Install Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on a ThinkPad T500

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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
  • Intel Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000) PCI-Express
  • Intel driver for Integrated Graphics (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: [1] The SHMConfig is now controlled through hal. In the past this was done through xorg.conf

You have to add the file 

$ 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 

$ 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!

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. [2]

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