: support for X1650, X.Org 7.2 RC2 support, bugfixes. Suspend-to-ram is broken with specific cards, *no* 2.6.19 support (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.32.5|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.31.5: no new features, only bugfixes. Of note, for some users, this version breaks suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk.
* 8.30.3: no new features, only bugfixes
* 8.29.6: Linux 2.6.18 support, dropped support for Radeon 8500/9000/9100/9200/9250 (both, mobile and normal versions)
* 8.28.8: Display Switching Support for ThinkPads, ATI Pairmode support, Retaining display device state between restarts, Support for Radeon Xpress 1200, 1250, and 1300
* 8.27.10: X.org 7.1 support, Fedora Core package support
* 8.26.18: support for dynamically attached DFPs and Thermal Event Power Management (both via daemon), minor bug fixes
* 8.25.18: Xorg 7.0 support, FireGLâ„¢V5xxx/V7xxx support, Dynamic Display Management, fixed a lot of critical bugs.
* 8.24.8: support for X1300, X1400, X1600, X1800 (generic and mobility) and 3D accelerated video playback on Avivo
* 8.23.7: support for X850 and X800, OpenGL 2.0 Enhancement, FSAA for some chips
* 8.22.5: added kernel 2.6.15 support -- patch no longer required
* 8.21.7: initial OpenGL 2.0 support
* 8.20.8: fixed resume issues, fixed compile problems with kernels 2.6.13 and 2.6.14
* 8.19.10: has added suspend / resume and dynamic GPU power management support. Using vbetool no longer required.

== Known problems and solutions ==
See [[Problems with fglrx]].
== User experience ==
=== Speed ===
How much is the speed gain versus the opensource drivers?

Compared to the old drivers, approximately 40% speed gain have been noticed with fglrx. However, there are issues with freezing/garbage after suspend, garbage when resizing desktop (via {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|plus}}, {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|minus}}), and garbage while using VMware. The current 8.14.13 has shown 400% improvement over using the open source radeon driver: 1200 FPS for glxgears{{footnote|1}}!
However the situation seems to be changing today. With recent x11-drm-20060608 driver (gentoo) and thinkpad t42 (ati 9600) the speed is confirmed as 1900fps without any single crash so far.

=== 3D acceleration ===

According to [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] you need these options:

Section "Module"
...
Load "GLcore"
Load "glx"
Load "dri"
...
EndSection

# Of course you need to activate the driver
Section "Device"
...
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection

Don't forget to load the module <tt>fglrx</tt> (<tt>modprobe fglrx</tt>). Under Debian the module can be placed in <tt>/etc/modules</tt>.

With current fglrx drivers (as of 8.29.6) you must disable composite to get 3D DRI acceleration. To do this, add an extra Extensions section (if necessary) containing:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable" #make DRI work with fglrx.
EndSection

If you are unsure whether you have DRI running, issue <tt>glxinfo | grep -i direct</tt> after disabling composite. Note, this

{{NOTE|1=Video overlay acceleration may be disabled when 3D acceleration is enabled. The following comment from the xorg.conf file bundled with the fglrx driver indicates that:
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "1"
However, you can use either regular Xv video overlay or make the video an opengl texture and let the OpenGL engine scale your video. This has nothing to do with the acceleration of 2D drawing primitives. Further, your mileage on performance may vary depending on what card you have. The open source drivers don't support newer cards, while the ATI drivers don't support older cards.

You may be able to preserve VideoOverlay acceleration if you explicitly remove the OpenGLOverlay using:

Option "VideoOverlay" "True" and Option "OpenGLOverlay" "False". See [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] for detail.}}

=== Power saving ===
Power saving is much better than with the <tt>radeon</tt> driver, but doesn't work in dual-screen configuration (see [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features]]).

=== Suspending with fglrx ===

On a ThinkPad T42 with Kernel 2.6.19 with Software Suspend 2 and R60 with Kernel 2.6.18-suspend2-r1 (Gentoo) , the following addition to <tt>/etc/hibernate/suspend2.conf</tt> is required:

# For fglrx
ProcSetting extra_pages_allowance 20000

=== Display Switching (Dynamic Display Management) ===

Version 8.25.18 introduces a new feature: Dynamic Display Management. It allows display switching on-the-fly.

To list all connected and enabled monitors:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --query-monitor}}

To switch displays:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --enable-monitor=STRING,STRING}}, where STRING can be: none, lvds, crt1, crt2, tv, tdms1, tdms2

Only 2 displays can be enabled at the same time. Any displays that are not on the list will be disabled.

== Useful links ==
* [http://www.ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html ATI Linux Driver FAQ]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/content/articles/atilinuxhowto/ ATI Radeon Linux How-To]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=61&daysprune=30&order=asc&sort=title Rage3D Linux Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.driverheaven.net/forumdisplay.php?f=103 Radeon Driver Forum at Driverheaven]
* [http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ]
* [http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-374745-highlight-t42+ati+dri.html Gentoo T42 ATI. DRI + xorg driver]
* [http://ati.cchtml.com/ Unofficial community ATI bugzilla] - tracks bugs in the driver. Might be monitored by ATI ([http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333438751&postcount=386], [http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333439009&postcount=390]).

== ThinkPads that may be supported ==
Supported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
{{NOTE|fglrx version 8.29.6 discontinued support for Radeon 9200 and earlier.}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL 9000]]
** {{T40p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL T2]]
** {{R50p}}
** {{T41p}}, {{T42p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V3200]]
** {{T43p}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9000]]
** {{R50}}, {{R51}}
** {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9600]]
** {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X300]]
** {{R52}}
** {{T43}}
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200M]]
** {{R51e}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X600]]
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X1400]]
** {{T60}}, {{R60}}, {{Z61m}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V5200]]
** {{T60p}}, {{Z61p}}

== ThinkPads that are NOT supported by fglrx==
Unsupported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 7500]]
** {{R40}}
** {{T30}}
** {{T42}}

{{footnotes|
#Note that glxgears isn't a benchmark tool, it's so simple that its FPS values is without any meaning... you can only compare glxgears using the same drivers/machine, if you change any of then you can have higher/lower values and in real life programs/games happen to have the opposite effects. Think in terms of a car engines rpms: higher rpms in the same car usually means a faster car, change anything and it's meaningless, ie: gears, truck, wheel size, etc. make it useless.
}}
[[Category:Drivers]]

Fglrx

2007-04-01T20:11:02Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
== ATI fglrx driver ==
This is a proprietary Linux binary-only driver for ATI graphic chips with support for 3D acceleration.

Also see [[R300|opensource driver]] with 3D support
|}

==Availability / Project Homepage==
Home page: http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

== Packages ==
The ATI drivers have explicit permission for repackaging and redistribution of the Linux drivers. Many distributions are supported within the installer, and many more repackaged by external developers. Please visit the [http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Category:Distributions Distribution Page at the Unofficial ATI driver Wiki]

*{{Debian}} packages: http://www.stanchina.net/~flavio/debian-official/fglrx-driver.html
** These packages have been added to Debian unstable as <tt>fglrx-driver</tt>, so you can now apt-get them and use module-assistant to install.
** If you are on stable sarge with backport's kernel 2.6.15, download ATI's installer, let it build Debian packages and proceed as usual. There's a [http://jroller.com/page/erAck?entry=lot_day_6_2_fglrx detailed description] available.
*{{SUSE}} packages: http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html
*{{Gentoo}} {{cmdroot|emerge ati-drivers}}
*{{Fedora}} 4 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install kernel-module-fglrx-$(uname -r) ati-fglrx }}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Fedora}} 5 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install xorg-x11-drv-fglrx}}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Arch Linux}}
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-ARCH)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-archck}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-archck)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-utils}} (xorg7 stuff and tools)
*{{Ubuntu}}
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Dapper_Installation_Guide Dapper Drake Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Breezy_Installation_Guide Breezy Badger Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Edgy_Installation_Guide Edgy Eft Howto]

== Building for Xorg 7.0==
To compile fglrx versions <= 8.24.8 for Xorg 7.0.0, fake Xorg 6.9.0 by
:{{cmdroot|1=export X_VERSION=x690; sh ati-driver-installer-8.24.8-x86.run}}
Next, move the various resulting libraries and modules from /usr/X11R6 to /usr/lib/xorg

In {{path|/usr/src/ATI}} additional sources are installed for fireglcontrol and fgl_glxgears

== Status ==
Current version: 8.35.5 (28st March 2007).
Major changes:
* 8.35.5: Beta AMD Catalyst Control Centre, X-Server termination from console does not result in a blank screen.
* 8.34.8: Radeon Xpress 1250 support, X-Video on x86_64 fix, hibernation mode fix. Kernel 2.6.20 requires some patching (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.34.8|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.33.6: X.Org 7.2 support, kernel 2.6.19 support, some fixes in the installer, 2 more bugfixes. Resume from suspend works if you make sure you have set "VbetoolPost no" and "EnableVbetool no" in your suspend to ram hibernate conf (/etc/hibernate/ram.conf on ubuntu/debian).
* 8.32.5: support for X1650, X.Org 7.2 RC2 support, bugfixes. Suspend-to-ram is broken with specific cards, *no* 2.6.19 support (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.32.5|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.31.5: no new features, only bugfixes. Of note, for some users, this version breaks suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk.
* 8.30.3: no new features, only bugfixes
* 8.29.6: Linux 2.6.18 support, dropped support for Radeon 8500/9000/9100/9200/9250 (both, mobile and normal versions)
* 8.28.8: Display Switching Support for ThinkPads, ATI Pairmode support, Retaining display device state between restarts, Support for Radeon Xpress 1200, 1250, and 1300
* 8.27.10: X.org 7.1 support, Fedora Core package support
* 8.26.18: support for dynamically attached DFPs and Thermal Event Power Management (both via daemon), minor bug fixes
* 8.25.18: Xorg 7.0 support, FireGLâ„¢V5xxx/V7xxx support, Dynamic Display Management, fixed a lot of critical bugs.
* 8.24.8: support for X1300, X1400, X1600, X1800 (generic and mobility) and 3D accelerated video playback on Avivo
* 8.23.7: support for X850 and X800, OpenGL 2.0 Enhancement, FSAA for some chips
* 8.22.5: added kernel 2.6.15 support -- patch no longer required
* 8.21.7: initial OpenGL 2.0 support
* 8.20.8: fixed resume issues, fixed compile problems with kernels 2.6.13 and 2.6.14
* 8.19.10: has added suspend / resume and dynamic GPU power management support. Using vbetool no longer required.

== Known problems and solutions ==
See [[Problems with fglrx]].
== User experience ==
=== Speed ===
How much is the speed gain versus the opensource drivers?

Compared to the old drivers, approximately 40% speed gain have been noticed with fglrx. However, there are issues with freezing/garbage after suspend, garbage when resizing desktop (via {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|plus}}, {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|minus}}), and garbage while using VMware. The current 8.14.13 has shown 400% improvement over using the open source radeon driver: 1200 FPS for glxgears{{footnote|1}}!
However the situation seems to be changing today. With recent x11-drm-20060608 driver (gentoo) and thinkpad t42 (ati 9600) the speed is confirmed as 1900fps without any single crash so far.

=== 3D acceleration ===

According to [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] you need these options:

Section "Module"
...
Load "GLcore"
Load "glx"
Load "dri"
...
EndSection

# Of course you need to activate the driver
Section "Device"
...
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection

Don't forget to load the module <tt>fglrx</tt> (<tt>modprobe fglrx</tt>). Under Debian the module can be placed in <tt>/etc/modules</tt>.

With current fglrx drivers (as of 8.29.6) you must disable composite to get 3D DRI acceleration. To do this, add an extra Extensions section (if necessary) containing:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable" #make DRI work with fglrx.
EndSection

If you are unsure whether you have DRI running, issue <tt>glxinfo | grep -i direct</tt> after disabling composite. Note, this

{{NOTE|1=Video overlay acceleration may be disabled when 3D acceleration is enabled. The following comment from the xorg.conf file bundled with the fglrx driver indicates that:
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "1"
However, you can use either regular Xv video overlay or make the video an opengl texture and let the OpenGL engine scale your video. This has nothing to do with the acceleration of 2D drawing primitives. Further, your mileage on performance may vary depending on what card you have. The open source drivers don't support newer cards, while the ATI drivers don't support older cards.

You may be able to preserve VideoOverlay acceleration if you explicitly remove the OpenGLOverlay using:

Option "VideoOverlay" "True" and Option "OpenGLOverlay" "False". See [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] for detail.}}

=== Power saving ===
Power saving is much better than with the <tt>radeon</tt> driver, but doesn't work in dual-screen configuration (see [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features]]).

=== Suspending with fglrx ===

On a ThinkPad T42 with Kernel 2.6.19 with Software Suspend 2 and R60 with Kernel 2.6.18-suspend2-r1 (Gentoo) , the following addition to <tt>/etc/hibernate/suspend2.conf</tt> is required:

# For fglrx
ProcSetting extra_pages_allowance 20000

=== Display Switching (Dynamic Display Management) ===

Version 8.25.18 introduces a new feature: Dynamic Display Management. It allows display switching on-the-fly.

To list all connected and enabled monitors:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --query-monitor}}

To switch displays:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --enable-monitor=STRING,STRING}}, where STRING can be: none, lvds, crt1, crt2, tv, tdms1, tdms2

Only 2 displays can be enabled at the same time. Any displays that are not on the list will be disabled.

== Useful links ==
* [http://www.ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html ATI Linux Driver FAQ]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/content/articles/atilinuxhowto/ ATI Radeon Linux How-To]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=61&daysprune=30&order=asc&sort=title Rage3D Linux Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.driverheaven.net/forumdisplay.php?f=103 Radeon Driver Forum at Driverheaven]
* [http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ]
* [http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-374745-highlight-t42+ati+dri.html Gentoo T42 ATI. DRI + xorg driver]
* [http://ati.cchtml.com/ Unofficial community ATI bugzilla] - tracks bugs in the driver. Might be monitored by ATI ([http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333438751&postcount=386], [http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333439009&postcount=390]).

== ThinkPads that may be supported ==
Supported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
{{NOTE|fglrx version 8.29.6 discontinued support for Radeon 9200 and earlier.}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL 9000]]
** {{T40p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL T2]]
** {{R50p}}
** {{T41p}}, {{T42p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V3200]]
** {{T43p}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9000]]
** {{R50}}, {{R51}}
** {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9600]]
** {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X300]]
** {{R52}}
** {{T43}}
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200M]]
** {{R51e}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X600]]
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X1400]]
** {{T60}}, {{R60}}, {{Z61m}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V5200]]
** {{T60p}}, {{Z61p}}

== ThinkPads that are NOT supported by fglrx==
Unsupported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 7500]]
** {{R40}}
** {{T30}}
** {{T42}}

{{footnotes|
#Note that glxgears isn't a benchmark tool, it's so simple that its FPS values is without any meaning... you can only compare glxgears using the same drivers/machine, if you change any of then you can have higher/lower values and in real life programs/games happen to have the opposite effects. Think in terms of a car engines rpms: higher rpms in the same car usually means a faster car, change anything and it's meaningless, ie: gears, truck, wheel size, etc. make it useless.
}}
[[Category:Drivers]]

Fglrx

2007-04-01T20:10:40Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
== ATI fglrx driver ==
This is a proprietary Linux binary-only driver for ATI graphic chips with support for 3D acceleration.

Also see [[R300|opensource driver]] with 3D support
|}

==Availability / Project Homepage==
Home page: http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

== Packages ==
The ATI drivers have explicit permission for repackaging and redistribution of the Linux drivers. Many distributions are supported within the installer, and many more repackaged by external developers. Please visit the [http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Category:Distributions Distribution Page at the Unofficial ATI driver Wiki]

*{{Debian}} packages: http://www.stanchina.net/~flavio/debian-official/fglrx-driver.html
** These packages have been added to Debian unstable as <tt>fglrx-driver</tt>, so you can now apt-get them and use module-assistant to install.
** If you are on stable sarge with backport's kernel 2.6.15, download ATI's installer, let it build Debian packages and proceed as usual. There's a [http://jroller.com/page/erAck?entry=lot_day_6_2_fglrx detailed description] available.
*{{SUSE}} packages: http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html
*{{Gentoo}} {{cmdroot|emerge ati-drivers}}
*{{Fedora}} 4 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install kernel-module-fglrx-$(uname -r) ati-fglrx }}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Fedora}} 5 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install xorg-x11-drv-fglrx}}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Arch Linux}}
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-ARCH)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-archck}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-archck)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-utils}} (xorg7 stuff and tools)
*{{Ubuntu}}
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Dapper_Installation_Guide Dapper Drake Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Breezy_Installation_Guide Breezy Badger Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Edgy_Installation_Guide Edgy Eft Howto]

== Building for Xorg 7.0==
To compile fglrx versions <= 8.24.8 for Xorg 7.0.0, fake Xorg 6.9.0 by
:{{cmdroot|1=export X_VERSION=x690; sh ati-driver-installer-8.24.8-x86.run}}
Next, move the various resulting libraries and modules from /usr/X11R6 to /usr/lib/xorg

In {{path|/usr/src/ATI}} additional sources are installed for fireglcontrol and fgl_glxgears

== Status ==
Current version: 8.35.5 (28st March 2007).
Major changes:
* 8.35.5: Beta AMD Catalyst Control Centre, X-Server termination from console does not result in blank screen.
* 8.34.8: Radeon Xpress 1250 support, X-Video on x86_64 fix, hibernation mode fix. Kernel 2.6.20 requires some patching (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.34.8|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.33.6: X.Org 7.2 support, kernel 2.6.19 support, some fixes in the installer, 2 more bugfixes. Resume from suspend works if you make sure you have set "VbetoolPost no" and "EnableVbetool no" in your suspend to ram hibernate conf (/etc/hibernate/ram.conf on ubuntu/debian).
* 8.32.5: support for X1650, X.Org 7.2 RC2 support, bugfixes. Suspend-to-ram is broken with specific cards, *no* 2.6.19 support (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.32.5|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.31.5: no new features, only bugfixes. Of note, for some users, this version breaks suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk.
* 8.30.3: no new features, only bugfixes
* 8.29.6: Linux 2.6.18 support, dropped support for Radeon 8500/9000/9100/9200/9250 (both, mobile and normal versions)
* 8.28.8: Display Switching Support for ThinkPads, ATI Pairmode support, Retaining display device state between restarts, Support for Radeon Xpress 1200, 1250, and 1300
* 8.27.10: X.org 7.1 support, Fedora Core package support
* 8.26.18: support for dynamically attached DFPs and Thermal Event Power Management (both via daemon), minor bug fixes
* 8.25.18: Xorg 7.0 support, FireGLâ„¢V5xxx/V7xxx support, Dynamic Display Management, fixed a lot of critical bugs.
* 8.24.8: support for X1300, X1400, X1600, X1800 (generic and mobility) and 3D accelerated video playback on Avivo
* 8.23.7: support for X850 and X800, OpenGL 2.0 Enhancement, FSAA for some chips
* 8.22.5: added kernel 2.6.15 support -- patch no longer required
* 8.21.7: initial OpenGL 2.0 support
* 8.20.8: fixed resume issues, fixed compile problems with kernels 2.6.13 and 2.6.14
* 8.19.10: has added suspend / resume and dynamic GPU power management support. Using vbetool no longer required.

== Known problems and solutions ==
See [[Problems with fglrx]].
== User experience ==
=== Speed ===
How much is the speed gain versus the opensource drivers?

Compared to the old drivers, approximately 40% speed gain have been noticed with fglrx. However, there are issues with freezing/garbage after suspend, garbage when resizing desktop (via {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|plus}}, {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|minus}}), and garbage while using VMware. The current 8.14.13 has shown 400% improvement over using the open source radeon driver: 1200 FPS for glxgears{{footnote|1}}!
However the situation seems to be changing today. With recent x11-drm-20060608 driver (gentoo) and thinkpad t42 (ati 9600) the speed is confirmed as 1900fps without any single crash so far.

=== 3D acceleration ===

According to [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] you need these options:

Section "Module"
...
Load "GLcore"
Load "glx"
Load "dri"
...
EndSection

# Of course you need to activate the driver
Section "Device"
...
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection

Don't forget to load the module <tt>fglrx</tt> (<tt>modprobe fglrx</tt>). Under Debian the module can be placed in <tt>/etc/modules</tt>.

With current fglrx drivers (as of 8.29.6) you must disable composite to get 3D DRI acceleration. To do this, add an extra Extensions section (if necessary) containing:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable" #make DRI work with fglrx.
EndSection

If you are unsure whether you have DRI running, issue <tt>glxinfo | grep -i direct</tt> after disabling composite. Note, this

{{NOTE|1=Video overlay acceleration may be disabled when 3D acceleration is enabled. The following comment from the xorg.conf file bundled with the fglrx driver indicates that:
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "1"
However, you can use either regular Xv video overlay or make the video an opengl texture and let the OpenGL engine scale your video. This has nothing to do with the acceleration of 2D drawing primitives. Further, your mileage on performance may vary depending on what card you have. The open source drivers don't support newer cards, while the ATI drivers don't support older cards.

You may be able to preserve VideoOverlay acceleration if you explicitly remove the OpenGLOverlay using:

Option "VideoOverlay" "True" and Option "OpenGLOverlay" "False". See [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] for detail.}}

=== Power saving ===
Power saving is much better than with the <tt>radeon</tt> driver, but doesn't work in dual-screen configuration (see [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features]]).

=== Suspending with fglrx ===

On a ThinkPad T42 with Kernel 2.6.19 with Software Suspend 2 and R60 with Kernel 2.6.18-suspend2-r1 (Gentoo) , the following addition to <tt>/etc/hibernate/suspend2.conf</tt> is required:

# For fglrx
ProcSetting extra_pages_allowance 20000

=== Display Switching (Dynamic Display Management) ===

Version 8.25.18 introduces a new feature: Dynamic Display Management. It allows display switching on-the-fly.

To list all connected and enabled monitors:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --query-monitor}}

To switch displays:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --enable-monitor=STRING,STRING}}, where STRING can be: none, lvds, crt1, crt2, tv, tdms1, tdms2

Only 2 displays can be enabled at the same time. Any displays that are not on the list will be disabled.

== Useful links ==
* [http://www.ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html ATI Linux Driver FAQ]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/content/articles/atilinuxhowto/ ATI Radeon Linux How-To]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=61&daysprune=30&order=asc&sort=title Rage3D Linux Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.driverheaven.net/forumdisplay.php?f=103 Radeon Driver Forum at Driverheaven]
* [http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ]
* [http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-374745-highlight-t42+ati+dri.html Gentoo T42 ATI. DRI + xorg driver]
* [http://ati.cchtml.com/ Unofficial community ATI bugzilla] - tracks bugs in the driver. Might be monitored by ATI ([http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333438751&postcount=386], [http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333439009&postcount=390]).

== ThinkPads that may be supported ==
Supported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
{{NOTE|fglrx version 8.29.6 discontinued support for Radeon 9200 and earlier.}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL 9000]]
** {{T40p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL T2]]
** {{R50p}}
** {{T41p}}, {{T42p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V3200]]
** {{T43p}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9000]]
** {{R50}}, {{R51}}
** {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9600]]
** {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X300]]
** {{R52}}
** {{T43}}
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200M]]
** {{R51e}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X600]]
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X1400]]
** {{T60}}, {{R60}}, {{Z61m}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V5200]]
** {{T60p}}, {{Z61p}}

== ThinkPads that are NOT supported by fglrx==
Unsupported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 7500]]
** {{R40}}
** {{T30}}
** {{T42}}

{{footnotes|
#Note that glxgears isn't a benchmark tool, it's so simple that its FPS values is without any meaning... you can only compare glxgears using the same drivers/machine, if you change any of then you can have higher/lower values and in real life programs/games happen to have the opposite effects. Think in terms of a car engines rpms: higher rpms in the same car usually means a faster car, change anything and it's meaningless, ie: gears, truck, wheel size, etc. make it useless.
}}
[[Category:Drivers]]

Problems with fglrx

2007-02-24T15:23:22Z

Igorr: /* Patches */

This page discusses issues with the ATI proprietary [[fglrx]] display driver.

== Known Troubles and Solutions ==

=== X-specific issues ===

ATI proprietary drivers version 8.21.7 and later work with x.org 6.9.

If you are running an older version (8.20.8) under Debian sid and you upgrade your xserver-xorg, apt will force you to remove any debian-packaged fglrx drivers (package fglrx-driver depends on x.org << 6.8.99). You can just download the driver from the ATI site and install after modifying the Debian packager script to allow dependencies to be satisfied by x.org 6.9, or just download 8.21.7 and install manually. See talk page for step-by-step commands.

After installing the fglrx driver, you can use module-assist to build the appropriate kernel module.

=== Kernel-specific troubles ===

Using ATI drivers <=8.21.7 with kernel >=2.6.15 needs a [http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=113429835515001&w=2 patch]. (see table below for detail.) If you can't compile the driver modules with 2.6.15 or later, you should apply this [http://www.ksp.sk/~rasto/fglrx_with_2.6.15.patch patch] instead.

If you do not use one of these patches, you may experience peculiar lockups of X. Try {{cmduser|fglrxinfo}} - if your shell hangs at the end of this command, you may have an issue and should try the patch or upgrade.

Although unproven, there is a substantial amount of user / developer concern that the above patches prevent hard lockups but do not provide full reliability with 2.6.15 and there are larger / redisgn issues preventing compatibility. These issues have been fixed with later ATI drivers (> 8.21.7) so you can simply upgrade if you are running a more modern kernel.

=== No hardware acceleration ===

====Acceleration lost after driver update====
If you lose hardware acceleration after a driver update this can be caused by an old fglrx kernel module being loaded.

Check out {{path|1=/var/log/Xorg.0.log}} for a message like:
:<code>(WW) fglrx(0): Kernel Module version does *not* match driver.</code>
:<code>(EE) fglrx(0): incompatible kernel module detected - HW accelerated OpenGL will not work</code>

You can verify this yourself by looking at the version message some lines above. It should read something not matching the installed version like:
:<code>(II) fglrx(0): Kernel Module Version Information:</code>
:<code>(II) fglrx(0): Name: fglrx</code>
:<code>(II) fglrx(0): Version: 8.10.19</code>

The cause for this trouble might be that there resist multiple versions of the fglrx module within the kernel module search path.<br>
Go to {{path|1=/lib/modules/<your linux kernel version>/}} and type {{cmdroot|1=grep fglrx modules.dep}}.<br>
If grep finds multiple lines you nailed down the problem. All you have to do now is to delete any versions of the module (look at the filedate) but the most current one. Then run {{cmdroot|1=depmod}} and you are done.

{{HINT|Newer versions (8.21.7) of the fglrx module seem to be installed in the <code>extra/</code> subdirectory.<br>
Older versions (8.19.10) used to be located in the <code>kernel/drivers/char/drm/</code> subdirectory.}}

====GCC 3.4====
If the ATI driver works only without the hardware acceleration, take into consideration that {{path|fglrx_dri.so}} was linked against libstdc++.so.5 which may not be present if your system uses gcc-3.4.

To fix this, compile gcc-3.3.5 and copy <tt>libstdc++.so.5*</tt> to {{path|/usr/lib}} and update the dynamic linker cache via {{cmdroot|ldconfig}}.

Or install a compat package for your favorite distro. FC4 users can do:
:{{cmdroot|yum install libstdc++.so.5}}

====radeonfb framebuffer====
Another possible cause for broken hardware acceleration (2D and 3D) is the radeonfb framebuffer: Switching to vesafb or vesafb-tng is reported to solve the problem on some systems. Also it has proven helpful to not perform {{cmdroot|modprobe fglrx}} after boot but to have the module loaded via {{path|/etc/modules.autoload/kernel2.x}} at boottime instead.

====Perpetual Mesa GLX Indirect on Debian====
If you've done everything right and you're still seeing:

:{{cmduser|fglrxinfo}}
:{{cmdresult|display: :0.0 screen: 0}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.4.1)}}

try this:

:{{cmdroot|mkdir -p /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri}}
:{{cmdroot|ln -s /usr/lib/dri/fglrx_dri.so /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri}}

Thanks to Maciej Matysiak for the clear debug [http://lists.debian.org/debian-amd64/2006/02/msg00217.html here] and solution [http://lists.debian.org/debian-amd64/2006/02/msg00311.html here].

More generally, use LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose fglrxinfo, to see what's happening, and whether you get this:
:{{cmduser|<nowiki>LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose</nowiki> fglrxinfo}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL: XF86DRIGetClientDriverName: 8.26.18 fglrx (screen 0)}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL: OpenDriver: trying /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/fglrx_dri.so}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL error: dlopen /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/fglrx_dri.so failed (/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/fglrx_dri.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL error: unable to find driver: fglrx_dri.so}}
:{{cmdresult|display: :0.0 screen: 0}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.4.2)}}

instead of that:
:{{cmduser|<nowiki>LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose</nowiki> fglrxinfo}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL: XF86DRIGetClientDriverName: 8.26.18 fglrx (screen 0)}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL: OpenDriver: trying /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/fglrx_dri.so}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL: XF86DRIGetClientDriverName: 8.26.18 fglrx (screen 0)}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenByBusid: busid is PCI:1:0:0}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenDevice: minor is 0}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenDevice: open result is 4, (OK)}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns 4}}
:{{cmdresult|drmOpenByBusid: drmGetBusid reports PCI:1:0:0}}
:{{cmdresult|Can't open configuration file /home/merlin/.drirc: No such file or directory.}}
:{{cmdresult|fglrx: DPD supported.}}
:{{cmdresult|display: :0.0 screen: 0}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL renderer string: MOBILITY FIREGL T2 Pentium 4 (SSE2) (FireGL) (GNU_ICD)}}
:{{cmdresult|OpenGL version string: 2.0.5879 (8.26.18)}}

I have contacted ATI to add that info by default, the mesa guys to do that in glxinfo too, as well as the debian packager to fix the debian packaging bug (2006/07/22), so hopefully the situation will improve soon

You may have to run fglrxinfo as root to get this detail rather than a useless message.

=== Softlink hell ===
The [[fglrx]] installer replaces the standard X.org OpenGL implementation (Mesa) with its own files, potentially causing collisions with the distribution's file and package management. It is best to install the driver via a package built for your distribution, which will typically include the necessary kludges to make things work. See the [[fglrx]] page for pointers.

====Discussion====
If using {{cmduser|fglrxinfo}} after installing [[fglrx]] indicates that you are still using the mesa indirect software GL renderer, you likely have some misplaced softlinks. It seems like it has to do with an apt-get upgrade that sometimes replaces these links. Anyway, go to
:{{cmdroot|cd /usr/X11R6/lib}}
and list your GL libraries and links
:{{cmdroot|ls -la *GL*}}
You should see something like the following two lines amoung others:
:{{cmdresult|libGL.so -> libGL.so.1.2}}
:{{cmdresult|libGL.so.1 -> libGL.so.1.2}}
If you see a link to a mesa library (something like {{cmdresult|... -> libGL.mesa.1.2}}), then that's your problem! Restore the softlink like this (use your actual library version, though):
:{{cmdroot|ln -s libGL.so.1.2 libGL.so.1}}

For some reason, this link might "break" later, giving you the software rendering once more. Even after renaming the mesa library to something like <tt>mesa.bkup</tt>, the system might still find it and link to it despite the name change. If you have to do this a lot, you could write a restoreGL script.

=====Gentoo=====
{{Gentoo}} has built in tools for managing the OpenGL symlinks. They seem to be replacing the old tool with a new one, so one of the following should work for you:
:{{cmdroot|opengl-update ati}} or
:{{cmdroot|eselect opengl set ati}}
Eselect is new, and still ~x86 (as of the end of 2005), so you may not have it yet. <tt>opengl-update</tt> is the old tried-and-true method for managing the symlinks. If <tt>opengl-update</tt> doesn't fix it for you, you should probably tell [http://bugs.gentoo.org Gentoo Bugzilla] (assuming they don't know yet).

If {{cmdroot|ldd /usr/X11R6/bin/glxinfo}} shows that your system still uses the xorg-x11 mesa libs after trying one of the above commands, i.e. a line like this:
:{{cmdresult|1=libGL.so.1 => /usr/lib/opengl/xorg-x11/lib/libGL.so.1 (0x400a8000)}}
you will also need to relink {{path|libGl.so.1.2}}:
:{{cmdroot|cd /usr/lib/opengl/xorg-x11/lib/}}
:{{cmdroot|mv libGL.so.1.2 libGL.so.1.2_backup}}
:{{cmdroot|ln -s /usr/lib/libGL.so.1.2 libGL.so.1.2}}
After another restart of X {{cmduser|fglrxinfo}} should show that it's using the right libs now.

=====Debian=====

:{{cmdroot|rm /usr/lib/libGL.so*}}
:{{cmdroot|rm /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL.so*}}
:{{cmdroot|cd /usr/X11R6/lib}}
:{{cmdroot|cp /usr/lib/fglrx/diversions/lib/libGL.so.1.2 .}}
:{{cmdroot|ln -s libGL.so.1.2 libGL.so.1}}
:{{cmdroot|ldconfig}}

=== Troubles using software suspend ===
When the computer resumes from suspend, X only displays a garbled image and the computer is frozen.
The problem is acknowledged in ATI's release notes and in knowledge base entry <strike>[https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBResult.asp?searchFor=Search+Words&search.x=0&search.y=0&searchOption=id&questionID=737-218+&task=knowledge&searchTime=-1&productID=&folderID=-1&resultLimit=50 737-218]</strike> [https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=218 737-218]. Driver version 8.19.10 has "initial support for Suspend and Resume" but is working very nicely for most people (verified on T43, T43p and T42) without vbetool.

If you are using an older version of fglrx, using [http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/vbetool/ vbetool] to save/restore the video card state before/after suspend worked for some people. If you use [[Software Suspend 2|Software Suspend 2 (suspend2)]] scripts, you can simply uncomment <tt>EnableVbetool yes</tt> in {{path|/etc/hibernate/hibernate.conf}}. Be aware though that it breaks suspend/resume for drivers beginning with version 8.19.10, so remember to disable it again when upgrading.

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|+ tested with the following configurations
!model!!distro||kernel!!fglrx!!PM!!success!!comments
|-
|{{T42}}||SUSE 9.3||2.6.11||8.14.13||swsusp||yes||
|-
|{{T41p}}||???||2.6.14||8.19.10||suspend2 2.2-rc9||yes||needs a small [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/2005-November/030381.html patch]
|-
|{{T42p}}||Debian||2.6.10||Debian packaged||suspend2||yes||
|-
|{{T43}}||Debian sid||2.6.14.2||8.19.10||swsusp||yes||works perfectly with 8.19.10 (but not earlier versions!)
|-
|{{T43}}||Debian etch||2.6.14.2||8.19.10||swsusp||yes||works perfectly with 8.19.10 and without vbetool
|-
|{{T43}}||Ubuntu Breezy||2.6.12-10||8.19.10||swsusp||yes||Perfect. (Finally.)
|-
|{{T43}}||FC4||2.6.14.1||8.19.10||suspend2 2.2-rc9||yes||needs a small [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/2005-November/030381.html patch], requires DRI disabled in {{path|xorg.conf}} (hence no 3D acceleration)
|-
|{{T43}}||FC4||2.6.14.2||8.19.10||suspend2 2.2-rc11||yes||requires DRI disabled in {{path|xorg.conf}} (hence no 3D acceleration)
|-
|{{T43}}||FC4||2.6.14.3||8.19.10||suspend2 2.2-rc13||no||DRI enabled
|-
|{{T43}}||FC4||2.6.14.3||8.20.8||suspend2 2.2-rc13||no||DRI enabled
|-
|{{R50p}}||???||???||8.19.10||swsusp||yes||
|-
|{{T43p}}||Debian sid||2.6.14||8.19.10||Suspend to RAM||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, those two ''break'' the resume process here, with DRI enabled
|-
|{{T43p}}||Debian sid||2.6.14.3||8.20.8||Suspend to RAM||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, with DRI enabled
|-
|{{R52}}||Debian sid||2.6.15-rc5||8.20.8||swsup||yes||both vbetool and UseDummyXServer disabled, DRI enabled, needs [http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=113429835515001&w=2 patch]
|-
|{{T43p}}||Gentoo||[http://packages.gentoo.org/ebuilds/?suspend2-sources-2.6.15-r6 2.6.15]||8.22.5||Suspend to RAM||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, with DRI enabled - console is garbled until switching back from X
|-
|{{T43p}}||Gentoo||[http://packages.gentoo.org/ebuilds/?suspend2-sources-2.6.15-r6 2.6.15]||8.22.5||suspend2 2.2||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, with DRI enabled
|-
|{{T43}}||SUSE 10.1||2.6.16||8.25.18||swsusp||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, with DRI enabled
|-
|{{T43}}||SUSE 10.1||2.6.16||8.25.18||Suspend to RAM||yes||without vbetool or UseDummyXServer, with DRI enabled
|-
|{{T60}}||Gentoo 2006.1||2.6.19-suspend2||8.31.5||Suspend2||yes||Everything works: 3D, suspend-to-disk, suspend-to-ram, suspend in X.org, switching to VT's at any moment. Never needed to unload any modules manually, worked immediately. Fglrx driver 8.32.5 totally broke suspend for me, so i'm sticking with 8.31.5. T60 2008-B62 model.
|-
|{{T60p}}||Kubuntu 6.06||2.6.15||8.25.18||swsusp||no||Switching to VT to suspend: no resume, X restarts; Not switching: suspend works, garbled X display on resume, later X restarts
|-
|{{T60p}}||Kubuntu 6.06 Text Mode||2.6.15||---||swsusp||yes||suspend works in textmode after rmmod fglrx.
|-
|{{T60p}}||Debian/unstable/experimental||2.6.18||8.31.5-1 (from debian experimental)||susptoram hibernate debian packages||yes||suspend and resume works with X, 3D acc., Xv overlay...
|}

=== Troubles with large RAM ===
Version 8.14.13 (and probably earlier versions) of the driver does not seem to be able to cope with large amounts of RAM: with 512 MB it works, with 1.5 GB it crashes the machine as soon as X is started. The problem is present only if the <tt>fglrx</tt> kernel module is loaded, but independently of whether {{kernelconf|CONFIG_HIGHMEM||||||}} is enabled. A workaround is to limit RAM by adding the {{bootparm|mem|864m}} kernel parameter.

Version 8.16.20 fixes the problem.

===Display switching ===
The switching between internal and external display doesn't work with fglrx versions <= 8.24.8, because the driver blocks messing around with the chipset via ACPI. If you want to use this feature (i.e. during presentations), you should use the <tt>vesa</tt> server instead (experienced with a R52, Kernel 2.6.11, xorg 6.8.2, fglrx 8.16.20). Or boot notebook with CRT connected, it will automatically detect it and display on both.

===Composite Support===
ATI has not officially supported composite windowing (alpha channel) enabling hardware acclerated translucent windows (primarily for 'eye candy.') Enabling Composite in KDE and the fglrx driver results in a very pretty desktop but unacceptably slow performance on a T43p with ATI's FireGL T2. It is still unusable in its current state (as of driver 8.25.18).

ATI promises support in the future when composite is officially supported by Xorg. Discussion of current status of drivers can be found in the Rage3d forums' (http://rage3d.com/board) Linux area.

Composite support is now supported with recent Mesa and Xorg > 7 with the open source 3d radeon drivers (if you run debian unstable, you should be all set.) It works with the [[R300]] / FireGL T2 series as found on the T43p, but noticably slows down the system. This has made rapid progress in speed with the latest few releases and kernel 2.6.18, and is finally usable with an R300 based card. Expect drivers to improve in the future, but it seems that composite does require a very fast video card and system.

===Hardlock on X logout===
Up from driver version 8.19.10 you will experience a system hard lock when logging out from X, if the session manager (kdm/gdm) is not properly configured. You have to tell the session manager to restart X.

In the kdm config file (gentoo: {{path|/usr/kde/<VERSION>/share/config/kdm/kdmrc}}) you have to add following to the section <code>[X-:*-Core]</code>:
TerminateServer=true

In the gdm config (/etc/gdm/gdm.conf) file add the following to the daemon-section:
AlwaysRestartServer=true

Information from the ATI bugtracker: http://ati.cchtml.com/show_bug.cgi?id=239

Another reason of hardlock my be using the wrong AGP driver. Make sure that you have proper drivers for your motherboard loaded before fglrx: (gentoo: {{path|/etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6}}):
intel-agp
fglrx

A common problem seems to be mistakenly using ATI Chipset drivers instead of Intel.

Information from gentoo bugtracker: <s>[http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=113685 113685]</s>. Fixed in 8.25.18

===Cannot switch to VT===

With usplash boot enabled, it may not be possible to switch to a VT from X (Using Alt+Fn). Tested on T60p (Mobility Fire GLV5200) on Ubuntu 6.06 / 6.10 and fglrx 8.25.18 / 8.28.8. Display may become garbled and system might freeze. Solution (testet on Ubuntu 6.10) is to either remove the "splash" kernel boot parameter or add "vga=791" parameter ("vga=794" can be used on 1400x1050 panel).

http://ati.cchtml.com/show_bug.cgi?id=37 <br>
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/usplash/+bug/63558

===Flickering Display===

Some people have reported problems with their display flickering when using ati-drivers newer than 8.14.13. The problem is unclear
(possibly associated with an incorrect modeline setting) and no known solution exists except to use the open source radeon drivers.
You can follow this problem here: http://ati.cchtml.com/show_bug.cgi?id=248

===Error messages in system log===

If you find something like the following in {{path|/var/log/messages}}:

:{{cmdresult|kernel: mtrr: base(0xc0000000) is not aligned on a size(0x7ff0000) boundary}}
:{{cmdresult|kernel: [fglrx:firegl_addmap] *ERROR* mtrr allocation failed (-22)}}
:{{cmdresult|kernel: [fglrx:firegl_unlock] *ERROR* Process 5132 using kernel context 0}}

try to execute the following line and reload the fglrx module:

:{{cmdroot|1=echo "base=0xd0000000 size=0x8000000 type=write-combining" > /proc/mtrr}}

More detailed instructions can be found [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=115104 here].

===Hang when logging out===

A common problem is that when logging out from X, instead of gettign the KDM or GDM prompt, the system hangs.

This is discussed, including workarounds here: http://ati.cchtml.com/show_bug.cgi?id=239

===No power saving when CRT in use===

When both CRT and LCD are in use, power saving cannot be enabled.

This is reported here: http://ati.cchtml.com/show_bug.cgi?id=304

===WineX / Cedega Installs Software But Errors on Loading Games===

Some users may experience problems with certain FIREGL cards (in my case an ibm t43p laptop with a v3200 ati firegl) whereby projects such as cedega and wine refuse to work with 3d graphics, but native binaries (e.g. quake 4) work fine. A possible workaround is to add the following line in the drivers section of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Option "UseFastTLS" "2"

This option used to be configured with the older ati drivers when you ran "fglrxconfig". I have not yet found a way to get it to appear with "aticonfig", hence the manual insertion. This option is good for several linux distros I have tried, fedora core 5, ubuntu dapper and suse 10.1. It does not appear to effect performance on natively run programs.

===Line Appears Below Mouse Cursor===

Some users have reported seeing a line approximately 1 mouse height below the bottom edge of the cursor, which follows the mouse and appears to change color based on the image below the cursor. This has been seen to happen using fglrx without the kernel module installed (in 2D mode) and additionally on external displays or multiple X servers. To work around the problem, try disabling the DGA extension by making the following changes to your XFree86.conf or xorg.conf file. Replace (or comment-out)
Load "extmod"
with
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga"
EndSubSection

===Freeze while using OpenGL Apps===

Some OpenGL applications such as screensavers or games (SecondLife) cause freezes. The cursor still moves, but otherwise the machine is unresponsive. This is the case with Xorg 7.1 and fglrx 8.29.6 using an x1400 and other cards. The solution is to add the following options to the video Device section in xorg.conf:
Option "Capabilities" "0x00000800"
Option "KernelModuleParm" "locked-userpages=0"

== Patches ==
The following patches might be needed for certain versions of fglrx. Before you apply any of these, make sure that you really need them, as some distributions include all the necessary patches with the appropriate package (e.g. ati-drivers in gentoo).

===fglrx 8.34.8===
* [http://whoopie.gmxhome.de/linux/patches/2.6.20/fglrx-8.34.8-for-2.6.20.patch For kernel 2.6.20]

===fglrx 8.32.5===
* [http://whoopie.gmxhome.de/linux/patches/2.6.19/fglrx-8.32.5-for-2.6.19.patch For kernel 2.6.19]

===fglrx 8.23.7===
* For kernel 2.6.16: [http://mirror.espri.arizona.edu/gentoo/rsync/x11-drivers/ati-drivers/files/ati-drivers-8.22.5-intermodule.patch <tt>intermodule</tt> patch] and [http://mirror.espri.arizona.edu/gentoo/rsync/x11-drivers/ati-drivers/files/ati-drivers-8.23.7-noiommu.patch <tt>noiommu</tt> patch]

===fglrx 8.21.7===

* [http://www.ksp.sk/~rasto/fglrx_with_2.6.15.patch for kernels >= 2.6.15]

===fglrx 8.20.8===

* [http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=113429835515001&w=2 for kernel 2.6.15]
or
* [http://www.ksp.sk/~rasto/fglrx_with_2.6.15.patch for kernels >= 2.6.15]

===fglrx (problem met at least with version 8.18.8)===
* [http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/9/22/183 for kernel >= 2.6.13 ] Missing verify_area bug

===fglrx 8.8.25 ===
* [http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33798874 for kernels >= 2.6.10]
* [http://www.gehirn.org.uk/wiki/images/8.8.25-kernel-2.6.11+.patch For kernels >= 2.6.11-rc1]

===Links ===
* [http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_ATI_Drivers Gentoo HOWTO ATI]

Fglrx

2007-02-24T15:22:09Z

Igorr: /* Status */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
== ATI fglrx driver ==
This is a proprietary Linux binary-only driver for ATI graphic chips with support for 3D acceleration.

Also see [[R300|opensource driver]] with 3D support
|}

==Availability / Project Homepage==
Home page: http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

== Packages ==
The ATI drivers have explicit permission for repackaging and redistribution of the Linux drivers. Many distributions are supported within the installer, and many more repackaged by external developers. Please visit the [http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Category:Distributions Distribution Page at the Unofficial ATI driver Wiki]

*{{Debian}} packages: http://www.stanchina.net/~flavio/debian-official/fglrx-driver.html
** These packages have been added to Debian unstable as <tt>fglrx-driver</tt>, so you can now apt-get them and use module-assistant to install.
** If you are on stable sarge with backport's kernel 2.6.15, download ATI's installer, let it build Debian packages and proceed as usual. There's a [http://jroller.com/page/erAck?entry=lot_day_6_2_fglrx detailed description] available.
*{{SUSE}} packages: http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html
*{{Gentoo}} {{cmdroot|emerge ati-drivers}}
*{{Fedora}} 4 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install kernel-module-fglrx-$(uname -r) ati-fglrx }}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Fedora}} 5 packages: http://rpm.livna.org
** For stock Fedora kernels: {{cmdroot|yum install xorg-x11-drv-fglrx}}
** For custom-compiled kernels: see [[How to build custom packages for fglrx]]
*{{Arch Linux}}
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-ARCH)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-archck}} (kernel module for 2.6.15-archck)
:{{cmdroot|pacman -S ati-fglrx-utils}} (xorg7 stuff and tools)
*{{Ubuntu}}
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Dapper_Installation_Guide Dapper Drake Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Breezy_Installation_Guide Breezy Badger Howto]
**[http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Edgy_Installation_Guide Edgy Eft Howto]

== Building for Xorg 7.0==
To compile fglrx versions <= 8.24.8 for Xorg 7.0.0, fake Xorg 6.9.0 by
:{{cmdroot|1=export X_VERSION=x690; sh ati-driver-installer-8.24.8-x86.run}}
Next, move the various resulting libraries and modules from /usr/X11R6 to /usr/lib/xorg

In {{path|/usr/src/ATI}} additional sources are installed for fireglcontrol and fgl_glxgears

== Status ==
Current version: 8.34.8 (21st February 2007).
Major changes:
* 8.34.8: Radeon Xpress 1250 support, X-Video on x86_64 fix, hibernation mode fix. Kernel 2.6.20 requires some patching (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.34.8|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.33.6: X.Org 7.2 support, kernel 2.6.19 support, some fixes in the installer, 2 more bugfixes. Resume from suspend works if you make sure you have set "VbetoolPost no" and "EnableVbetool no" in your suspend to ram hibernate conf (/etc/hibernate/ram.conf on ubuntu/debian).
* 8.32.5: support for X1650, X.Org 7.2 RC2 support, bugfixes. Suspend-to-ram is broken with specific cards, *no* 2.6.19 support (see [[Problems_with_fglrx#fglrx_8.32.5|fglrx patches section]]).
* 8.31.5: no new features, only bugfixes. Of note, for some users, this version breaks suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk.
* 8.30.3: no new features, only bugfixes
* 8.29.6: Linux 2.6.18 support, dropped support for Radeon 8500/9000/9100/9200/9250 (both, mobile and normal versions)
* 8.28.8: Display Switching Support for ThinkPads, ATI Pairmode support, Retaining display device state between restarts, Support for Radeon Xpress 1200, 1250, and 1300
* 8.27.10: X.org 7.1 support, Fedora Core package support
* 8.26.18: support for dynamically attached DFPs and Thermal Event Power Management (both via daemon), minor bug fixes
* 8.25.18: Xorg 7.0 support, FireGLâ„¢V5xxx/V7xxx support, Dynamic Display Management, fixed a lot of critical bugs.
* 8.24.8: support for X1300, X1400, X1600, X1800 (generic and mobility) and 3D accelerated video playback on Avivo
* 8.23.7: support for X850 and X800, OpenGL 2.0 Enhancement, FSAA for some chips
* 8.22.5: added kernel 2.6.15 support -- patch no longer required
* 8.21.7: initial OpenGL 2.0 support
* 8.20.8: fixed resume issues, fixed compile problems with kernels 2.6.13 and 2.6.14
* 8.19.10: has added suspend / resume and dynamic GPU power management support. Using vbetool no longer required.

== Known problems and solutions ==
See [[Problems with fglrx]].
== User experience ==
=== Speed ===
How much is the speed gain versus the opensource drivers?

Compared to the old drivers, approximately 40% speed gain have been noticed with fglrx. However, there are issues with freezing/garbage after suspend, garbage when resizing desktop (via {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|plus}}, {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|minus}}), and garbage while using VMware. The current 8.14.13 has shown 400% improvement over using the open source radeon driver: 1200 FPS for glxgears{{footnote|1}}!
However the situation seems to be changing today. With recent x11-drm-20060608 driver (gentoo) and thinkpad t42 (ati 9600) the speed is confirmed as 1900fps without any single crash so far.

=== 3D acceleration ===

According to [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] you need these options:

Section "Module"
...
Load "GLcore"
Load "glx"
Load "dri"
...
EndSection

# Of course you need to activate the driver
Section "Device"
...
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection

Don't forget to load the module <tt>fglrx</tt> (<tt>modprobe fglrx</tt>). Under Debian the module can be placed in <tt>/etc/modules</tt>.

With current fglrx drivers (as of 8.29.6) you must disable composite to get 3D DRI acceleration. To do this, add an extra Extensions section (if necessary) containing:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable" #make DRI work with fglrx.
EndSection

If you are unsure whether you have DRI running, issue <tt>glxinfo | grep -i direct</tt> after disabling composite. Note, this

{{NOTE|1=Video overlay acceleration may be disabled when 3D acceleration is enabled. The following comment from the xorg.conf file bundled with the fglrx driver indicates that:
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "1"
However, you can use either regular Xv video overlay or make the video an opengl texture and let the OpenGL engine scale your video. This has nothing to do with the acceleration of 2D drawing primitives. Further, your mileage on performance may vary depending on what card you have. The open source drivers don't support newer cards, while the ATI drivers don't support older cards.

You may be able to preserve VideoOverlay acceleration if you explicitly remove the OpenGLOverlay using:

Option "VideoOverlay" "True" and Option "OpenGLOverlay" "False". See [http://xoomer.alice.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html#configure Flavio's page] for detail.}}

=== Power saving ===
Power saving is much better than with the <tt>radeon</tt> driver, but doesn't work in dual-screen configuration (see [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features]]).

=== Suspending with fglrx ===

On a ThinkPad T42 with Kernel 2.6.19 with Software Suspend 2 and R60 with Kernel 2.6.18-suspend2-r1 (Gentoo) , the following addition to <tt>/etc/hibernate/suspend2.conf</tt> is required:

# For fglrx
ProcSetting extra_pages_allowance 20000

=== Display Switching (Dynamic Display Management) ===

Version 8.25.18 introduces a new feature: Dynamic Display Management. It allows display switching on-the-fly.

To list all connected and enabled monitors:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --query-monitor}}

To switch displays:
:{{cmdroot|1=aticonfig --enable-monitor=STRING,STRING}}, where STRING can be: none, lvds, crt1, crt2, tv, tdms1, tdms2

Only 2 displays can be enabled at the same time. Any displays that are not on the list will be disabled.

== Useful links ==
* [http://www.ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html ATI Linux Driver FAQ]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/content/articles/atilinuxhowto/ ATI Radeon Linux How-To]
* [http://www.rage3d.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=61&daysprune=30&order=asc&sort=title Rage3D Linux Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.driverheaven.net/forumdisplay.php?f=103 Radeon Driver Forum at Driverheaven]
* [http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ]
* [http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-374745-highlight-t42+ati+dri.html Gentoo T42 ATI. DRI + xorg driver]
* [http://ati.cchtml.com/ Unofficial community ATI bugzilla] - tracks bugs in the driver. Might be monitored by ATI ([http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333438751&postcount=386], [http://www.rage3d.com/board/showpost.php?p=1333439009&postcount=390]).

== ThinkPads that may be supported ==
Supported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
{{NOTE|fglrx version 8.29.6 discontinued support for Radeon 9200 and earlier.}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL 9000]]
** {{T40p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL T2]]
** {{R50p}}
** {{T41p}}, {{T42p}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V3200]]
** {{T43p}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9000]]
** {{R50}}, {{R51}}
** {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 9600]]
** {{T42}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X300]]
** {{R52}}
** {{T43}}
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200M]]
** {{R51e}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X600]]
** {{Z60m}}
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon X1400]]
** {{T60}}, {{R60}}, {{Z61m}}
* [[ATI Mobility FireGL V5200]]
** {{T60p}}, {{Z61p}}

== ThinkPads that are NOT supported by fglrx==
Unsupported chips, as found in select IBM ThinkPads:
* [[ATI Mobility Radeon 7500]]
** {{R40}}
** {{T30}}
** {{T42}}

{{footnotes|
#Note that glxgears isn't a benchmark tool, it's so simple that its FPS values is without any meaning... you can only compare glxgears using the same drivers/machine, if you change any of then you can have higher/lower values and in real life programs/games happen to have the opposite effects. Think in terms of a car engines rpms: higher rpms in the same car usually means a faster car, change anything and it's meaningless, ie: gears, truck, wheel size, etc. make it useless.
}}
[[Category:Drivers]]

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2007-01-23T10:39:35Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

Last version at 2006-01-04 :
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe] Released 2005-10-25 '''NEW!'''

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F "*.IMG" 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image .
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel VGA palette) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image (which is no longer available because someone deleted it) for example.<br /><br />
When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.<br /><br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent ThinkPads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> - }}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your ThinkPad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your ThinkPad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

* Schnappi bootsplash: Bow to the power of [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp Schnappi]. The BMP image compressed to about 6KB. Schni, schna, schnappi!
* IBM Tux: An image of [http://asuka.fi/u/jpaalija/stuff/filestorage/ibm-tux.png Tux with the IBM logo] written on its tummy.

User:Igorr

2006-12-16T23:54:44Z

Igorr:

I have spent a bit of time setting my T43 up. My experiences are summarised [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/installing.html here].

Pentium M undervolting and underclocking

2006-11-18T16:16:09Z

Igorr: /* Tested frequencies */

== Background ==

Intel Pentium M processors from the [[Intel Pentium M (Dothan)|Dothan]] and [[Intel Pentium M (Banias)|Banias]] families can be instructed to operate at voltage and clock frequencies lower than the nominal ones recommended by Intel and used by ThinkPads by default. Experience shows that the processor may continue working correctly at lower-than-nominal voltages and frequencies, thereby reducing power consumption, heat and fan noise.

In the Pentium M, speed and voltage are controlled by software (through the MSR registers). It is up to the operating system to choose the right voltage for each frequency. Normally this is done according to tables published by Intel or according to ACPI tables. However, this can be overriden - in the case of Linux, by a kernel patch.

{{WARN|Following this instructions will operate your CPU under conditions it was not designed for. Even if your system seems stable, it may still suffer transient faults leading to arbitrary data corruption. In addition, errors in following these instructions (or changes between processor models) may operate the CPU ''above'' its nominal parameters, which, if taken too far, can cause kernel panics or even possibly hardware damage}}

For an example of what may be achieved, consider these examples: when voltages on one ThinkPad {{T43}} were reduced by 20-30%, stable CPU temperature dropped by 7-10deg under both idle and burn-in conditions. Combined with [[how to control fan speed|fan speed control]], this greatly reduced the [[Problem with fan noise|problem with fan noise]]. On one user's ThinkPad {{R51}}, an undervolt brought the full-load processor temperature down from 87 degrees to 63 degrees while maintaining full stability. The effect was, however, negligible at idle.

{{NOTE|While under''volting'' has a clear measurable effect, it's not clear if under''clocking'' really works. <tt>/proc/cpuinfo</tt> reflects the underclocked frequency, but enabling debug output on <tt>cpufreq</tt> causes it to say things like "<tt>CPU frequency out of sync: cpufreq and timing core thinks of 533000, is 800000 kHz.</tt>" where the former is the chosen underclocked frequency and the latter is the documented minimum frequency. This discrepancy also causes [[Software Suspend 2]] to oops during suspend.}}

There are several methods to control CPU voltage in Linux, and currently all of them require a patched kernel.

== Alternative 1: patch with hard-coded voltages ==
=== Instructions ===

# Determine the stable voltages for each frequency, using some overclocking/undervolting utility that has specific support for Pentium M ("Centrino") processors. It seems that no such utility exists for Linux. For windows, one good choice is [http://www.pbus-167.com/chc.htm Notebook Hardware Control (NHC)], which conveniently also includes a table of nominal frequencies and voltages (in its help file).<br> Ascertain that at the undervolted settings the CPU actually performs correct computation ([http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm Prime95] in "Tortute Test" mode seems to be a good partial test emphasizing FPU and memory access).<br> Note that beside reducing voltages (undervolting), you can also try to add lower frequencies (underclocking). If you undervolt a particular frequency too much your machine is likely to crash, so try not to have any other programs open.
# Determine the model name string reported by the CPU, e.g., via the "<tt>Model name</tt>" line in {{path|/proc/cpuinfo}}, and likewise the <tt>cpu_family</tt>, <tt>model</tt> and <tt>stepping</tt>.
# Grab a copy of the example patch below and update it to reflect the parameters, frequencies and voltages you found.
# Apply the patch to your kernel (tested with 2.6.13.1 and 2.6.14-rc2).
# To prevent the ACPI table from overriding your table, disable the <tt>CONFIG_X86_SPEEDSTEP_CENTRINO_ACPI</tt> kernel option.
# Compile and install the new kernel.

The changes should be active now. If you want to see debug information attesting to thus, do the following:

# Reboot in <tt>single</tt> mode.
# {{cmdroot|echo 2 > /sys/module/cpufreq/parameters/debug}}
# {{cmdroot|modprobe speedstep-centrino}}
# {{cmdroot|dmesg}} and check for the message "<tt>speedstep-centrino: found "Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor </tt>..."

If you don't see that message, you got the <tt>cpu_id</tt> or <tt>model_name</tt> parmaeters wrong. If your system crashes, re-test the voltages and adjust accordingly.

Please report your results (including voltages)!

=== Linux kernel patch (example) ===

The following example shows how to undervolt a Pentium M 750 (1.86GHz) on a ThinkPad {{T43}}. As discussed above, the parameters are specific to this one CPU. You will need to experimentally find the correct settings for your own CPU and adjust the patch accordingly.

Note that the Pentium M 750 has a 533MHz FSB (quad-pumped 133MHz), hence the use of <tt>OP133</tt>. If you have a Pentium M with 400MHz FSB (i.e., quad-pumped 100MHz, found in [[Intel Pentium M (Banias)|Banias]] and older [[Intel Pentium M (Dothan)|Dothan]]) then in the voltage table change <tt>OP133</tt> to <tt>OP</tt>.

{{CodeRef|undervolt-pentium-m-2.6.13.1.patch}}

Don't forget to disable <tt>CONFIG_X86_SPEEDSTEP_CENTRINO_ACPI</tt>.

==Alternative 2: patch with user-space control==

{{NOTE|There's a new project under http://linux-phc.sourceforge.net/ with updated patches. Note that the list of voltages may be reversed (lowest frequency first) compared to the original patch disucssed here. }}

If you want to use the Ubuntu 2.6.15 Kernel, please have a look at this thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=146366

The [http://fabrice.bellamy.club.fr/bdz.undervolt.2005.10.22.a.patch bdz.undervolt.2005.10.22.a.patch] patch, written by Gentoo-Wiki user "Bdz", allows voltages to be changed without reboot.

It presents a userspace interface, as in the following example:
:{{cmdroot|cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/voltage_table}}
:{{cmdresult|1356,1356,1356,1356,1356,1356,1356,1244,1116,988}}
:{{cmdroot|echo "1084,1084,1084,1084,1084,1084,1084,988,908,860" >/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/voltage_table}}

The relevant [http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Undervolt_a_Pentium_M_CPU page] on Gentoo-Wiki providues further information and some helpful hints and scripts for voltage adjustment.

When applying this patch be sure to keep the "ACPI tables for decoding frequency pairs" option -- this patch only allows adjustment of the voltages for the normal clock speeds as reported by the ACPI table in the BIOS. On some models (e.g., ThinkPad {{T43}}) this does not include all clock speeds supported by the processor.

===Initscript===
This is a Gentoo initscript for the patch from Gentoo-Wiki user "Bdz".

Configuration file
<pre>
# /etc/conf.d/undervoltage

# voltage table sysfs interface
VTABLE_SYSFS="/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/voltage_table"

# switch back to DEFAULT_VTABLE if undervoltage is stopped? [yes/no]
SWITCH_BACK="no"

# pentium-m banias 1,7GHz default voltages
DEFAULT_VTABLE="1484,1308,1228,1116,1004,956"
# pentium-m banias 1,7GHz lowered voltages [ -208mV ]
MOD_VTABLE="1276,1100,1020,908,796,748"
</pre>

Initscript
<pre>
#!/sbin/runscript
# Copyright 1999-2005 Gentoo Foundation
# Distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2
# $Header: $

sysfs_check() {

if ! [ -e ${VTABLE_SYSFS} ]; then
logger "No sysfs voltage_table present. Modifying vcore voltage failed."
eerror "It seems that the undervolting patch has not been applied to the kernel."
eerror "see http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Undervolt_a_Pentium_M_CPU for further information"
return 1
fi
}

start() {
sysfs_check || return 1
ebegin "Switching to modified voltage table [${MOD_VTABLE}]"
echo ${MOD_VTABLE} > ${VTABLE_SYSFS}
eend $?
}

# I think it is not necessary to switch to the default voltage table on shutdown
stop() {
if [ $SWITCH_BACK = "yes" ]; then
ebegin "Switching back to default voltage table [${DEFAULT_VTABLE}]"
echo ${DEFAULT_VTABLE} > ${VTABLE_SYSFS}
eend $?
fi
}
</pre>

==Alternative 3: another patch with user-space control==

The [http://avkrok.net/nw8240/centrino-voltages.diff centrino-voltages.diff] patch, written by Rickard Holmberg, also provides user-space control. See [http://avkrok.net/nw8240/ here] and [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/2005-December/030772.html here] for usage.

==Stress Testing==

This [[Undervolt Stress Testing Script|script]] illustrates a very conservative method to stress test your lowered voltage settings.

==Tested frequencies==

If you have done excessive testing with user defined frequencies (stable system for over a month).
and no lookups occur when computing primes with mprime http://mersenne.org/ (gentoo: 'emerge gimps')
you can post your frequencies here. But note that this is just a rough indication, since the stable values will differ between individual processors, even in the same model.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
! CPU Type !! GHz !! Frequency Steps
|-
| Pentium-M Banias || 1.7 || 1276,1100,1020,908,796,748
|-
| Pentium-M Dothan || 1.4 || 924,892,860,828,796,764,732,700
|-
| Pentium-M Dothan || 1.86 || 1068,972,876,780,700
|-
| Pentium-M SL6F7 || 1.6 || 1196,1052,956,860,780,732
|-
| Pentium-M Dothan || 1.5 || 924,892,860,828,812,796,764,732,700
|-
| Pentium-M Dothan || 2.0 || 1084,940,844,764,748
|}

[[Category:Patches]]

Problem with high power drain in ACPI sleep

2006-08-26T15:47:51Z

Igorr: /* USB */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
==Problem description==
Several people realized that their ThinkPads eat up too much power while suspended to ram via ACPI. Compared to APM suspend to ram the power drain is experienced to be about 10 times as high, 2-5 Watts. This empties the battery within one or two days.
|}

==Affected Models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="float:right;margin-left:20px;"
|-
! style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffcfbc;" | affected models
! style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#cfefcf;" | unaffected models
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#fff0e0;" |
* {{R32}}
** 2658-BQG
* {{R40}}
** 2722-3GG
** 2722-5MG
** 2722-B3G
** 2722-CDG
** 2897-GWU
** 2722-6YU
** 2722-CDG
* {{R50}}
** 1829-7RG
** 1829-6DM
** 1836-3SU
* {{R51}}
** 1829-9MG
** 1829-EHG
** 1829-R6G
** 1830-DG4
** 1836-Q6U
* {{T23}}
**2647-???
* {{T30}}
** 2366-81A
** 2366-97U
** 2366-FBU
** 2366-96G
*{{T40}}
**2373-19G
**2373-22G
**2373-42G
**2373-75G
**2373-82U
**2373-92U
**2373-A1U
**2373-MU3
*{{T40p}}
**2373-G1U
**2373-G3U
**2373-G3G
**2373-G1G
**2373-G5G
* {{T41}}
**2379-DJU
**2373-3KG
**2373-9HU
**2373-4FG
**2373-4PG
**2373-1FG
**2373-2FG
**2373-2GG
**2373-6U4
**2373-7JU
**2373-CY0
**2373-TG5
**2373-3HM
**2373-4GU
* {{T41p}}
**2373-9FU
* {{T42}}
**2373-C19
**2373-CTO
**2378-DTU
**2378-DUU
**2378-XXE
**2378-R4U
**2373-FWG
**2374-ZEP
**2373-F2G
**2373-JTU
**2373-VUW
**[[2373-6ZG]]
* {{X21}}
**2662-BSG
* {{X32}}
**2884-A3U
*{{X41T}}
** 1869-5CU
| style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#e9f9e9;" |
*[[:Category:A22m | A22m]]
**2628
*[[:Category:A31 | A31]]
**2652-D5G
*[[:Category:R50p | R50p]]
*[[:Category:R52 | R52]]
**1858-6MM
*[[:Category:T41 | T41]]
**2373-GEU
*[[:Category:T41p | T41p]]
**2373-GKG
**2373-GGG
**[[2373-GHG]]
*[[:Category:T42 | T42]]
**[[2373-M1G]]
**[[2373-WBZ]]
**[[2373-F7G]]
**[[2378-DXU]]
**[[2378-FVU]]
**[[2378-RTU]]
**[[2378-RRU]]
*[[:Category:T42p | T42p]]
**[[2373-HTG]]
**[[2373-W6M]]
**[[2373-GTG]]
**[[2373-GXG]]
**2373-KXM
*[[:Category:T43 | T43]]
**[[2668-W12]]
*[[:Category:T43p | T43p]]
**[[2668-G2G]]
*[[:Category:X40 | X40]]
**2371
|}
*Different symptoms have been reported for different models. In some models the origin of the power drain is obvious ([[Problem with LCD backlight remaining on during ACPI sleep|backlight on during suspend]]), in other models there is no obvious reason.

*On some models/configurations the higher power drain couldn't even be realized or was at least significantly lower.

*The T4x ThinkPad series and other Radeon based models suspend to ram just fine, and there are no components that are obviously left powered up. The [[UltraBay]] and network light is on, but that is the same under windows (but under APM sleep to RAM those lights are OFF). For these models the higher power drain is caused by a driver problem and can be fixed in software. This fix has not yet made its way into the official kernel (as of linux 2.6.12).

The table on the right gives an overview of the models suffering from the mysterious power drain. To find out about your model, you may use the following [[ACPI sleep power drain test script | script]]. It creates a file {{path|/var/log/battery.log}} which will tell you if you are affected or not.

==Affected Operating Systems==
*Linux, all flavours.
*Windows, for some models as well (only when using non-IBM drivers).
*FreeBSD (on the A22M)

==Status==
*The cause of the mysterious power drain is the Radeon GPU, which requires extra steps to suspend properly. Unfortunately, this fix might break non-ThinkPad machines and therefore is not yet in the official kernel sources.
*The official bugzilla entry for the radeon suspend issue is in the [http://bugme.osdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3022 OSDL Bugzilla]. There you can find a patch which will solve the power drain issue.
{{WARN|This solution enables doing suspend-to-D2 on non-PPC-machines, which is not properly documented! Be careful and have a look at the discussion for kernel bug 3022 (see above) before applying the patch. By default, the patch enables the suspend-to-D2 only on machines where it is known to work. This behaviour can be overridden with a module option.}}
{{NOTE|This solution is on its way for inclusion into the mainline Linux kernel, but the whitelist required for its inclusion needs your help. Please send mail to ''patroclo7 at gmail.com'' with the output of '''lspci -d "1002:*" -vn''' on affected machines ''only''. Refer to [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.hardware.thinkpad/25355 the linux-thinkpad ML post requesting this information] for more information. This is mostly urgent if you happen to own an X21 or a R50.}}
*Most certainly, the DSDT is not at fault. (Interesting to note: The DSDT from BIOS 3.13 (Nov 04) for the T42p compiles without bugs.)
*Some additional power savings can be achieved by turning off the wake-on-lan ({{cmdroot|ethtool -s eth0 wol d}}). The power drain of the wol feature is far smaller than the radeon bug, but can be noticeable.

==Solutions==
===For ThinkPads with Radeon graphic chips===
You must use a patched version of the radeon frame buffer, even if you are only interested in using the X window system. This modified radeon frame buffer then suspends the radeon chip correctly during ACPI sleep. This patch is not yet in the official (kernel.org) kernels.

The [http://bugme.osdl.org/attachment.cgi?id=8220&action=view patch] contains a list of ThinkPads where it is known to work, and by default only activates on these machines. If you think that your computer would profit from the patch as well, you can force it by including the module parameter {{bootparm|force_sleep|1}}. If it doesn't work this can result in system hangs.

====Technical Background====
The patch removes the CONFIG_PPC_PMAC condition for enabling D2 sleep in {{path|drivers/video/aty/radeon_pm.c}} as discussed in [http://bugme.osdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3022 kernel bug 3022].

====Fedora Core====
* Fedora Core 4: Fedora ships a patched radeon frame buffer (radeonfb.ko), but you must enable it yourself. {{Fedora}} compiles it as a module rather than including it in the kernel, therefore you cannot activate it at boot time without a custom initrd. You must arrange for the module to be loaded before X starts (for example, using an init script).
* Fedora Core 3: this is also true for updated kernels (at least for kernel-2.6.12-1.1376_FC3) but '''not''' for the initially shipped version.

There are precompiled patched kernels [http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~vbraun/computing/T41/kernel.html available] as well, that do not need an initrd modification:
*[http://carrot.hep.upenn.edu/~vbraun/kernel-T4x/i386/kernel-T4x-2.6.11.11-26.i386.rpm linux 2.6.11 for Fedora Core 3]
*[http://carrot.hep.upenn.edu/~vbraun/kernel-T4x/i386/kernel-T4x-2.6.12.2-2.i386.rpm linux 2.6.12 for Fedora Core 4]
These kernels contain additional ThinkPad-related patches, including [[Software Suspend 2]] and trackpoint support. Suspend to disk and suspend to ram should work with them. If your ThinkPad model is not yet whitelisted in the patch, you might have to enable the radeon fix by including the parameter {{bootparm|video|2=radeonfb:force_sleep}} on the kernel command line.

If you try, please send the result (hang yes/no, battery drain yes/no) with the precise model number (i.e. IBM ThinkPad T41 2379-DJU) to <tt>vbraun at physics dot upenn dot edu</tt>, it would be nice if your subject line would include "RADEONFB:" to make sure that I do not miss any emails.

=====testing radeonfb without changing initrd=====
If you want to try the radeon frame buffer, you can enable it as follows:
*First, switch to a console ({{key|Ctrl}}{{key|Alt}}{{key|F1}}) and log in as root.
*Stop X: {{cmdroot|init 3}}
*Now you can load the module: {{cmdroot|1=modprobe radeonfb force_sleep=1}}
*Finally, resume X: {{cmdroot|init 5}}

=====including radeonfb into your initrd=====
As an alternative you can build your customized initrd. This is as simple as running
:{{cmdroot|1=mkinitrd --with=radeonfb /boot/<name-of-your-new-initrd> `uname -r`}}
and replacing the initrd in {{path|/boot/grub/grub.conf}} with your new one. You also need to add the kernel command line argument {{bootparm|video|2=radeonfb:force_sleep}}.

====Gentoo====
After installing the patch on {{Gentoo}} (it works fine with gentoo-sources: {{cmdroot|cd /usr/src/linux/drivers/video/aty}}, and execute {{cmdroot|patch -p4 < <patchname>}}, then recompile the kernel), one needs to add {{bootparm|video|radeonfb:force_sleep}} to the kernel parameters.

====Another possible solution====
It is possible that [[radeontool]] will help some people with this case.
(simply run radeontool light off before suspend and radeontool light on after resume).
A radeontool patch for freebsd is here: http://www.init-main.com/radeontool.patch (by Takanori Watanabe).

===For models without Radeon graphics===
The Problem seems to be solved when you use the [http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/vbetool/ vbetool] to turn the LCD off before suspending ...
:{{cmdroot|vbetool dpms off}}
and turning it on afterwards again...
:{{cmdroot|vbetool dpms on}}
You have to change to a normal console before turning the LCD off.
Additionally you have to deactivate the Wake-On-Lan feature like mentioned above ...
:{{cmdroot|ethtool -s eth0 wol d}}
With these commands used together the "testing script" reports no high power drain while suspending.

==Other problems causing the power drain==
On my [[R51]] using Gentoo Linux, the high power drain was not caused by the graphics adaptor but by several components not powered down properly before putting the Thinkpad into S3.

If the above did not help you, this might do:

Walk through
/sys/devices/*/*/power/state
and try to disable each of it, every time checking the power drain. (See linux/Documentation/power/devices.txt for values to write into the state-files. 3 should be the value you want to try)
Do the same for other components (Like the Ultrabay, etc.). Please add your experiences here.

===R51: Ultrabay and networking===
On my system, ultrabay and networking light were still on while in S3. So were the devices theirselves.
echo -n eject > /proc/acpi/ibm/bay # Disable ultrabay
ethtool -s eth0 wol d # Disable Wake-On-Lan (And so the eth-adaptor)
echo mem > /sys/power/state # Sleep

For me, this lowered the power drain from >700mW to 338 mW.

===USB===
My initial testing of a [[T43]] (2669-model) revealed no power drain issues. However, after several rounds of BIOS and kernel upgrades I have discovered that the power drain has risen to >700mWh. Having tested things a bit, I have discoved that removing ehci_hcd module solved the high power drain. This is a [[T43]] laptop, with kernel 2.6.17-r5 and BIOS 1.28/EC 1.06. For me, issuing {{cmdroot|modprobe -r ehci_hcd}} before going to sleep and reloading the module ({{cmdroot|modprobe ehci_hcd}}) after waking up dropped the power drain down to 277mWh in suspend2ram, which seems fair. The unloading/reloading can be put into the suitable ACPI script called to suspend the laptop.

Problem with high power drain in ACPI sleep

2006-08-26T15:46:22Z

Igorr: /* Other problems causing the power drain */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
==Problem description==
Several people realized that their ThinkPads eat up too much power while suspended to ram via ACPI. Compared to APM suspend to ram the power drain is experienced to be about 10 times as high, 2-5 Watts. This empties the battery within one or two days.
|}

==Affected Models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="float:right;margin-left:20px;"
|-
! style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffcfbc;" | affected models
! style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#cfefcf;" | unaffected models
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#fff0e0;" |
* {{R32}}
** 2658-BQG
* {{R40}}
** 2722-3GG
** 2722-5MG
** 2722-B3G
** 2722-CDG
** 2897-GWU
** 2722-6YU
** 2722-CDG
* {{R50}}
** 1829-7RG
** 1829-6DM
** 1836-3SU
* {{R51}}
** 1829-9MG
** 1829-EHG
** 1829-R6G
** 1830-DG4
** 1836-Q6U
* {{T23}}
**2647-???
* {{T30}}
** 2366-81A
** 2366-97U
** 2366-FBU
** 2366-96G
*{{T40}}
**2373-19G
**2373-22G
**2373-42G
**2373-75G
**2373-82U
**2373-92U
**2373-A1U
**2373-MU3
*{{T40p}}
**2373-G1U
**2373-G3U
**2373-G3G
**2373-G1G
**2373-G5G
* {{T41}}
**2379-DJU
**2373-3KG
**2373-9HU
**2373-4FG
**2373-4PG
**2373-1FG
**2373-2FG
**2373-2GG
**2373-6U4
**2373-7JU
**2373-CY0
**2373-TG5
**2373-3HM
**2373-4GU
* {{T41p}}
**2373-9FU
* {{T42}}
**2373-C19
**2373-CTO
**2378-DTU
**2378-DUU
**2378-XXE
**2378-R4U
**2373-FWG
**2374-ZEP
**2373-F2G
**2373-JTU
**2373-VUW
**[[2373-6ZG]]
* {{X21}}
**2662-BSG
* {{X32}}
**2884-A3U
*{{X41T}}
** 1869-5CU
| style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#e9f9e9;" |
*[[:Category:A22m | A22m]]
**2628
*[[:Category:A31 | A31]]
**2652-D5G
*[[:Category:R50p | R50p]]
*[[:Category:R52 | R52]]
**1858-6MM
*[[:Category:T41 | T41]]
**2373-GEU
*[[:Category:T41p | T41p]]
**2373-GKG
**2373-GGG
**[[2373-GHG]]
*[[:Category:T42 | T42]]
**[[2373-M1G]]
**[[2373-WBZ]]
**[[2373-F7G]]
**[[2378-DXU]]
**[[2378-FVU]]
**[[2378-RTU]]
**[[2378-RRU]]
*[[:Category:T42p | T42p]]
**[[2373-HTG]]
**[[2373-W6M]]
**[[2373-GTG]]
**[[2373-GXG]]
**2373-KXM
*[[:Category:T43 | T43]]
**[[2668-W12]]
*[[:Category:T43p | T43p]]
**[[2668-G2G]]
*[[:Category:X40 | X40]]
**2371
|}
*Different symptoms have been reported for different models. In some models the origin of the power drain is obvious ([[Problem with LCD backlight remaining on during ACPI sleep|backlight on during suspend]]), in other models there is no obvious reason.

*On some models/configurations the higher power drain couldn't even be realized or was at least significantly lower.

*The T4x ThinkPad series and other Radeon based models suspend to ram just fine, and there are no components that are obviously left powered up. The [[UltraBay]] and network light is on, but that is the same under windows (but under APM sleep to RAM those lights are OFF). For these models the higher power drain is caused by a driver problem and can be fixed in software. This fix has not yet made its way into the official kernel (as of linux 2.6.12).

The table on the right gives an overview of the models suffering from the mysterious power drain. To find out about your model, you may use the following [[ACPI sleep power drain test script | script]]. It creates a file {{path|/var/log/battery.log}} which will tell you if you are affected or not.

==Affected Operating Systems==
*Linux, all flavours.
*Windows, for some models as well (only when using non-IBM drivers).
*FreeBSD (on the A22M)

==Status==
*The cause of the mysterious power drain is the Radeon GPU, which requires extra steps to suspend properly. Unfortunately, this fix might break non-ThinkPad machines and therefore is not yet in the official kernel sources.
*The official bugzilla entry for the radeon suspend issue is in the [http://bugme.osdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3022 OSDL Bugzilla]. There you can find a patch which will solve the power drain issue.
{{WARN|This solution enables doing suspend-to-D2 on non-PPC-machines, which is not properly documented! Be careful and have a look at the discussion for kernel bug 3022 (see above) before applying the patch. By default, the patch enables the suspend-to-D2 only on machines where it is known to work. This behaviour can be overridden with a module option.}}
{{NOTE|This solution is on its way for inclusion into the mainline Linux kernel, but the whitelist required for its inclusion needs your help. Please send mail to ''patroclo7 at gmail.com'' with the output of '''lspci -d "1002:*" -vn''' on affected machines ''only''. Refer to [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.hardware.thinkpad/25355 the linux-thinkpad ML post requesting this information] for more information. This is mostly urgent if you happen to own an X21 or a R50.}}
*Most certainly, the DSDT is not at fault. (Interesting to note: The DSDT from BIOS 3.13 (Nov 04) for the T42p compiles without bugs.)
*Some additional power savings can be achieved by turning off the wake-on-lan ({{cmdroot|ethtool -s eth0 wol d}}). The power drain of the wol feature is far smaller than the radeon bug, but can be noticeable.

==Solutions==
===For ThinkPads with Radeon graphic chips===
You must use a patched version of the radeon frame buffer, even if you are only interested in using the X window system. This modified radeon frame buffer then suspends the radeon chip correctly during ACPI sleep. This patch is not yet in the official (kernel.org) kernels.

The [http://bugme.osdl.org/attachment.cgi?id=8220&action=view patch] contains a list of ThinkPads where it is known to work, and by default only activates on these machines. If you think that your computer would profit from the patch as well, you can force it by including the module parameter {{bootparm|force_sleep|1}}. If it doesn't work this can result in system hangs.

====Technical Background====
The patch removes the CONFIG_PPC_PMAC condition for enabling D2 sleep in {{path|drivers/video/aty/radeon_pm.c}} as discussed in [http://bugme.osdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3022 kernel bug 3022].

====Fedora Core====
* Fedora Core 4: Fedora ships a patched radeon frame buffer (radeonfb.ko), but you must enable it yourself. {{Fedora}} compiles it as a module rather than including it in the kernel, therefore you cannot activate it at boot time without a custom initrd. You must arrange for the module to be loaded before X starts (for example, using an init script).
* Fedora Core 3: this is also true for updated kernels (at least for kernel-2.6.12-1.1376_FC3) but '''not''' for the initially shipped version.

There are precompiled patched kernels [http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~vbraun/computing/T41/kernel.html available] as well, that do not need an initrd modification:
*[http://carrot.hep.upenn.edu/~vbraun/kernel-T4x/i386/kernel-T4x-2.6.11.11-26.i386.rpm linux 2.6.11 for Fedora Core 3]
*[http://carrot.hep.upenn.edu/~vbraun/kernel-T4x/i386/kernel-T4x-2.6.12.2-2.i386.rpm linux 2.6.12 for Fedora Core 4]
These kernels contain additional ThinkPad-related patches, including [[Software Suspend 2]] and trackpoint support. Suspend to disk and suspend to ram should work with them. If your ThinkPad model is not yet whitelisted in the patch, you might have to enable the radeon fix by including the parameter {{bootparm|video|2=radeonfb:force_sleep}} on the kernel command line.

If you try, please send the result (hang yes/no, battery drain yes/no) with the precise model number (i.e. IBM ThinkPad T41 2379-DJU) to <tt>vbraun at physics dot upenn dot edu</tt>, it would be nice if your subject line would include "RADEONFB:" to make sure that I do not miss any emails.

=====testing radeonfb without changing initrd=====
If you want to try the radeon frame buffer, you can enable it as follows:
*First, switch to a console ({{key|Ctrl}}{{key|Alt}}{{key|F1}}) and log in as root.
*Stop X: {{cmdroot|init 3}}
*Now you can load the module: {{cmdroot|1=modprobe radeonfb force_sleep=1}}
*Finally, resume X: {{cmdroot|init 5}}

=====including radeonfb into your initrd=====
As an alternative you can build your customized initrd. This is as simple as running
:{{cmdroot|1=mkinitrd --with=radeonfb /boot/<name-of-your-new-initrd> `uname -r`}}
and replacing the initrd in {{path|/boot/grub/grub.conf}} with your new one. You also need to add the kernel command line argument {{bootparm|video|2=radeonfb:force_sleep}}.

====Gentoo====
After installing the patch on {{Gentoo}} (it works fine with gentoo-sources: {{cmdroot|cd /usr/src/linux/drivers/video/aty}}, and execute {{cmdroot|patch -p4 < <patchname>}}, then recompile the kernel), one needs to add {{bootparm|video|radeonfb:force_sleep}} to the kernel parameters.

====Another possible solution====
It is possible that [[radeontool]] will help some people with this case.
(simply run radeontool light off before suspend and radeontool light on after resume).
A radeontool patch for freebsd is here: http://www.init-main.com/radeontool.patch (by Takanori Watanabe).

===For models without Radeon graphics===
The Problem seems to be solved when you use the [http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/vbetool/ vbetool] to turn the LCD off before suspending ...
:{{cmdroot|vbetool dpms off}}
and turning it on afterwards again...
:{{cmdroot|vbetool dpms on}}
You have to change to a normal console before turning the LCD off.
Additionally you have to deactivate the Wake-On-Lan feature like mentioned above ...
:{{cmdroot|ethtool -s eth0 wol d}}
With these commands used together the "testing script" reports no high power drain while suspending.

==Other problems causing the power drain==
On my [[R51]] using Gentoo Linux, the high power drain was not caused by the graphics adaptor but by several components not powered down properly before putting the Thinkpad into S3.

If the above did not help you, this might do:

Walk through
/sys/devices/*/*/power/state
and try to disable each of it, every time checking the power drain. (See linux/Documentation/power/devices.txt for values to write into the state-files. 3 should be the value you want to try)
Do the same for other components (Like the Ultrabay, etc.). Please add your experiences here.

===R51: Ultrabay and networking===
On my system, ultrabay and networking light were still on while in S3. So were the devices theirselves.
echo -n eject > /proc/acpi/ibm/bay # Disable ultrabay
ethtool -s eth0 wol d # Disable Wake-On-Lan (And so the eth-adaptor)
echo mem > /sys/power/state # Sleep

For me, this lowered the power drain from >700mW to 338 mW.

===USB===
My initial testing of a T43 revealed no power drain issues. However, after several rounds of BIOS and kernel upgrades I have discovered that the power drain has risen to >700mWh. Having tested things a bit, I have discoved that removing ehci_hcd module solved the high power drain. This is a [[T43]] laptop, with kernel 2.6.17-r5 and BIOS 1.28/EC 1.06. For me, issuing {{cmdroot|modprobe -r ehci_hcd}} before going to sleep and reloading the module ({{cmdroot|modprobe ehci_hcd}}) after waking up dropped the power drain down to 277mWh in suspend2ram, which seems fair. The unloading/reloading can be put into the suitable ACPI script called to suspend the laptop

Tp smapi

2006-08-16T21:55:09Z

Igorr: /* Installation from source */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |The <tt>tp_smapi</tt> kernel module exposes some features of the ThinkPad's [[SMAPI support for Linux|SMAPI]] functionality via a <tt>sysfs</tt> interface. Currently, the implemented functionality is control of battery charging, extended battery status and control of CD/DVD speed (disabled by default).

For older ThinkPad models, see also [[tpctl]].

{{WARN|This driver uses undocumented features and direct hardware access. It thus cannot be guaranteed to work and could conceivably damage your computer (though so far no incidents have been reported).}}

|}

===Features===
*Battery charge/discharge control
*Battery status information
*Optical drive speed control (disabled by default)

===Project Homepage / Availability===
* Project page: http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/
* You need to [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=1212&package_id=171579 download] only the <tt>tp_smapi</tt> package. Versions containing <tt>-test</tt> are experimental, others are stable.

===Installation===
====Installation from source====
You will need the kernel headers and makefiles corresponding to your current kernel version. On {{Fedora}}, this means {{cmdroot|yum install kernel-devel-$(uname -r)}} .

For testing, you can simply compile and load the driver within the current
working directory:
:{{cmdroot|tar xzvf tp_smapi-0.28.tgz}}
:{{cmdroot|cd tp_smapi-0.28}}
:{{cmdroot|make load}}

To compile and install into the kernel's module path:
:{{cmdroot|make install}}

If you use the [[HDAPS]] driver, add <tt>HDAPS=1</tt> to also patch the <tt>hdaps</tt> for compatibility with <tt>tp_smapi</tt> (this requires a kernel source tree matching the current kernel):
:{{cmdroot|1=make load HDAPS=1}}
or, to compile and install into the kernel's module path:
:{{cmdroot|1=make install HDAPS=1}}

To prepare a stand-alone patch against the current kernel tree (including
a patch against <tt>hdaps</tt> and new <tt>Kconfig</tt> entries):
:{{cmdroot|make patch}}

To delete all autogenerated files:
:{{cmdroot|make clean}}

The original kernel tree is never modified by any these commands.
The {{path|/lib/modules}} directory is modified only by {{cmdroot|make install}}.

====Installation in Gentoo====
The {{Gentoo}} portage system carries a [http://packages.gentoo.org/packages/?category=app-laptop;name=tp_smapi tp_smapi package], which follows the latest version pretty closely. On a Gentoo system, you can install and load as follows.

If you use the [[HDAPS]] driver, do this first:

* Configure <tt>hdaps</tt> as module in your kernel
* Add the <tt>HDAPS</tt> use flag in {{path|/etc/make.conf}}
* {{cmdroot|rmmod hdaps}}

Then:

* {{cmdroot|emerge tp_smapi}} (or install tp_smapi with hdaps support manually, as above)
* {{cmdroot|echo "tp_smapi" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6}}
* {{cmdroot|echo "hdaps" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6}}

Then reboot, or run:
* {{cmdroot|modprobe tp_smapi}}
* {{cmdroot|modprobe hdaps}}

====Installation on Debian/Ubuntu====

<pre>
deb http://www.oakcourt.dyndns.org/debian/ ./
deb-src http://www.oakcourt.dyndns.org/debian/ ./
</pre>

This repository has kernel-patch packages for tp_smapi. This will not only integrate tp_smapi into your kernel build but will patch the hdaps driver for you. It is available for kernel 2.6.15 and later. Also available is an init script to automatically set SMAPI paramaters at boot--this is in package tpsmapi-utils. Please report any bugs to [[User:Ajbarr]]

===Battery charge control features===
To set the thresholds for starting and stopping battery charging (in percent of current full charge capacity):
:{{cmdroot|echo 40 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/start_charge_thresh}}
:{{cmdroot|echo 70 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/stop_charge_thresh}}
:{{cmdroot|cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/*_charge_thresh}}
{{HINT|Battery charging thresholds can be used to keep Li-Ion ad Li-Polymer batteries partially charged, in order to [[Maintenance#Battery_treatment|increase their lifetime]].}}
To unconditionally inhibit charging for 17 minutes:
:{{cmdroot|echo 17 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/inhibit_charge_minutes}}
{{HINT|Charge inhibiting can be used to reduce the power draw of the laptop, in order to use a an under-spec power supply that can't handle the combined power draw of running and charging. It can also be used to control which battery is charged when [[How to use UltraBay batteries|using an Ultrabay battery]].}}

To cancel charge inhibiting:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/inhibit_charge_minutes}}

To force battery discharging even if connected to AC, use one of these:
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/force_discharge}}
{{HINT|This can be used to choose which battery is discharged when [[How to use UltraBay batteries|using an UltraBay battery]].}}

To cancel forced discharge:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/force_discharge}}

===Battery status features===
To view extended battery status such as charging state, voltage, current, capacity, cycle count and model information:

<pre>
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/installed
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/state # idle/charging/discharging
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/cycle_count
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/current_now # instantaneous current
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/current_avg # last minute average
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/power_now # instantaneous power
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/power_avg # last minute average
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/last_full_capacity
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/remaining_capacity
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/design_capacity
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/voltage
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/design_voltage
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/manufacturer
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/model
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/barcoding
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/chemistry
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/serial
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/manufacture_date
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/first_use_date
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/ac_connected
</pre>

The raw status data is also available, including some fields not listed above (in case you can figure them out):

:{{cmdroot|cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/dump}}

In all of the above, replace <tt>BAT0</tt> with <tt>BAT1</tt> to address the 2nd battery.

Note that the battery status readout conflicts with the stock [[HDAPS|hdaps]] driver, so if you use <tt>hdaps</tt> you will need to load <tt>tp_smapi</tt> using {{cmdroot|1=make load HDAPS=1}} (see [[#Conflict_with_hdaps|Conflict with hdaps]] below).

On [[ACPI]]-enabled systems, most of above information is also available through the files under {{path|/proc/acpi/battery}}. However, the ACPI interface does not include the instantaneous power and cycle count readouts, and does not work well when [[How to use UltraBay batteries|hotswapping UltraBay batteries]].

===Optical drive control features===

To control the speed of the optical drive:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/cd_speed # slow}}
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/cd_speed # medium}}
:{{cmdroot|echo 2 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/cd_speed # fast}}
:{{cmdroot|cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/cd_speed}}

=====Enabling this feature=====
Changing the drive speed when a disc is being accessed will hang your computer. This feature is thus '''disabled by default''', but can be enabled using by adding <tt>#define PROVIDE_CD_SPEED</tt> at the top of <tt>tp_smapi.c</tt>. The safe way to set the drive speed is using <tt>hdparm -E num</tt> or <tt>eject -x num</tt> for CD-ROM, and <tt>speedcontrol -x num</tt> (sourcecode [http://safari.iki.fi/speedcontrol.c here]) for DVD. For kernels older than 2.6.15, this may require the [[Problems_with_SATA_and_Linux#No_SMART_support libata pass-through|libata pass-through patch]].

===Other features===

This controls the "PCI bus power saving" option in the BIOS, and takes effect at the next boot. On a ThinkPad {{T43}} turning this off increases idle power consumption by about 350mW. Out-of-the-box default is 1.
# cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/enable_pci_power_saving_on_boot
# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/enable_pci_power_saving_on_boot # on
# echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/enable_pci_power_saving_on_boot # off

There is also [[sysfs]] attribute for making direct SMAPI requests to the SM BIOS firmware. Don't touch it unless you really know what you're doing.
echo 'BX=2116 CX=100 DI=0 SI=0' > /sys/devices/platform/smapi/smapi_request; cat /sys/devices/platform/smapi/smapi_request
BX=2116 CX=327 DX=b2 DI=0 SI=0 ret=0 msg=OK

===Conflict with <tt>hdaps</tt>===
The extended battery status function conflicts with the [[HDAPS|hdaps]] kernel module (they use the same IO ports). The <tt>tp_smapi</tt> package includes a patch against <tt>hdaps</tt> to make it compatible with <tt>tp_smapi</tt>, and also to fix many problems in the original driver.

To build the patched version, simply append the <tt>HDAPS=1</tt> parameter to the <tt>make</tt> command, for example: {{cmdroot|1=make load HDAPS=1}} (see [[#Installation|Installation]] above).

If you don't do that, you will not be able tp load <tt>tp_smapi</tt> (and its support module <tt>tp_base</tt>) when <tt>hdaps</tt> is loaded, and vice versa. You can use <tt>rmmod</tt> to switch between these modules.

Note that some of the battery status is also visible through ACPI ({{path|/proc/acpi/battery/*}}), independently of <tt>tp_smapi</tt>.

===Model-specific status===

<div style="font-size: 92%">
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|+<tt>tp_smapi</tt> feature support matrix
|-
! ×
! <tt>start_charge_<br />thresh</tt>
! <tt>stop_charge_<br />thresh</tt>
! <tt>inhbit_charge_<br />minutes</tt>
! <tt>force_discharge</tt>
! battery status files
! <tt>cd_speed</tt><br \><span style="font-size: 90%">(see [[#Enabling_this_feature|note]] above)</span>
! Notes
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |
=====A series=====
|-
! {{A22p}} 2629-USG
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{A30}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |
=====G series=====
|-
! {{G41}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |
=====R series=====
|-
! [[:Category:R31|R31]]
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || No SMAPI BIOS
|-
! {{R40}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{R50}}
| {{Cunk}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{R50p}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{R51}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{R52}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |
=====T series=====
|-
! {{T20}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || Has SMAPI BIOS but no function is supported. EC LPC3 protocol fails.
|-
! {{T22}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || Has SMAPI BIOS but no function is supported. EC LPC3 protocol fails.
|-
! {{T23}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{T30}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{T40}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T40p}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T41}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T41p}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T42}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T42p}} 2373-KUU
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{T43}} 2686-DGU
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T43p}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|-
! {{T60}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |

=====X series=====
|-
! {{X20}} 2662-31G
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || tp_smapi 0.20
|-
! {{X24}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{X31}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{X32}}
| {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cno}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{X40}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || BIOS v2.03, EC v1.60
|-
! {{X41}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{X60}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! colspan=8 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef;" |

=====Z series=====
|-
! {{Z60t}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cunk}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cunk}} ||
|-
! {{Z61m}}
| {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} || {{Cyes}} ||
|}
</div>

Please update the above and report your experience on the [[Talk:tp_smapi|discussion]] page. If the module loads but gives a "<tt>not supported</tt>" or "<tt>not implementeded</tt>" when you try to use some specific file in {{path|/sys/devices/platform/smapi/}}, please report the <tt>dmesg</tt> output and whether the corresponding functionality is available under Windows - maybe your ThinkPad just can't do that.

While at it, you may also want to add your laptop to the [[list of DMI IDs]].

[[Category:Drivers]] [[Category:Patches]]

===Tools using this driver===

The driver's interface can be accessed directly through the files under {{path|/sys/devices/platform/smapi}}, or via the following tools:
* [[KThinkBat]] - display battery status on the KDE <tt>kicker</tt> panel.
* [[gkrellm-ThinkBat]] - battery status plugin for Gkrellm2

User talk:Whoopie

2006-05-25T21:55:59Z

Igorr:

Hi,

I was experimenting a bit with the latest fglrx, but I cannot seem to find the right config to make external LCD operate at higher resolution than lvds. Do you mind sharing your config/tips on the matter?
TIA,

--[[User:igorr|igorr]]

Talk:Fglrx

2006-05-25T16:25:49Z

Igorr:

So, I'm searching up and down and there seems to be no way to enable the TV output without an ad-hoc xorg.conf. So my question is, what is ''fireglcontrolpanel'' useful for?

--[[User:Micampe|Micampe]] 21:39, 14 Dec 2005 (CET)

Hi,
I wrote a shell script for display switching. I use it under Ubuntu Dapper Drake. As I don't have a CRT, any feedback is welcome.

Create {{path|/etc/acpi/events/ibm-videobtn}}:
<pre>
# /etc/acpi/events/ibm-videobtn
# This is called when the user presses the video button.

event=ibm/hotkey HKEY 00000080 00001007
action=/etc/acpi/ibm-video.sh
</pre>

Create {{path|/etc/acpi/ibm-video.sh}} with permissions 755:
<pre>
#!/bin/sh

. /etc/default/acpi-support
. /usr/share/acpi-support/power-funcs

getXconsole;

change_resolution() {
if [ x"$XAUTHORITY" != x"" ]; then
if [ x"`xrandr -q | grep $1[[:space:]]x[[:space:]]$2 | cut -b -1`" != x"*" ]; then
xrandr -d $DISPLAY -s $1x$2
fi
fi
}

change_monitor() {
if [ x"$XAUTHORITY" != x"" ]; then
su $user -c "aticonfig --enable-monitor=$1" &>/dev/null
fi
}

if [ x"$XAUTHORITY" != x"" ]; then
CURRENT=`aticonfig --query-monitor | grep Enabled | cut -b 21-`
case $CURRENT in
lvds)
CURRENT="LCD only"
;;
crt1)
CURRENT="CRT only"
;;
lvds,\ crt1)
CURRENT="LCD and CRT"
;;
tv)
CURRENT="TV-Out only"
;;
lvds,\ tv)
CURRENT="LCD and TV-Out"
;;
crt1,\ tv)
CURRENT="CRT and TV-Out"
;;
esac

CHOICE=`su $user -c "zenity --width=300 --height=350 --window-icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/ati.xpm \
--title 'Video output switcher' \
--text='Choose the video output\n\nCurrent setting: $CURRENT\n' \
--list --radiolist --column 'x' --column 'video output' \
true 'LCD only' \
false 'CRT only' \
false 'LCD and CRT' \
false 'TV-Out only' \
false 'LCD and TV-Out' \
false 'CRT and TV-Out'"`
fi

case $CHOICE in
LCD\ only)
change_monitor lvds
change_resolution 1400 1050
;;
CRT\ only)
change_monitor crt1
change_resolution 1280 1024
;;
LCD\ and\ CRT)
change_monitor lvds,crt1
change_resolution 1280 1024
;;
TV-Out\ only)
change_monitor tv
change_resolution 1024 768
;;
LCD\ and\ TV-Out)
change_monitor lvds,tv
change_resolution 1024 768
;;
CRT\ and\ TV-Out)
change_monitor crt1,tv
change_resolution 1024 768
;;
esac
</pre>

--[[User:Whoopie|Whoopie]] 16:28, 25 May 2006 (CEST)
----

Finally! With 8.25.18 stopping gdm no longer oopses my kernel and I can reboot cleanly. sus2ram runs smoothly as well. All hail!

--[[User:igorr|igorr]] Thu May 25 18:19:30 CEST 2006

Talk:Installing Ubuntu 6.06 Flight 6 on a ThinkPad X60s

2006-04-22T18:50:25Z

Igorr:

Have you tried undervolting to combat your noise issues?

--[[igorr]]

Talk:Displays

2006-02-24T17:08:03Z

Igorr:

Just to not loose the thought: we should at some point (maybe when the at the moment still quite fractured information has settled a bit) split this page into several sub pages (like the processors page). The sub pages and their hierachical link structure could/should be:
*Displays
**STN display
**DSTN display
**FRSTN display
**HPA display
**TFT display
***FlexView display <tt>-> should be listed on [[ThinkPad Technologies]] as well</tt>
***MaxBright display <tt>-> should be listed on [[ThinkPad Technologies]] as well</tt>

Also, if anyone would have pointers to reliable information about display type, brightness and contrast ratios, please share them here so we can complete the info.

[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 20:22, 8 February 2006 (CET)
----
Hmm... I just saw an article at the mobilityguru about DIY LCD replacement. The company that makes them seems to be operating with highly sensible prices compared to Lenovo's rates (I'll withhold the name for the time being, as I do not want to spam thinkwiki).

Do you think that including an article on thinkwiki on this subject (i.e. DIY LCD replacement) is a worthy cause?

[[User:igorr|igorr]] Fri Feb 24 17:47:36 CET 2006

== manufacturer column ==

I think we should add a column to the table with the actual manufacturer name and model.

--[[User:Tonko|Tonko]] 17:50, 15 February 2006 (CET)

It's a nice idea, and I thought about it. This will greatly increase the number of table entries, as often there are different types of panels used with the same basic specs. Also, it will not be easy to find certain manufacturers, and model numbers - even harder. Nonetheless, if you do add manufacturer / model columns, I'll try to fill them in as much as I can.

--[[User:Drst|Drst]] 18:53, 15 February 2006 (CET+1)
----
I splitted the page into sub pages and redesigned the tables to include the two columns as suggested.

Separate rows is not a problem. Empty table cells is more, but i think it's preferable to have a way to provide detailed and precise information where we have it.

[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 18:44, 15 February 2006 (CET)
----

Talk:How to reduce power consumption

2006-02-15T16:32:58Z

Igorr:

How about linking to this page from the main page?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 21:08, 17 Nov 2005 (CET)
----

== Best battery discharge times ==

With your best power saving, what kind of battery power times are you guys experiencing? The best that I can do with my t43p with the standard (6cell) battery is 2h, and with the ultrabay battery is 1 hour. All of the power saving 'tricks' - hard drive spindown, even adjusting the brightness of my display, has relatively modest effect (~20% max), although CPU throttling definitely reduces power consumption.

In terms of discharge rate, I really can't get below 19,520 mW/h with the hard disk off, wifi on, cpu down to ~700 MHz, and display on minimal brightness with ATI driver power save enabled. In my "normal usage" environment (WiFi on, word processing / non cpu-intensive programming, etc.) I average 21,000 mW/h.

Of note, I have the UXGA display, which might be a huge power guzzler. I have friends with an X40 that claim 5 hours from the 9 cell...

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:56, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

ThinkPad T43, SXGA+, [[Pentium M undervolting and underclocking|undervolted]], [[ACPI fan control script|fan disabled]], minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features|GPU power saving]]: 13 to 14W, i.e., slightly over 3 hours with a new 6-cell battery. See [[How to reduce power consumption]].

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 22:46, 10 February 2006 (CET)
----

Interesting... that would imply ~5W for the bigger screen? That seems high. Could you tell me your basal rate at 700 Mhz by chance? - everything else should match my system (using your fan control v.28 (-thanks!), minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, GPU power saving enabled with ATI driver.)

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 18:16, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

The 13-14W figure is with automatic cpufreq scaling and low load, so it's effectively at 800MHz (minimum speed for this 1.86GHz processor). Are you undervolting the CPU too?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 00:36, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----
To my understanding it would seem very unlikely that the higher resolution/bigger display uses a lot more power than lower resolution/smaller ones - except the case that they would have four light tubes instead of one. I'm pretty sure that X series displays have Ã³nly one.
[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 01:20, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

for T42 with 14" XGA, ATI 7500 at 80/100MHz, 600MHz@0.7V, hdd off, wifi off, linux:
1) min. brightness - 7,6W
2) brightness is 4 of 7 - 8,6W
3) max. brightness - 10,1W

2200bg in battery mode consumes ~0,4W. and I bet the iron can go lower runnig windows
with native drivers. the only thing I really miss is powerplay support for 7500.

--[[User:Bzzt|Bzzt]]
----

You mean they nearly ''doubled'' the minimal power draw when moving to the T43's Sonoma chipset and Dothan CPU? So you actually get 5-6 hours from a 6-cell battery?! Spooky.

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 01:42, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

well, I'm not sure about 6 hours, but 5h doesn't look hard to achieve. 7,6W is a real bottom here. I couldn't get lower. The regular rate I feel comfort at is rather 10-11W. But even that, 5h is possible with a new 6cell battery.

PS. this is why I returned 2668-4DU back and bought 2373-FWG. Sonoma really sucks, IMHO. I hope Intel has learnt the lesson and the next lines won't so hungry.

-bzzz
----
Ok - the 15.1" 1600x1200 must be a real power monster, although I have not applied the undervolting patch. I'll give it a whirl when 2.6.15.4 is released.

Update - tried the undervolting patch with some nice results - my lap is noticably cooler, and the fan spends more time off. With only a few process running (no kdm and kde -> only very basic window manager) and a black background text sceen, [[Pentium M undervolting and underclocking|undervolted]], [[ACPI fan control script|fan disabled]], minimum brightness, hard disk off (standby), WiFi off (ipw not loaded), [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features|GPU power saving]], I can *still* only get down to 17.5 W/h. D'oh!

Still, the screen is worth it if only for the sheer number of women who note, "my, what a nice screen you have" (just one this afternoon. :) It is a strange phenomenon.
--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 21:45, 10 February 2006 (EST)
----

Haha, good one, [[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] :)

On my T43 here, I have around 13300mW, when:

* cstate=C4, 800Mhz, undervolted (0.716V, rather than 0.988V)
* wifi=off, bt=off, fan=off, brightness=minimum
* X300 put into "low" mode (it's a 15" SXGA+ screen)
* pretty "dark" setup (I have basically all-black desktop)

Full charge is around 77000mWh. With, say, 14000mW one should last 5.5 hours on a 9-cell battery.

I can't really say that I see any other obvious venues to pursue to reduce power consumption.

--[[User:igorr|igorr]]
----

igorr, how do you disable wifi? did you try to eject dvd drive?

-bzzz
----

Disabling wifi can be accomplished by [[cmdroot|echo 1 > /sys/class/net/eth1/device/rf_kill]].

Ejecting the dvd drive? Why would that affect power consumption?

--[[User:igorr|igorr]]
----

Talk:How to reduce power consumption

2006-02-11T18:26:35Z

Igorr:

How about linking to this page from the main page?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 21:08, 17 Nov 2005 (CET)
----

== Best battery discharge times ==

With your best power saving, what kind of battery power times are you guys experiencing? The best that I can do with my t43p with the standard (6cell) battery is 2h, and with the ultrabay battery is 1 hour. All of the power saving 'tricks' - hard drive spindown, even adjusting the brightness of my display, has relatively modest effect (~20% max), although CPU throttling definitely reduces power consumption.

In terms of discharge rate, I really can't get below 19,520 mW/h with the hard disk off, wifi on, cpu down to ~700 MHz, and display on minimal brightness with ATI driver power save enabled. In my "normal usage" environment (WiFi on, word processing / non cpu-intensive programming, etc.) I average 21,000 mW/h.

Of note, I have the UXGA display, which might be a huge power guzzler. I have friends with an X40 that claim 5 hours from the 9 cell...

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:56, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

ThinkPad T43, SXGA+, [[Pentium M undervolting and underclocking|undervolted]], [[ACPI fan control script|fan disabled]], minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features|GPU power saving]]: 13 to 14W, i.e., slightly over 3 hours with a new 6-cell battery. See [[How to reduce power consumption]].

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 22:46, 10 February 2006 (CET)
----

Interesting... that would imply ~5W for the bigger screen? That seems high. Could you tell me your basal rate at 700 Mhz by chance? - everything else should match my system (using your fan control v.28 (-thanks!), minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, GPU power saving enabled with ATI driver.)

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 18:16, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

The 13-14W figure is with automatic cpufreq scaling and low load, so it's effectively at 800MHz (minimum speed for this 1.86GHz processor). Are you undervolting the CPU too?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 00:36, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----
To my understanding it would seem very unlikely that the higher resolution/bigger display uses a lot more power than lower resolution/smaller ones - except the case that they would have four light tubes instead of one. I'm pretty sure that X series displays have Ã³nly one.
[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 01:20, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

for T42 with 14" XGA, ATI 7500 at 80/100MHz, 600MHz@0.7V, hdd off, wifi off, linux:
1) min. brightness - 7,6W
2) brightness is 4 of 7 - 8,6W
3) max. brightness - 10,1W

2200bg in battery mode consumes ~0,4W. and I bet the iron can go lower runnig windows
with native drivers. the only thing I really miss is powerplay support for 7500.

--[[User:Bzzt|Bzzt]]
----

You mean they nearly ''doubled'' the minimal power draw when moving to the T43's Sonoma chipset and Dothan CPU? So you actually get 5-6 hours from a 6-cell battery?! Spooky.

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 01:42, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

well, I'm not sure about 6 hours, but 5h doesn't look hard to achieve. 7,6W is a real bottom here. I couldn't get lower. The regular rate I feel comfort at is rather 10-11W. But even that, 5h is possible with a new 6cell battery.

PS. this is why I returned 2668-4DU back and bought 2373-FWG. Sonoma really sucks, IMHO. I hope Intel has learnt the lesson and the next lines won't so hungry.

-bzzz

Ok - the 15.1" 1600x1200 must be a real power monster, although I have not applied the undervolting patch. I'll give it a whirl when 2.6.15.4 is released.

Still, the screen is worth it if only for the sheer number of women who note, "my, what a nice screen you have" (just one this afternoon. :) It is a strange phenomenon.
--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 21:45, 10 February 2006 (EST)
----

Haha, good one, [[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] :)

On my T43 here, I have around 13300mW, when:

* cstate=C4, 800Mhz, undervolted (0.716V, rather than 0.988V)
* wifi=off, bt=off, fan=off, brightness=minimum
* X300 put into "low" mode (it's a 15" SXGA+ screen)
* pretty "dark" setup (I have basically all-black desktop)

Full charge is around 77000mWh. With, say, 14000mW one should last 5.5 hours on a 9-cell battery.

I can't really say that I see any other obvious venues to pursue to reduce power consumption.

--[[User:igorr|igorr]]

Talk:How to reduce power consumption

2006-02-11T18:26:17Z

Igorr:

How about linking to this page from the main page?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 21:08, 17 Nov 2005 (CET)
----

== Best battery discharge times ==

With your best power saving, what kind of battery power times are you guys experiencing? The best that I can do with my t43p with the standard (6cell) battery is 2h, and with the ultrabay battery is 1 hour. All of the power saving 'tricks' - hard drive spindown, even adjusting the brightness of my display, has relatively modest effect (~20% max), although CPU throttling definitely reduces power consumption.

In terms of discharge rate, I really can't get below 19,520 mW/h with the hard disk off, wifi on, cpu down to ~700 MHz, and display on minimal brightness with ATI driver power save enabled. In my "normal usage" environment (WiFi on, word processing / non cpu-intensive programming, etc.) I average 21,000 mW/h.

Of note, I have the UXGA display, which might be a huge power guzzler. I have friends with an X40 that claim 5 hours from the 9 cell...

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:56, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

ThinkPad T43, SXGA+, [[Pentium M undervolting and underclocking|undervolted]], [[ACPI fan control script|fan disabled]], minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features|GPU power saving]]: 13 to 14W, i.e., slightly over 3 hours with a new 6-cell battery. See [[How to reduce power consumption]].

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 22:46, 10 February 2006 (CET)
----

Interesting... that would imply ~5W for the bigger screen? That seems high. Could you tell me your basal rate at 700 Mhz by chance? - everything else should match my system (using your fan control v.28 (-thanks!), minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, GPU power saving enabled with ATI driver.)

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 18:16, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

The 13-14W figure is with automatic cpufreq scaling and low load, so it's effectively at 800MHz (minimum speed for this 1.86GHz processor). Are you undervolting the CPU too?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 00:36, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----
To my understanding it would seem very unlikely that the higher resolution/bigger display uses a lot more power than lower resolution/smaller ones - except the case that they would have four light tubes instead of one. I'm pretty sure that X series displays have Ã³nly one.
[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 01:20, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

for T42 with 14" XGA, ATI 7500 at 80/100MHz, 600MHz@0.7V, hdd off, wifi off, linux:
1) min. brightness - 7,6W
2) brightness is 4 of 7 - 8,6W
3) max. brightness - 10,1W

2200bg in battery mode consumes ~0,4W. and I bet the iron can go lower runnig windows
with native drivers. the only thing I really miss is powerplay support for 7500.

--[[User:Bzzt|Bzzt]]
----

You mean they nearly ''doubled'' the minimal power draw when moving to the T43's Sonoma chipset and Dothan CPU? So you actually get 5-6 hours from a 6-cell battery?! Spooky.

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 01:42, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

well, I'm not sure about 6 hours, but 5h doesn't look hard to achieve. 7,6W is a real bottom here. I couldn't get lower. The regular rate I feel comfort at is rather 10-11W. But even that, 5h is possible with a new 6cell battery.

PS. this is why I returned 2668-4DU back and bought 2373-FWG. Sonoma really sucks, IMHO. I hope Intel has learnt the lesson and the next lines won't so hungry.

-bzzz

Ok - the 15.1" 1600x1200 must be a real power monster, although I have not applied the undervolting patch. I'll give it a whirl when 2.6.15.4 is released.

Still, the screen is worth it if only for the sheer number of women who note, "my, what a nice screen you have" (just one this afternoon. :) It is a strange phenomenon.
--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 21:45, 10 February 2006 (EST)
----

Haha, good one, [[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] :)

On my T43 here, I have around 13300mW, when:

* cstate=C4, 800Mhz, undervolted (0.716V, rather than 0.988V)
* wifi=off, bt=off, fan=off, brightness=minimum
* X300 put into "low" mode (it's a 15" SXGA+ screen)
* pretty "dark" setup (I have basically all-black desktop)

Full charge is around 77000mWh. With, say, 14000mW one should last 5.5 hours on a 9-cell battery.

I can't really say that I see any other obvious venues to pursue to reduce power consumption.
--[[User:igorr|igorr]]

Talk:How to reduce power consumption

2006-02-11T18:25:40Z

Igorr:

How about linking to this page from the main page?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 21:08, 17 Nov 2005 (CET)
----

== Best battery discharge times ==

With your best power saving, what kind of battery power times are you guys experiencing? The best that I can do with my t43p with the standard (6cell) battery is 2h, and with the ultrabay battery is 1 hour. All of the power saving 'tricks' - hard drive spindown, even adjusting the brightness of my display, has relatively modest effect (~20% max), although CPU throttling definitely reduces power consumption.

In terms of discharge rate, I really can't get below 19,520 mW/h with the hard disk off, wifi on, cpu down to ~700 MHz, and display on minimal brightness with ATI driver power save enabled. In my "normal usage" environment (WiFi on, word processing / non cpu-intensive programming, etc.) I average 21,000 mW/h.

Of note, I have the UXGA display, which might be a huge power guzzler. I have friends with an X40 that claim 5 hours from the 9 cell...

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:56, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

ThinkPad T43, SXGA+, [[Pentium M undervolting and underclocking|undervolted]], [[ACPI fan control script|fan disabled]], minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, [[How to make use of Graphics Chips Power Management features|GPU power saving]]: 13 to 14W, i.e., slightly over 3 hours with a new 6-cell battery. See [[How to reduce power consumption]].

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 22:46, 10 February 2006 (CET)
----

Interesting... that would imply ~5W for the bigger screen? That seems high. Could you tell me your basal rate at 700 Mhz by chance? - everything else should match my system (using your fan control v.28 (-thanks!), minimum brightness, disk off, WiFi off, GPU power saving enabled with ATI driver.)

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 18:16, 10 Feb 2006 (EST)
----

The 13-14W figure is with automatic cpufreq scaling and low load, so it's effectively at 800MHz (minimum speed for this 1.86GHz processor). Are you undervolting the CPU too?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 00:36, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----
To my understanding it would seem very unlikely that the higher resolution/bigger display uses a lot more power than lower resolution/smaller ones - except the case that they would have four light tubes instead of one. I'm pretty sure that X series displays have Ã³nly one.
[[User:Wyrfel|Wyrfel]] 01:20, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

for T42 with 14" XGA, ATI 7500 at 80/100MHz, 600MHz@0.7V, hdd off, wifi off, linux:
1) min. brightness - 7,6W
2) brightness is 4 of 7 - 8,6W
3) max. brightness - 10,1W

2200bg in battery mode consumes ~0,4W. and I bet the iron can go lower runnig windows
with native drivers. the only thing I really miss is powerplay support for 7500.

--[[User:Bzzt|Bzzt]]
----

You mean they nearly ''doubled'' the minimal power draw when moving to the T43's Sonoma chipset and Dothan CPU? So you actually get 5-6 hours from a 6-cell battery?! Spooky.

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 01:42, 11 February 2006 (CET)
----

well, I'm not sure about 6 hours, but 5h doesn't look hard to achieve. 7,6W is a real bottom here. I couldn't get lower. The regular rate I feel comfort at is rather 10-11W. But even that, 5h is possible with a new 6cell battery.

PS. this is why I returned 2668-4DU back and bought 2373-FWG. Sonoma really sucks, IMHO. I hope Intel has learnt the lesson and the next lines won't so hungry.

-bzzz

Ok - the 15.1" 1600x1200 must be a real power monster, although I have not applied the undervolting patch. I'll give it a whirl when 2.6.15.4 is released.

Still, the screen is worth it if only for the sheer number of women who note, "my, what a nice screen you have" (just one this afternoon. :) It is a strange phenomenon.
--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 21:45, 10 February 2006 (EST)
----

Haha, good one, [[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] :)

On my T43 here, I have around 13300mW, when:

* cstate=C4, 800Mhz, undervolted (0.716V, rather than 0.988V)
* wifi=off, bt=off, fan=off, brightness=minimum
* X300 put into "low" mode (it's a 15" SXGA+ screen)
* pretty "dark" setup (I have basically all-black desktop)

Full charge is around 77000mWh. With, say, 14000mW one should last 5.5 hours on a 9-cell battery.

I can't really say that I see any other obvious venues to pursue to reduce power consumption.

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2006-02-05T22:20:00Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

Last version at 2006-01-04 :
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe] Released 2005-10-25 '''NEW!'''

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F *.IMG 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image .
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image ([http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.BMP logo.bmp], [http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.MOD logo.mod]) for example.<br /><br />
When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.<br /><br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent ThinkPads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> - }}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your ThinkPad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your ThinkPad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

* Trinity bootsplash: Since ACPI works perfectly on my T41p I don't boot very often, but I made a really nice bootsplash:

[[image:trinity_bootsplash_preview.jpg|Preview]]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.bmp Trinity Bootsplash only]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.tar.bz2 Trinity Package] image formats SVG, XCF, BMP

* Schnappi bootsplash: Bow to the power of [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp Schnappi]. The BMP image compressed to about 6KB. Schni, schna, schnappi!

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2006-02-05T22:19:03Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

Last version at 2006-01-04 :
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe] Released 2005-10-25 '''NEW!'''

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F *.IMG 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image .
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image ([http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.BMP logo.bmp], [http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.MOD logo.mod]) for example.<br /><br />
When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.<br /><br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent ThinkPads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> - }}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your ThinkPad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your ThinkPad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

* Trinity theme: Since ACPI works perfectly on my T41p I don't boot very often, but I made a really nice bootsplash:

[[image:trinity_bootsplash_preview.jpg|Preview]]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.bmp Trinity Bootsplash only]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.tar.bz2 Trinity Package] image formats SVG, XCF, BMP

* Schnappi theme: Bow to the power of [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp Schnappi]. The BMP image compressed to about 6KB. Schni, schna, schnappi!

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2006-02-05T22:18:02Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

Last version at 2006-01-04 :
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe] Released 2005-10-25 '''NEW!'''

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F *.IMG 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image .
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image ([http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.BMP logo.bmp], [http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.MOD logo.mod]) for example.<br /><br />
When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.<br /><br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent ThinkPads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> - }}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your ThinkPad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your ThinkPad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

Since ACPI works perfectly on my T41p I don't boot very often, but I made a really nice bootsplash:

[[image:trinity_bootsplash_preview.jpg|Preview]]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.bmp Trinity Bootsplash only]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.tar.bz2 Trinity Package] image formats SVG, XCF, BMP

Bow to the power of [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp Schnappi]. The BMP image compressed to about 6KB. Schni, schna, schnappi!

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2006-02-05T22:16:51Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

Last version at 2006-01-04 :
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe] Released 2005-10-25 '''NEW!'''

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F *.IMG 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image .
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image ([http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.BMP logo.bmp], [http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.MOD logo.mod]) for example.<br /><br />
When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.<br /><br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent ThinkPads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> - }}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your ThinkPad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your ThinkPad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

Since ACPI works perfectly on my T41p I don't boot very often, but I made a really nice bootsplash:

[[image:trinity_bootsplash_preview.jpg|Preview]]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.bmp Trinity Bootsplash only]

[http://eiszeit.blogdns.net/files/thinkpad/trinity.tar.bz2 Trinity Package] image formats SVG, XCF, BMP

Bow to the power of Schnappi [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp|Schnappi]

User talk:Thinker

2006-01-25T12:35:50Z

Igorr:

Hi,

regarding those issues with R&R from grub: two things seem quite crucial to me after a bit of experimenting: one must not touch the mbr and one must not touch the partition type for that recovery partition (T43). As long as these two are observed, the rest seems to be fine. I am using this in my grub.conf:

title=IBM rescue and recover
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

Partition type is 0x12 (compaq diagnostics in fdisk) and the MBR is T43's "factory" one.

[[User:Igor|Igor]]
----

I had to put GRUB in the MBR, since the default MBR would always boot into the Windows partition, even if I put GRUB in a primary partition and marked (only) that partition bootable.

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 01:10, 25 January 2006 (CET)
----

Okey, here is what I did. I hosed the MBR during my bizarre experiments, but IBM has been kind enough to release a floppy fixer for that (somewhere else on the wiki). In no particular order:

* Restore the original MBR
* Install grub into the boot partition (sda3). Not the drive (sda), but the boot partition (sda3).
* Mark sda3 as bootable. This must be the ONLY bootable partition.
* Make sure that the partition types are correct: NTFS for WinXP (sda1), 0x12 for R&R (sda2), 0x83 for /boot
* Conjure a suitable grub.conf. Mine is:

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.15-r1 (gentoo-sources) + (ibm-acpi)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-gentoo-r1 acpi_sleep=s3_bios pci=noacpi libata.atapi_enabled=1

title=Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

That's it folks :)
--[[User:Igor|Igor]]
----

Another thing to try for restauring the MBR is to restore the laptop to the factory state. If other OSes are *NOT* on the first primary partition, a little fiddling with the partition layout in fdisk should restore the partition picture before the restore (factory state restore will restore windows, but it will not touch any partitions except for the first one).

--[[User:Igor|Igor]]
----

Thanks, but I did exactly that, and it never booted into GRUB. No idea why; I triple-checked the bootable partition flags, but the factory MBR just didn't seem to care about them. Eventually I just gave up on R&R and relaimed its 4GB of diskspace (of course, I have backup discs). Is there something particularly exciting that R&R can and IBM's PC Doctor bootable CD can't do?

--[[User:Thinker|Thinker]] 09:47, 25 January 2006 (CET)
----

Not that I know of. The only useful scenario is a diagnostic by PC doctor, without any rescue CDs around. BIOS POST -> R&R -> reboot -> Diagnostic. It is just that it is supposed to work. Strange that it did not boot into GRUB.

--[[User:Igor|Igor]]

User talk:Thinker

2006-01-25T00:46:44Z

Igorr:

User talk:Thinker

2006-01-25T00:38:14Z

Igorr:

User talk:Thinker

2006-01-24T22:02:14Z

Igorr:

User talk:Gsmenden

2006-01-21T15:04:38Z

Igorr:

Please do not add data for models that do not exist, tabook.pdf is typically the best source for currently available machines.

Other sources such as HMM's sometimes reference specifications that are not available, and apparently in some cases never become available.

--[[User:Tonko|Tonko]] 20:12, 14 January 2006 (CET)

To what do you refer? I have no idea what you're talking about - I only currently use a T43p and only add data regarding this model - was something mislabeled?

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:13, 14 January 2006 (CET)

Oh - you must think i'm 141.55.147.22 - I'm not. I'm at Harvard (140.247.*.*) and 141.55.*.* appears to be somewhere in Germany... (S)he is on at the same time as me right now though.

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:23, 14 January 2006 (CET)
----
Sorry, my mistake

--[[User:Tonko|Tonko]] 02:55, 15 January 2006 (CET)
----

About that fglrx and 2.6.15 problem: right now I am on fglrx-8.20.7 and 2.6.15-r1 (gentoo-sources). Everything works fine with a one-line patch for the 2.6.15-tree (link found elsewhere on the wiki). However some applications (most noteable raptorv2.sf.net) manage to lock X every now and then. Others, however (glxgears, briquolo, BZflag), run fine without any issues.

I'll try 8.21.7 as soon as it comes out in portage and see if that affects raptorv2.

--[[User:Igorr|Igorr]] Sat Jan 21 15:51:48 CET 2006

User talk:Gsmenden

2006-01-21T15:04:21Z

Igorr:

Please do not add data for models that do not exist, tabook.pdf is typically the best source for currently available machines.

Other sources such as HMM's sometimes reference specifications that are not available, and apparently in some cases never become available.

--[[User:Tonko|Tonko]] 20:12, 14 January 2006 (CET)

To what do you refer? I have no idea what you're talking about - I only currently use a T43p and only add data regarding this model - was something mislabeled?

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:13, 14 January 2006 (CET)

Oh - you must think i'm 141.55.147.22 - I'm not. I'm at Harvard (140.247.*.*) and 141.55.*.* appears to be somewhere in Germany... (S)he is on at the same time as me right now though.

--[[User:gsmenden|gsmenden]] 16:23, 14 January 2006 (CET)
----
Sorry, my mistake

--[[User:Tonko|Tonko]] 02:55, 15 January 2006 (CET)
----

About that fglrx and 2.6.15 problem: right now I am on fglrx-8.20.7 and 2.6.15-r1 (gentoo-sources). Everything works fine with a one-line patch for the 2.6.15-tree (link found elsewhere on the wiki). However some applications (most noteable raptorv2.sf.net) manage to lock X every now and then. Others, however (glxgears, briquolo, BZflag), run fine without any issues.

I'll try 8.21.7 as soon as it comes out in portage and see if that affects raptorv2.
--[[User:Igorr|Igorr]] Sat Jan 21 15:51:48 CET 2006

Problems with SATA and Linux

2006-01-17T18:34:34Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
Some ThinkPad models use a SATA controller for the system hard disk. This causes several complications for Linux installation. The following lists these problems and known workarounds. Note that the details are often version- and distribution-specific.

===Models using a SATA disk interface===
Models using a SATA controller and a SATA system disk:
*ThinkPad {{Z60t}}, {{Z60m}}
Models using a SATA controller and a PATA (IDE) system disk with a SATA-to-PATA bridge:
*ThinkPad {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
*ThinkPad {{R52}}
*ThinkPad {{X41}}, {{X41T}}

{{NOTE|Some of these problems (namely SMART support, power management and disk information) are solved in Linux 2.6.15 with the inclusion of libata pass-through. See the SATA driver [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/features.html features], [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/software-status.html software status] and [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/sata-status.html hardware status].}}
|}

==Hang on resume from suspend to RAM==

Linux kernels (as of 2.6.15-rc3) do not support suspend and resume for SATA devices. As a result, the machine hangs upon the first disk access after resume. A kernel patch ([http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/5/2/46 LKML posting]) fixes this by adding SATA power management support.

Current release-candidates for 2.6.16 ([http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ChangeLog-2.6.16-rc1 Changelog for 2.6.16-rc1]) have the patch already included], so no more patching will be necessary with 2.6.16.

===Patches===
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.12.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.12]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.13-rc5.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.13-rc5]
* [http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/9/23/97 Patch for kernel 2.6.14]
* [http://www.xenotime.net/linux/SATA/2.6.15-rc/libata_suspend.patch Patch for kernel 2.6.15-rc4]
* [http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/tmp/sata_pm.2.6.15-rc6.patch Patch for kernels 2.6.15-rc6 through 2.6.15]

Some distributions already include this patch (e.g., {{Ubuntu}} Breezy, {{Gentoo}}'s gentoo-sources 2.6.15-r1), but some don't (e.g., {{Fedora}} 4).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=169201 bug 169201: "SATA drives fail on laptop suspend"]

==Failed resume from suspend to disk==

Suspend to disk (using swsusp or [[Software Suspend 2]]) needs to load the memory image from the SATA disk. For this to work, you either need an initrd with all the necessary SATA modules, or the SATA drivers compiled into the kernel.

==DVD drive not recognized==

The <tt>ata_piix</tt> SATA driver grabs ownership over the IDE ports when it is loaded, but (by default) does not support PATA ATAPI devices such as the Ultrabay optical drives. Thus, if the <tt>ide</tt> driver is compiled as a module and loaded after <tt>ata_piix</tt>, the DVD drive will not be recognized by either driver.

Either of the following configurations will work:
* For kernel 2.6.14 and newer: enable ATAPI support in the SATA system using {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} (see below; this is experimental).
* Compile IDE into the kernel (non-module).
* Compile both IDE and SATA as modules and make sure IDE is loaded first (the module is called 'ide_generic').

Note that the optical drive must be in the Ultrabay during system boot (Ultrabay device swapping is currently unsupported).

==No DMA on DVD drive==

Using the IDE driver, DMA support cannot be enabled on an Ultrabay optical drive:

# hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Operation not permitted
using_dma = 0 (off)

As a result, the optical drive is slow, and in particular, too slow to play video DVDs.

One workaround is to use employ the SATA driver (instead of the IDE driver) for the optical drive. This requires enabling two featues of the SATA driver, namely ATAPI support and PATA support, which are both in active development and far from stable. Using this will probably devour all your data and go on to eat all the food in your fridge. But if you have full backups and an empty fridge, do the following:

* Grab the latest kernel (must be 2.6.14 or newer; the relevant code is under active development).
* Do one of the following:
** Configure the SATA system (and in particular <tt>ata_piix</tt> and <tt>libata</tt>) as built-in and add {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} to your kernel command line (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Configure the SATA system as module (this is often the default) and add "<tt>options libata atapi_enabled=1</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* Do one of the following:
** Disable the IDE system.
** Build the IDE driver as built-in (this is often the default) and add the {{bootparm|hdc|noprobe}} kernel argument (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Build the IDE driver as module and add "<tt>options ide hdc=noprobe</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* If you chose to use modules above, regenerate your <tt>initrd</tt> file.

If this doesn't work, use {{cmd|lspci -vn|}} to check whether one of the following chipsets is used in the Thinkpad:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!PCI ID
!Name
|-
|8086:7111
|Intel 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE
|-
|8086:24db
|Intel 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) IDE Controller
|-
|8086:25a2
|Intel 6300ESB PATA Storage Controller
|}
If yes, enable support for these chipsets has to be enabled by setting
#define ATA_ENABLE_PATA
in {{path|include/linux/libata.h}} (and report your ThinkPad model in the discussion page).

There have been reports that DVD burning doesn't work under this configuration, but it seems to work with kernel 2.6.14 and later (tested on a ThinkPad {{T43}} and {{T43p}} with a [[UltraBay Slim DVD Multi-Burner Plus]]).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=163418 bug 163418: "can't enable DMA on DVD drive"]

==No DMA on system hard disk==

In some Linux kernels, both the SATA driver and the IDE driver can handle the system hard disk. With the SATA driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/sda}} and DMA is enabled. With the IDE driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/hda}} and DMA is disabled.

The simplest way to enable DMA is to force the IDE driver to ignore the system hard disk by passing the {{bootparm|hda|noprobe}} kernel argument. The driver will then be handled by the SATA driver. Note that this will change its device name to {{path|/dev/sda}} (which may require changes in {{path|/etc/fstab}} and the boot loader) and may cause other problems as listed above.

(Observed on a ThinkPad T43 with Fedora Core kernel 2.6.13-1.1526_FC4.)

==No SMART support==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support SMART commands (e.g., via smartctl).

The necessary capability is "libata pass-through", which was incorporated into Linux 2.6.15-rc1 and later. A patch is available for older kernels:
* Kernel 2.6.12: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.12/03_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.13: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.13/02_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14: http://www.foo.fh-furtwangen.de/~koenigr/02_libata_passthru.fixed.again.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14 with the above suspend-to-RAM patch: http://linux.spiney.org/system/files?file=02_libata_passthru.fixed.patch

After applying the patch, run smartctl with the "-d ata" parameter:
:{{cmdroot|smartctl -d ata -a /dev/sda}}

==No disk power management==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support power management commands on these models.

The above patches for SMART support resolves this, and in particular enables the following commands:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -y}} (spin down)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -S num}} (automatic spin down timeout)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -B num}} (advanced power management level)
Note that this command is still rejected:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -M num}} (acoustic management)
(Tested with patched kernels 2.6.13.1 and 2.6.12-4 and a 60GB 7200RPM disk model HTS726060M9AT00.)

Note that even when [[Laptop-mode]] is used, the "hddtemp" daemon (as shipped with Fedora Core 4) will wake up the disk every minute, and must thus be disabled for power management to be effective. Its accesses are not visibile through the {{path|/proc/sys/vm/block_dump}} facility. It is unclear whether disk temperature can be monitored without causing the disk to spin up (on the {{T43}}, none of the {{path|/proc/acpi/ibm/thermal}} values corresponds to the disk's built-in temperature sensor).

==No disk information==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, on these models the disk information could not be read by the standard commands such as:
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -i /dev/sda}}
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -I /dev/sda}}
The latter is fixed by the above patch for SMART support.

==No swapping of UltraBay device==

The <tt>libata</tt> driver does not yet support hot-swapping (or warm-swapping) of PATA devices. If you use a DVD or 2nd PATA HDD via the <tt>libata</tt> (SATA) driver, to swap them in or out you must power down the machine.

If you use the <tt>ide</tt> driver for a PATA UltraBay device, hot-swapping might work using <tt>hdparm</tt>, <tt>idectl</tt> or <tt>hotswap</tt> (please report). However, DMA will be disabled on these models (see above).

If you use a SATA device in the UltraBay, <tt>libata</tt> hot-swapping might work (please report).

Swapping of the [[UltraBay Slim Battery]] does work.

==BIOS error 2010 on user-installed hard disk==

While not a Linux issue, note that there is an issue with installing alternative PATA (IDE) hard disks as the system drive. Unless the disk is one of the few approved disks listed inside the BIOS, you will get an BIOS error 2010 during system boot, and the disk may operate unreliably. See [[Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]].

Problems with SATA and Linux

2006-01-17T17:21:51Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
Some ThinkPad models use a SATA controller for the system hard disk. This causes several complications for Linux installation. The following lists these problems and known workarounds. Note that the details are often version- and distribution-specific.

===Models using a SATA disk interface===
Models using a SATA controller and a SATA system disk:
*ThinkPad {{Z60t}}, {{Z60m}}
Models using a SATA controller and a PATA (IDE) system disk with a SATA-to-PATA bridge:
*ThinkPad {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
*ThinkPad {{R52}}
*ThinkPad {{X41}}, {{X41T}}

{{NOTE|Some of these problems (namely SMART support, power management and disk information) are solved in Linux 2.6.15 with the inclusion of libata pass-through. See the SATA driver [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/features.html features], [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/software-status.html software status] and [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/sata-status.html hardware status].}}
|}

==Hang on resume from suspend to RAM==

Linux kernels (as of 2.6.15-rc3) do not support suspend and resume for SATA devices. As a result, the machine hangs upon the first disk access after resume. A kernel patch ([http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/5/2/46 LKML posting]) fixes this by adding SATA power management support.

Current release-candidates for 2.6.16 ([http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ChangeLog-2.6.16-rc1 Changelog for 2.6.16-rc1]) have the patch already included], so no more patching will be necessary with 2.6.16.

===Patches===
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.12.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.12]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.13-rc5.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.13-rc5]
* [http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/9/23/97 Patch for kernel 2.6.14]
* [http://www.xenotime.net/linux/SATA/2.6.15-rc/libata_suspend.patch Patch for kernel 2.6.15-rc4]
* [http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/tmp/sata_pm.2.6.15-rc6.patch Patch for kernels 2.6.15-rc6 through 2.6.15]

Some distributions already include this patch (e.g., {{Ubuntu}} Breezy), but some don't (e.g., {{Fedora}} 4).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=169201 bug 169201: "SATA drives fail on laptop suspend"]

==Failed resume from suspend to disk==

Suspend to disk (using swsusp or [[Software Suspend 2]]) needs to load the memory image from the SATA disk. For this to work, you either need an initrd with all the necessary SATA modules, or the SATA drivers compiled into the kernel.

==DVD drive not recognized==

The <tt>ata_piix</tt> SATA driver grabs ownership over the IDE ports when it is loaded, but (by default) does not support PATA ATAPI devices such as the Ultrabay optical drives. Thus, if the <tt>ide</tt> driver is compiled as a module and loaded after <tt>ata_piix</tt>, the DVD drive will not be recognized by either driver.

Either of the following configurations will work:
* For kernel 2.6.14 and newer: enable ATAPI support in the SATA system using {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} (see below; this is experimental).
* Compile IDE into the kernel (non-module).
* Compile both IDE and SATA as modules and make sure IDE is loaded first (the module is called 'ide_generic').

Note that the optical drive must be in the Ultrabay during system boot (Ultrabay device swapping is currently unsupported).

==No DMA on DVD drive==

Using the IDE driver, DMA support cannot be enabled on an Ultrabay optical drive:

# hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Operation not permitted
using_dma = 0 (off)

As a result, the optical drive is slow, and in particular, too slow to play video DVDs.

One workaround is to use employ the SATA driver (instead of the IDE driver) for the optical drive. This requires enabling two featues of the SATA driver, namely ATAPI support and PATA support, which are both in active development and far from stable. Using this will probably devour all your data and go on to eat all the food in your fridge. But if you have full backups and an empty fridge, do the following:

* Grab the latest kernel (must be 2.6.14 or newer; the relevant code is under active development).
* Do one of the following:
** Configure the SATA system (and in particular <tt>ata_piix</tt> and <tt>libata</tt>) as built-in and add {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} to your kernel command line (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Configure the SATA system as module (this is often the default) and add "<tt>options libata atapi_enabled=1</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* Do one of the following:
** Disable the IDE system.
** Build the IDE driver as built-in (this is often the default) and add the {{bootparm|hdc|noprobe}} kernel argument (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Build the IDE driver as module and add "<tt>options ide hdc=noprobe</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* If you chose to use modules above, regenerate your <tt>initrd</tt> file.

If this doesn't work, use {{cmd|lspci -vn|}} to check whether one of the following chipsets is used in the Thinkpad:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!PCI ID
!Name
|-
|8086:7111
|Intel 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE
|-
|8086:24db
|Intel 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) IDE Controller
|-
|8086:25a2
|Intel 6300ESB PATA Storage Controller
|}
If yes, enable support for these chipsets has to be enabled by setting
#define ATA_ENABLE_PATA
in {{path|include/linux/libata.h}} (and report your ThinkPad model in the discussion page).

There have been reports that DVD burning doesn't work under this configuration, but it seems to work with kernel 2.6.14 and later (tested on a ThinkPad {{T43}} and {{T43p}} with a [[UltraBay Slim DVD Multi-Burner Plus]]).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=163418 bug 163418: "can't enable DMA on DVD drive"]

==No DMA on system hard disk==

In some Linux kernels, both the SATA driver and the IDE driver can handle the system hard disk. With the SATA driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/sda}} and DMA is enabled. With the IDE driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/hda}} and DMA is disabled.

The simplest way to enable DMA is to force the IDE driver to ignore the system hard disk by passing the {{bootparm|hda|noprobe}} kernel argument. The driver will then be handled by the SATA driver. Note that this will change its device name to {{path|/dev/sda}} (which may require changes in {{path|/etc/fstab}} and the boot loader) and may cause other problems as listed above.

(Observed on a ThinkPad T43 with Fedora Core kernel 2.6.13-1.1526_FC4.)

==No SMART support==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support SMART commands (e.g., via smartctl).

The necessary capability is "libata pass-through", which was incorporated into Linux 2.6.15-rc1 and later. A patch is available for older kernels:
* Kernel 2.6.12: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.12/03_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.13: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.13/02_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14: http://www.foo.fh-furtwangen.de/~koenigr/02_libata_passthru.fixed.again.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14 with the above suspend-to-RAM patch: http://linux.spiney.org/system/files?file=02_libata_passthru.fixed.patch

After applying the patch, run smartctl with the "-d ata" parameter:
:{{cmdroot|smartctl -d ata -a /dev/sda}}

==No disk power management==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support power management commands on these models.

The above patches for SMART support resolves this, and in particular enables the following commands:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -y}} (spin down)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -S num}} (automatic spin down timeout)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -B num}} (advanced power management level)
Note that this command is still rejected:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -M num}} (acoustic management)
(Tested with patched kernels 2.6.13.1 and 2.6.12-4 and a 60GB 7200RPM disk model HTS726060M9AT00.)

Note that even when [[Laptop-mode]] is used, the "hddtemp" daemon (as shipped with Fedora Core 4) will wake up the disk every minute, and must thus be disabled for power management to be effective. Its accesses are not visibile through the {{path|/proc/sys/vm/block_dump}} facility. It is unclear whether disk temperature can be monitored without causing the disk to spin up (on the {{T43}}, none of the {{path|/proc/acpi/ibm/thermal}} values corresponds to the disk's built-in temperature sensor).

==No disk information==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, on these models the disk information could not be read by the standard commands such as:
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -i /dev/sda}}
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -I /dev/sda}}
The latter is fixed by the above patch for SMART support.

==No swapping of UltraBay device==

The <tt>libata</tt> driver does not yet support hot-swapping (or warm-swapping) of PATA devices. If you use a DVD or 2nd PATA HDD via the <tt>libata</tt> (SATA) driver, to swap them in or out you must power down the machine.

If you use the <tt>ide</tt> driver for a PATA UltraBay device, hot-swapping might work using <tt>hdparm</tt>, <tt>idectl</tt> or <tt>hotswap</tt> (please report). However, DMA will be disabled on these models (see above).

If you use a SATA device in the UltraBay, <tt>libata</tt> hot-swapping might work (please report).

Swapping of the [[UltraBay Slim Battery]] does work.

==BIOS error 2010 on user-installed hard disk==

While not a Linux issue, note that there is an issue with installing alternative PATA (IDE) hard disks as the system drive. Unless the disk is one of the few approved disks listed inside the BIOS, you will get an BIOS error 2010 during system boot, and the disk may operate unreliably. See [[Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]].

Problems with SATA and Linux

2006-01-17T17:19:55Z

Igorr:

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
Some ThinkPad models use a SATA controller for the system hard disk. This causes several complications for Linux installation. The following lists these problems and known workarounds. Note that the details are often version- and distribution-specific.

===Models using a SATA disk interface===
Models using a SATA controller and a SATA system disk:
*ThinkPad {{Z60t}}, {{Z60m}}
Models using a SATA controller and a PATA (IDE) system disk with a SATA-to-PATA bridge:
*ThinkPad {{T43}}, {{T43p}}
*ThinkPad {{R52}}
*ThinkPad {{X41}}, {{X41T}}

{{NOTE|Some of these problems (namely SMART support, power management and disk information) are solved in Linux 2.6.15 with the inclusion of libata pass-through. See the SATA driver [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/features.html features], [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/software-status.html software status] and [http://linux.yyz.us/sata/sata-status.html hardware status].}}
|}

==Hang on resume from suspend to RAM==

Linux kernels (as of 2.6.15-rc3) do not support suspend and resume for SATA devices. As a result, the machine hangs upon the first disk access after resume. A kernel patch ([http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/5/2/46 LKML posting]) fixes this by adding SATA power management support.

Current release-candidates for 2.6.16 ([http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ChangeLog-2.6.16-rc1 Changelog for 2.6.16-rc1]) have the patch already included], so no more patching will be necessary with 2.6.16. In fact, the 2.6.15.1 release has the patch included.

===Patches===
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.12.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.12]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/sata_pm.2.6.13-rc5.diff Patch for kernel 2.6.13-rc5]
* [http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/9/23/97 Patch for kernel 2.6.14]
* [http://www.xenotime.net/linux/SATA/2.6.15-rc/libata_suspend.patch Patch for kernel 2.6.15-rc4]
* [http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/tmp/sata_pm.2.6.15-rc6.patch Patch for kernels 2.6.15-rc6 through 2.6.15]

Some distributions already include this patch (e.g., {{Ubuntu}} Breezy), but some don't (e.g., {{Fedora}} 4).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=169201 bug 169201: "SATA drives fail on laptop suspend"]

==Failed resume from suspend to disk==

Suspend to disk (using swsusp or [[Software Suspend 2]]) needs to load the memory image from the SATA disk. For this to work, you either need an initrd with all the necessary SATA modules, or the SATA drivers compiled into the kernel.

==DVD drive not recognized==

The <tt>ata_piix</tt> SATA driver grabs ownership over the IDE ports when it is loaded, but (by default) does not support PATA ATAPI devices such as the Ultrabay optical drives. Thus, if the <tt>ide</tt> driver is compiled as a module and loaded after <tt>ata_piix</tt>, the DVD drive will not be recognized by either driver.

Either of the following configurations will work:
* For kernel 2.6.14 and newer: enable ATAPI support in the SATA system using {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} (see below; this is experimental).
* Compile IDE into the kernel (non-module).
* Compile both IDE and SATA as modules and make sure IDE is loaded first (the module is called 'ide_generic').

Note that the optical drive must be in the Ultrabay during system boot (Ultrabay device swapping is currently unsupported).

==No DMA on DVD drive==

Using the IDE driver, DMA support cannot be enabled on an Ultrabay optical drive:

# hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Operation not permitted
using_dma = 0 (off)

As a result, the optical drive is slow, and in particular, too slow to play video DVDs.

One workaround is to use employ the SATA driver (instead of the IDE driver) for the optical drive. This requires enabling two featues of the SATA driver, namely ATAPI support and PATA support, which are both in active development and far from stable. Using this will probably devour all your data and go on to eat all the food in your fridge. But if you have full backups and an empty fridge, do the following:

* Grab the latest kernel (must be 2.6.14 or newer; the relevant code is under active development).
* Do one of the following:
** Configure the SATA system (and in particular <tt>ata_piix</tt> and <tt>libata</tt>) as built-in and add {{bootparm|libata.atapi_enabled|1}} to your kernel command line (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Configure the SATA system as module (this is often the default) and add "<tt>options libata atapi_enabled=1</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* Do one of the following:
** Disable the IDE system.
** Build the IDE driver as built-in (this is often the default) and add the {{bootparm|hdc|noprobe}} kernel argument (e.g., in in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}).
** Build the IDE driver as module and add "<tt>options ide hdc=noprobe</tt>" to your {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} (or the equivalent in your distribution).
* If you chose to use modules above, regenerate your <tt>initrd</tt> file.

If this doesn't work, use {{cmd|lspci -vn|}} to check whether one of the following chipsets is used in the Thinkpad:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!PCI ID
!Name
|-
|8086:7111
|Intel 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE
|-
|8086:24db
|Intel 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) IDE Controller
|-
|8086:25a2
|Intel 6300ESB PATA Storage Controller
|}
If yes, enable support for these chipsets has to be enabled by setting
#define ATA_ENABLE_PATA
in {{path|include/linux/libata.h}} (and report your ThinkPad model in the discussion page).

There have been reports that DVD burning doesn't work under this configuration, but it seems to work with kernel 2.6.14 and later (tested on a ThinkPad {{T43}} and {{T43p}} with a [[UltraBay Slim DVD Multi-Burner Plus]]).

===Links===
* RedHat Bugzilla [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=163418 bug 163418: "can't enable DMA on DVD drive"]

==No DMA on system hard disk==

In some Linux kernels, both the SATA driver and the IDE driver can handle the system hard disk. With the SATA driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/sda}} and DMA is enabled. With the IDE driver, it shows as {{path|/dev/hda}} and DMA is disabled.

The simplest way to enable DMA is to force the IDE driver to ignore the system hard disk by passing the {{bootparm|hda|noprobe}} kernel argument. The driver will then be handled by the SATA driver. Note that this will change its device name to {{path|/dev/sda}} (which may require changes in {{path|/etc/fstab}} and the boot loader) and may cause other problems as listed above.

(Observed on a ThinkPad T43 with Fedora Core kernel 2.6.13-1.1526_FC4.)

==No SMART support==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support SMART commands (e.g., via smartctl).

The necessary capability is "libata pass-through", which was incorporated into Linux 2.6.15-rc1 and later. A patch is available for older kernels:
* Kernel 2.6.12: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.12/03_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.13: http://rtr.ca/dell_i9300/kernel/kernel-2.6.13/02_libata_passthru.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14: http://www.foo.fh-furtwangen.de/~koenigr/02_libata_passthru.fixed.again.patch
* Kernel 2.6.14 with the above suspend-to-RAM patch: http://linux.spiney.org/system/files?file=02_libata_passthru.fixed.patch

After applying the patch, run smartctl with the "-d ata" parameter:
:{{cmdroot|smartctl -d ata -a /dev/sda}}

==No disk power management==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, the Linux SATA system did not support power management commands on these models.

The above patches for SMART support resolves this, and in particular enables the following commands:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -y}} (spin down)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -S num}} (automatic spin down timeout)
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -B num}} (advanced power management level)
Note that this command is still rejected:
* {{cmdroot|hdparm -M num}} (acoustic management)
(Tested with patched kernels 2.6.13.1 and 2.6.12-4 and a 60GB 7200RPM disk model HTS726060M9AT00.)

Note that even when [[Laptop-mode]] is used, the "hddtemp" daemon (as shipped with Fedora Core 4) will wake up the disk every minute, and must thus be disabled for power management to be effective. Its accesses are not visibile through the {{path|/proc/sys/vm/block_dump}} facility. It is unclear whether disk temperature can be monitored without causing the disk to spin up (on the {{T43}}, none of the {{path|/proc/acpi/ibm/thermal}} values corresponds to the disk's built-in temperature sensor).

==No disk information==

Prior to kernel 2.6.15, on these models the disk information could not be read by the standard commands such as:
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -i /dev/sda}}
*{{cmdroot|hdparm -I /dev/sda}}
The latter is fixed by the above patch for SMART support.

==No swapping of UltraBay device==

The <tt>libata</tt> driver does not yet support hot-swapping (or warm-swapping) of PATA devices. If you use a DVD or 2nd PATA HDD via the <tt>libata</tt> (SATA) driver, to swap them in or out you must power down the machine.

If you use the <tt>ide</tt> driver for a PATA UltraBay device, hot-swapping might work using <tt>hdparm</tt>, <tt>idectl</tt> or <tt>hotswap</tt> (please report). However, DMA will be disabled on these models (see above).

If you use a SATA device in the UltraBay, <tt>libata</tt> hot-swapping might work (please report).

Swapping of the [[UltraBay Slim Battery]] does work.

==BIOS error 2010 on user-installed hard disk==

While not a Linux issue, note that there is an issue with installing alternative PATA (IDE) hard disks as the system drive. Unless the disk is one of the few approved disks listed inside the BIOS, you will get an BIOS error 2010 during system boot, and the disk may operate unreliably. See [[Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]].