[ltp] Thinkpad 760XL - Linux Install Information

[Tino Keitel]

On Wed, Mar 03, 2004 at 14:47:22 +0000, Adam Southerland wrote:
> Here we go... I have found a better way to install Slackware on my
> Laptop...
> 
> The 760XL has the delima of not being able to boot directly off of
> the CD.  Switching from Floppy Drive to CDRom during install normally
> fails (or Linux doesn't even detect the CDRom because it doesn't
> exist yet.....  [Floppy and CDRom are swapable only])
> 
> Here is what I have done:

Here is what I have done on my 765L with Debian 3.0 (Woody):
(This way is completely M$-free)

- boot with the rescue floppy

- press Fn-F4 during the kernel loads

- as soon as APM gets active, the machine will suspend

- take out the floppy and insert the CDROM drive

- resume from suspend, the kernel will detect the CDROM drive

- press Fn-F4 again

- re-insert the floppy drive

- insert the root floppy if the kernel asks for

- start a normal installation, load drivers from the driver floppies
  etc.

- if the installation process asks for a CDROM, press Fn-F4 and
  re-insert the CDROM drive

- install from CDROM as usual

As you can see, the trick is to load the kernel from a floppy disk, but
have the CDROM drive inserted during IDE device detection. Note that it
takes a while to load the kernel from the rescue disk. If you press
Fn-F4 too early, the maching will give up trying to go to suspend mode,
since there seems to be a timeout. IIRC, the right moment to press
Fn-F4 is just before the kernel is loaded completely (You have to count
the dots while the kernel loads to get the right moment :-)

I hope this is of some help to somebody.

Regards,
Tino