Installation instructions for the ThinkPad T60p

Installing Ubuntu Dapper

To get it going:

• Get Dapper i386 (I used the Daily ISO DVD).

• Install the default distribution.

It will work, but you need an SMP kernel, and accelerated and higher resolution graphics, so:

• Install the i686-smp kernel (search for 'linux-kernel' in synaptic).

• Search for fglrx in synaptic, and install the fglrx modules, X driver and ATI control panel.

• Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, so each of the "Modeline" entries contains a 1600x1200 resolution as well (or whatever the top resolution of your LCD panel is), and change the driver section as follows:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "ATI Technologies, Inc. ATI Default Card"
    Driver "fglrx"               <----- ADD THIS LINE
    #Driver "vesa"               <---- COMMENT OUT THIS LINE
    BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
    ChipID 0x71c5                <----- ADD THIS LINE
EndSection

Reboot, and you should be done. Check "cat /proc/cpuinfo" shows two CPUs, and run fgl_glxgears and check you get around 580 frames a second.

I've reported bug 46527 on the lack of screen driver detection, so hopefully this will get even easier.

Note you do NOT need to install ATI drivers from the ATI site. The Ubuntu drivers are sufficient.

Thanks to Rich Tango-Lowy (see below) for the hint re chip detection.

Kubuntu Dapper Live CD

If you're trying to install from the Kubuntu Desktop CD, you'll never make it to the login screen because the ATI display driver isn't recognized.

• Ctrl-Alt-F1
• sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
• change the display driver line that looks like:

         Driver    "ati"

to

         Driver    "vesa"

[I think I remember that it was "ati", but I could be wrong. In any case this is very clearly the only Driver line in the ATI device specification section]

• Save and exit
• sudo /etc/init.d kdm restart

Now you get a login screen.

External Sources

• Rich Tango-Lowy's Mandriva 2007 Cooker on T60p page