Laptops :: Best old laptop to buy for DSL
on my 600e everything works as desired except the sound, which is easily fixable. Yes, it boots straight into flux. I did not have to tweak anything to have a usable and productive experience. Then I wanted sound. Did that. Then I wanted XFree86. Did that. Then I wanted..... er, sorry, getting carried away.
At any rate, if you end up with a 600e, post back in the forums and we'll help you get your sound going.
For your browsing pleasure, check this out:
Look here to find your $120 600e.
http://www.retrobox.com/rbwww/home/search_results_pc_laptops.asp
On my 600e I can boot from Live CD directly into a Fluxbox desktop and everything is properly configured except sound and the modem. You need to specify a boot option for the display depth or colors will be a bit psychadelic (though still readable for the most part). I don't remember the exact option but if no one else does I'll dig it up for you. I now have the box set up to use the XFree86 DSL extension instead of the standard Xfbdev or Xvesa servers to get accelerated video and that works quite well. I should probably write a little 600e DSL howto and post things like my XFree86 config file.
I can dig up my exact 600e model # for you tonight. I don't actually know what the differences are between the various 600e model numbers but there certainly are a bunch of them! If you go the 600e route get one with as much RAM as you can. They all have 32MB on the mainboard plus two expansion slots that can take up to 128MB each (144 pin PC66 or PC100 SODIMM) for a total of 288MB. I started with 128MB (32 + 64 + 32) but I've upped that to 228MB (32 + 64 + 128) and I'm much happier 
Running DSL with the "toram" option it's hard to believe that it's only a 300+MHz PII
All sounds real good. Thanks for the link green; I will most likely buy from them. I don't have much patience for eBay.
I did a google search and found on IBM's site that the modem for 600e was not supported under linux. So I am thinking is that the mwave thing you are talking about may only work with certain models. It looks like big blue made about a million different 600e models. Do you have a link to that mwave driver?
Also, I would like to thank everyone here you have been real helpful and not snarky at all, yet another sure sign I have chosen the right distro! Good community on here.
DSL rocks. Of that, there is no doubt.
Also, those of us who use 600e's like them and have been there and done that.
There are several 600e users around here on the forums. You'll see them creep out of the woodwork like roaches from time to time.
I also have an IBM T21. The sound works outta the box on that one, just in case you want something more. I tripple boot the T21 with XP Pro, Red Hat, and of course DSL. However, Red Hat is slower than XP Pro, but adequate. Go figure. DSL is a screamer.... but you knew that...
Good luck with what ever you decide to do.
From what I can tell, all the 600e and 600x Thinkpads used the MWave 3780i DSP for their built-in modems. There's a complete HOWTO for using this modem in Linux at http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-mini/ACP-Modem.html. It looks a little involved and possibly out of date, but the fact that the driver is still in the 2.6.10 kernel source leads me to believe that it can be made to work. If I ever find myself near an analog phone line with a couple hours to kill I'll have to see if I can make the modem work.
BTW my 600e is a model 2645-4AU ... not that I have the slightest idea how the 600e model numbers work
Next Page...
original here.