[ltp] [x31] extremely slow booting when usb key inserted

[Mack Stevenson]

Thank you very much for your replies. Some comments follow:


>From: Maik Zumstrull <Maik.Zumstrull@gmx.de>

>I suggest you leave the capability to boot from USB enabled, but change
>the order of boot devices so that USB is after the internal HDD. Then it
>shouldn't probe the stick in normal bootup. When you actually want to
>boot from USB, you can bring up the list of boot devices by pressing F12
>on the first screen after switching on the Thinkpad and choose USB
>manually. That selection will be valid for that bootup only.

Unfortunately, the delay happens no matter which boot order is specified as 
long as USB Boot is enabled. That's what I find strange: I can have the 
internal hdd at the top of the list, but the moment the computer boots with 
USB boot enabled and a pen drive inserted it just hangs for 90 seconds 
before proceeding.

Just out of curiosity, I tried booting the thinkpad from one of those usb 
pen drives which flash a led when the drive is accessed and the led does 
_not_ blink during this entire period (except for an extremely brief moment 
immediately after power on).


>From: James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com>
>
>Is the USB drive bootable, when this problem happens?  Since you told
>the computer to boot from USB and there's a USB drive plugged in, it's
>probably trying to find an OS, before failing and continuing on.

Yep, the drive is bootable. I successfully installed both Puppy Linux 
[goosee.com/puppy/download/downpage.htm] as well as Damn Small Linux 
[damnsmalllinux.org/usb.html] onto it. If I press F12 when the thinkpad 
powers itself on, it hangs there for that long period and then shows me the 
usual boot order menu. If I pick the pen drive from the list, it then boots 
correctly from that drive.

What I would like to know is whether this is a feature of thinkpads in 
general, this model [X31] in particular or a problem with this specific 
machine...

Does anyone manage to successfully boot a thinkpad from a usb pen drive 
without inducing this very slow booting process?

Thanks for any info,

Mack

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