Install Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on a ThinkPad T500

2009-01-10T03:55:58Z

Radostyle:

[[:Category:T500|T500]] '''Site under construction. You are invited building an useful guidance!'''

==Before Installation==

Before you can start Ubuntu from CD or USB you have to change two BIOS settings:
* Change to Internal or ATI Graphics with Config --> Display --> Graphics Device --> [Integrated graphics] or [Discrete Graphics]
* Disable OS Detection for Switchable Graphics. Otherwise it will mysteriously switch back to Switchable Graphics.

Now you can boot your Live-CD, connect to Wireless Lan, and install the OS.

==What works out of the box?==

*Wireless with iwlagn driver ([[Intel WiFi Link 5100/5300 WLAN controller]])
**G mode + WEP, WPA and WPA2.
**with status LED and everything!
*Bluetooth
**I could connect my nokia mobile phone through bluetooth
*[[Ethernet Controllers#Intel Gigabit (10/100/1000)|Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller]]
*Intel driver for Integrated Graphics ([[Intel Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD]])
** with 3D acceleration out-of-the-box
** VGA output - mirrored, other not fixed yet
*ATI [[fglrx]] doesn't matter for me at the moment. Intel Graphics works fine!
*Touchpoint and Trackpad
**Including scroll at the right side of the pad by default.
*Optical drive
**Not tested burning yet.
*Sound card
**To use your internal microphone you have to change to "HDA Intel CONEXANT Analog (ALSA)" in audio-settings.
*7-in-1 card reader from Ricoh (MMC, Memory Stick, Mem Stick Pro, SD, SDHC, XD, XD Type H Memory)
**Only tested SD cards.
*Control buttons/Hotkeys
**Volume control buttons
**Screen brightness control works fine. So there is a strange behaviour. If you change the brightness to dark it gets darker then it gets a bit lighter and after view steps it stay dark. The display of ubuntu shows that it is maximum dark or maximum light, but it still changes. Not a real problem though.
**Thinklight control
**WLAN/BT/OFF toggle (Fn+F5 and mechanical toggle)
**Media player control
*Some ACPI features: Works great with "Listen".
**Battery status, power graphs and history (tested with an single 6-Cell battery)
**Lid states and events

====Enabling Touchpad on/off key====
Source: [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticsTouchpad#shmconfig]]
The SHMConfig is now controlled through hal. In the past this was done through xorg.conf

You have to add the file
{{cmduser|sudo gedit /etc/hal/fdi/policy/shmconfig.fdi}}
with the following content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
<device>
<match key="input.x11_driver" string="synaptics">
<merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">True</merge>
</match>
</device>
</deviceinfo>

After this change please reboot. Restarting hal doesn't help.
====Disabling Touchpad while typing====
Enable SHMConfig as described above under '''Enabling Touchpad on/off key''' and add the command
{{cmduser|syndaemon -S -d}}
under System -> Preferences -> Sessions -> Startup Programs.

====Links for more information====
Most stuff is identical to T400. so watch this link [[Install_Ubuntu_8.10_(Intrepid_Ibex)_on_a_Thinkpad_T400]]
I will add more information in the next days. Please contribute, if you have more information!

[[Category:T500]]

====Fix runaway process issue====
I had this issue where dd, klog, and syslog processes were consuming 50-100 of my cpu when running top. And they were filling my /var/log/klog, syslog files. They were up to 28gigs each when I found them.
To fix this issue you have to enable the proposed updates repository and get the kernel update to 2.6.27-11
Go to System->Administration->Software Sources and click the proposed updates checkbox, then when the updates come up make sure to get the kernel update to 2.6.27-11.
[[http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1016864.html]]

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Install Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on a ThinkPad T500