IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad Z61p
Created by: Bill Giannikos,Last modification on Fri 17 of Aug, 2007 [09:17 UTC]by Bill Giannikos
This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which drivers you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required drivers have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.
If you are looking to purchase this laptop you can visit Lenovo's notebook page.
Introduction
This is a guide to running Linux with the IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad Z61p laptop. The ThinkPad Z61p is a high end laptop which has very good support for Linux.Editing This Page
View our Editing GuidelinesSpecifications
| Name | IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad Z61p | |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz | |
| Screen | 15.4" WSXGA+ | |
| RAM | 1GB | |
| HDD | 100GB | |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW | |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 | |
| Network | 10/100/1000 Ethernet, IBM 802.11g Wireless, Bluetooth | |
| Other | 3 x USB2.0, 1 x Firewire, Intel High Definition Audio, Fingerprint Reader | |
Linux Compatibility
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| HDD | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | Yes | |
| Graphics | Yes | |
| Sound | Yes | Use the snd-hda-intel driver |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Yes | Use the madwifi driver |
| Bluetooth | Not Tested | |
| 56K Modem | Not Tested | |
| USB | Yes | |
| Firewire | Not Tested | |
| SD Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| PCMCIA | Yes | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Use ThinkFinger |
Notes
The Xorg radeon driver which is included with most Linux distributions does not currently support the ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 built into the ThinkPad Z61p. However support for this chip has been added in the latest version of the proprietary ATI driver. Installation of this driver is required for the display to work properly. Future versions of Xorg should solve this problemRelated Resources
Preparing your laptop for LinuxConfiguring an ATI graphics chip
Increasing battery life
Summary
The main issue with the IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad Z61p is the ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 which isn't supported by defaults in current Linux distributions. Future Linux distributions should solve this problem so eventually this laptop will be quite easy to use.Have you installed Linux on this laptop? If so how about leaving a comment about your success in the comments section below.
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