thinkpad T40 Pentium M and Mint Bea for now and bianca

[zen]

I am looking at a Thinkpad T40 Pentium M refurb with integrated wireless..... will this work wirelessly and also sound and resolution etc.?

I just sent back another cheaper made new laptop that had issues beyond my fixing....need to know how many success or failures and if I can get some hel around here if i ordr this A.M.

thank you...I really want to get into linux and I fell in love with Mint!!!

[clem]

I'd recommend a laptop with an Intel ipw2200 Wifi chipset and an Intel 855 graphic card. That's what I have on mine and they work great on most distributions.

Clem

[zen]

Thank you Clem ----I have talked to all of these linux laptops places and most of them do not impress me. some are not sure what exactly they are running. so it kind of sucks. as far just getting one out there - again many just sell stuff and will tell you stuff but they do not know...

I am frustrated.

and if you are the head honcho behind Mint----My compliments---I am deeply impressed!!!!! It feels and looks clean and nice and much better than Ubuntu which I thought was the best. you surpassed it!

[clem]

Why not bring the Linux Mint live CD with you to the hardware store and ask the seller to give it a go to see if it's fully compatible ?

After all, you're gonna give the guy a good few hundred bucks so running a liveCD on the demonstration laptop is the least he can do.

Make sure to check :
- that WIFI works
- that hibernation and battery indicator works
- that the graphic card is an Intel
- that the laptop is sexy (very important, personally I only buy them smaller than 13" and very very light)

[zen]

Thanks Clem. I live in Hotterville - backwoods area. No stores i have to buy though phone or online....that is the problem.

re: the size - I love my old 12" powerbook I love the Zen aspect of it. My new Macbook Pro is 15.4" and not really bad size wise and weight - and yes it is Fast and sweet! and the extra screen does make more stuff enjoyable for multitasking but that 12" is sweet overall although old by now.

[zen]

clem what do you think of these specs - soory for this long list

ntel® Core 2 Duo® or Intel® Core Solo or Intel® Celeron M®
Processor Speeds Range from 1.4Ghz – 2.16Ghz
Chipset - Intel 945GM / ICH7-M
Memory – DDR2 533/667 support with up to 2GB RAM
Screen – 14.1" WXGA (1280x800) Widescreen ColorShine Enhanced Screen Active Matrix TFT **
Video – Embedded Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 graphics
Video Connections – 1 External 15 pin VGA / 1 S-Video Port
Mouse – Touch Pad with 2 buttons – supports tapping, horizontal and vertical scrolling
Optical Drive – DVD/CDRW or DVDRW
Card Reader – 4 in 1 card reader support (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
Web Cam – 1.3 Mega Pixel Web Cam
Card Slot – PCI Expressx1 Card Slot for Express Card 45/54 devices
Wireless – (Optional) Intel Pro Wireless 3945 - 802.11 a/b/g
USB – 4 USB 2.0 Ports
Firewire – 1394 B Type jack
Audio – Intel High Definition Audio with integrated speakers and Headphone and Mic jacks
Modem – 56 kbs V.92 Fax Modem *
Ethernet – Integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
Battery – Lithium-Ion 6 cells, 65Whrs
Warranty – 1 Year Parts and Labor
Dimensions – WxDxH 13.15" x 9.9" x 1.4" – 33.4cm x 9.9cm x 3.6cm
Weight – 5.5 lbs. -2.49kg
Security – Kingston Lock Hole
* - Feature not supported in Linux at this time
** - Color Shine is the glare-type technology delivering exceptional image and motion picture with enhanced color density and saturation for more colorful and lively displays, offering total vision satisfaction for both work and play. With this special technology, ASUS panel presents clear and sharp images in their true brilliant and vibrant colors, making it perfect for entertainment applications, including watching movies and playing games
* Please call or email us for shipping information outside the U.S.
* Please note your order will take at least a minimum of 5-10 business days before shipping


Processor: Intel® Celeron 410 1.46ghz 1MB 533 MHz
Intel® Celeron 420 1.60Ghz 1MB 533 MHz (+$40.00)
Intel® Celeron 430 1.73Ghz 1MB 533 MHz (+$55.00)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz 2MB 667FSB (+$155.00)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz 2MB 667FSB (+$208.00)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 2.00GHz 4MB 667FSB (+$275.00)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7400 2.16GHz 4MB 667FSB (+$439.00)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz 4MB 667FSB (+$699.00)
Memory: 512 DDR2 667
1GB DDR2 667 (2x512MB) (+$75.00)
1GB DDR2 667 (+$55.00)
2GB DDR2 667 (2x1GB) (+$169.00)
Hard Drive: 40GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
60GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (+$15.00)
60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive (+$55.00)
80GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (+$35.00)
80GB 7200RPM Hard Drive (+$67.00)
100GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (+$51.00)
100GB 7200RPM Hard Drive (+$125.00)
120GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (+$70.00)
160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (+$140.00)
CD or DVD Drive: DVD+CD-RW Drive
8X DVD-Dual RW Drive (+$29.00)
Wireless: Intel 802.11abg (+$41.00)
No wireless
Operating System: Fedoraâ„¢ Core 6 Linux
Open SUSE 10.2
Ubuntu Desktop 6.10
1 Year Subscription SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (+$50.00)
1 Year Subscription SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop with Media Kit (+$85.00)
3 Year Subscription SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (+$125.00)
3 Year Subscription SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop with Media Kit (+$160.00)
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux WS 4 (+$182.00)
Windows® XP Home (+$106.00)
Windows® Media Center Edition (+$135.00)
Windows® XP Pro Edition with Vista Coupon (+$170.00)
Windows® 2003 Small Business Server (+$510.00)
Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition (+$805.00)
2nd Operating System: No Second Operating System
Fedoraâ„¢ Core 5 Linux (Dual boot) (+$20.00)
Open SUSE 10.1 (Dual boot) (+$20.00)
Ubuntu Desktop 6.0.6 (Dual boot) (+$20.00)
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux WS 4 (Dual boot) (+$182.00)
Windows® XP Home Edition (Dual boot) (+$106.00)
Windows® Media Center Edition (Dual boot) (+$135.00)
Windows® XP Pro Edition (Dual boot) (+$182.00)
Windows® 2003 Small Business Server (Dual boot) (+$510.00)
Windows® 2003 Server Standard Edition (Dual boot) (+$805.00)
Fedoraâ„¢ Core 5 Linux (VMWare) (+$20.00)
Open SUSE 10.1 (VMWare) (+$20.00)
Ubuntu 6.0.6 (VMWare) (+$20.00)
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux WS 4 (VMWare) (+$182.00)
Windows® XP Home Edition (VMWare) (+$106.00)
Windows® Media Center Edition (VMWare) (+$135.00)
Windows® XP Pro Edition (VMWare) (+$182.00)
Windows® 2003 Small Business Server (VMWare) (+$510.00)
Windows® 2003 Server Standard Edition (VMWare) (+$805.00)
Office Software: OpenOffice.org
Microsoft® 2003 Basic Edition (Dual Boot only) (+$190.00)
Microsoft® Office Small Business Edition 2003 (Dual Boot






it is the most basic offerings i.e the celeron and the smallest HD and all the other stuff is the stripped down version they do load ubuntu on it

could i buy this and then load bea or bianca when the stable version comes out?

if so i will have to do it - this is from shoprcubed it is more $ and not so nice to system 76 basic model but if it gets me into linux and mInt that that will have to be.

thank you so much for all of your help.

[zen]

Clem - since I didn;t hear from you - I just bought it - installed with edgy.

this should work - yes???

[clem]

Cool, if it works on Edgy it'll work on Mint. I suggest you play around with Edgy for a little while and get used to the system, then eventually replace it with Bianca.

Clem

[zen]

they said they had tweaked ubuntu and wrote scripts for the wireless so it doesn't work straight if that makes sense.... I may need your help toget this working though! I have one more question load bainca when it is released? Fresh? or load bea for 2-3 days and then upgrade? which is better? probably the frsh Bianca - yes? No? ---- Yes????

thank you for your time and direction.

[clem]

Oh yes... Bea is so outdated !!

Note: You should ask them exactly what tweaks they made, cause the minute you'll install a distro on your PC you'll need to reproduce these tweaks yourself.

Clem

[zen]

this may not be possible - some people and vendors in this case probably want to keep these secret unless someone like yourself knows what they know that can go in there and snoop around and see everything that is there.

I will see. the head partner when i spoke with him a couple of months ago was very nice and honest and pretty open.

thank you again. So 'Bianca' (not bea) [pun] it!

[jml]

zen, at the risk of being nosy, just where did you purchase your laptop? Emperor Linux, Linux Certified, System 76, a local cendor? And I agree with clem. If the vendor did install custom drivers or other tweaks to make sure all of the hardware worked out of the box, you may need to reproduce them to retain full functionality if you install Mint.

[clem]

It's always better to have your customers want to come back than have them need to come back. One doesn't build a good business model based on retention of information. I'm sure they'll be willing to help if you ask them about these tweaks.

Clem

[zen]

jml, you are not being nosy! after a couple years of pondering and talking to all of the various sellers I chose and feel extremely positive about this shoprcubed http://www.shoprcubed.com/# and also http://www.shoprcubed.com/proddetail.as ... 460&cat=27

I talked to Joe Ryner for quite a while on the phone and he knows his stuff - he tweaks the kernel as needed etc. the guys at system 76 can't do such things. He was an honest dude, helpful, candid, and a no bullshitter, and wasn't just trying to sell me something. their support is the best out of all the sellers despite what others may say! They are there for the long haul and they have online hookup to your computer if needed so they can help out if things go seriously awry and they need to commnd line stuff beyond your means.

linux certified..... wasn't impressed and didn't care if wifi worked or not you buy it and you deal with it. not very friendly.....emperor I did not like the dell laptops that they sell and the price and I ruled them out immediately. system 76 - not my cup of tea for many reasons and a very bad and imcopmetent experience a while ago....so I went with shoprcubed.


be careful though there is another company rcubed in TX that does not do linux and is not related - the link to the site is correct and they do do linux and a few distros.


my problem and I have pondered all night and once again stressed ot. I want mint - badly...I love it - Better than ubuntu....but since they DO SUPPORT ubuntu to the depth they do and almost all buttons and sound and resolutiona dn wireless etc. work out of the box compared to other...I may have to stay with ubuntu. simply because i do not know enough of linux. I am green as green as Mint. Heh Heh! and I hate to burden Clem for help to get this tweaked.... But my heart is into Mint. so I am in a serious quandary....I also like the more applications that are available in Mint too - makes it more user-friendly for my needs.

my only complaint is that I hate firefox with these distros and love epiphany and cannot remove it for it is tied to evrything else and links open in firefox and not epiphany. and I hate the games - wasted space and I'd lve to remove them but once again when I tried in ubuntu, they are connected to other things and you cannot remove...I hate the games I never played a computer game ever - I use computers for work...

I hope this helps.....


and Clem, next week when I get....are you up to seriously helping me to get bianca on this new pristine laptop over Ubuntu?

by the way - these are asus -based laptops and from what i have seen they are very nice indeed!

Best, zen

[clem]

Zen: I'm usually very busy but when I see someone I can help I usually do it. There's a lot of people like me here in these forums and I'm sure you'll get Bianca working eventually. If it doesn't work out of the box you'll have to be patient and learn how to fix stuff. But again, if it works with Edgy it should do fine on Bianca. When you think of it Bianca's Grand-Grand-Pa is Edgy

Clem

[zen]

Thanks Clem - that is why I said in an earlier post I feel at HOME here. Unlike ubuntu forums. I like the vibe here a lot.

here is the basic laptop info of what i have to:

http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=2 ... odelmenu=1

[clem]

Nice. I hope you'll get that integrated webcam working, that's a really cool feature.

Clem

[zen]

I guess they are working on that! personally as you stated, I wish it was a touch smaller - but it seems to be quite thin a quarter inch thicker than my macbook pro. not bad and also 13.1" or 13.3" would have been nicer. but we'll see.

))


this is starting to be a costly experiemnt with gnu/linux.

oh yes, I also have an extra stick of 512 ram for the dual channel thing so I have 1 Gig.

I also apologize for my dyslexic typing. I have bad arthritis and I also 4-7 finger my tryping too.... hence all of the spelling errors in my posts.





http://usa.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=23&l2=126 this is also the better link to access the specs etc....

[zen]

UPDATE!!!!!


this is what I received from them:


hen we ship you the machine we will send an Ubuntu install cd and a cd R Cubed Restore for restoring it with our updates. If you decide to run the Ubuntu Mint you can try and install our updates on the machine. It will run our updates and most of the stuff will probably work, but without trying it I can't guarantee anything.

[jml]

thanks for the information, zen. And I agree with clem. With all the people on this forum, if you do have trouble getting everything working on your new laptop, someone here should be able to help. I also agree with clem's advise about using Mint as a live cd first, that way you will get a good idea of what works and what doesn't.


Joe