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Table of Contents
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Andres Gonzalez (dre2004 at gmail dot com)
This is a guide to running Linux with the IBM-Lenovo Thinkpad R61 laptop. The R61 is a fairly standard looking laptop but includes the Centrino Duo chipset and the model tested here has a nice display.
For full specifications see the Lenovo ThinkPad R61 specifications page.
This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which modules you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required modules have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.
If you would like to edit this page please first view our Editing Guidelines.
| Device | Type | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Duo T7300 2.0Ghz | Yes | |
| Screen | 15.4” WSXGA+ | Yes | Highest Resolution 1680×1050 |
| RAM | 1GB | ||
| HDD | 120GB | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW | Yes | |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce Go 8400 | only proprietary modules | |
| Graphics | nVidia Quadro NVS 140 | only proprietary module | nvidia-glx-new |
| Integrated Camera | Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd. | Unknown | Trying to get this to work now |
| Sound | Yes | Use the snd-hda-intel module | |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 | Yes | |
| Wireless | Intel 4965AGN 802.11abgn | Yes | See notes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | ||
| 56K Modem | Not Tested | ||
| USB | 3 x USB2.0 | Yes | |
| Firewire | 1 x Firewire | Yes | Tested with Kino and AV Cam |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | ||
| PCMCIA Slot | Not Tested |
Depending on the Model of R61 you have you will have a different Video Card.
These details are specific to the 89185MM.
| Graphics Chipset | Device Info NVIDIA NB8M-GS | 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0429 (rev a1) |
The standard debian nvidia driver didnt work for Nvidia NB8M-GS chipset the commercial drivers were used instead. The latest version 100.14.11 worked fine.
These details are specific to the Quadro NVS 140M
| Graphics Chipset | Device Info NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M | 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Quadro NVS 140M (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [[VGA]]) |
The standard ubuntu 7.10rc nvidia driver (nv) didn't work for this chipset (the screen was blank and it was impossible to switch to text virtual consoles)
The commercial drivers were used instead. The latest version 100.14.11 worked fine.
The Nvidia GeForce Go 8400 and Quadro NVS 140M which are included with the R61 do not function with the built in nv module so you will need to use the Nvidia proprietary driver. You can find installation instructions for the nvidia driver here.
Some cheaper models of the R61 include the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. This has not yet been tested.
The 4965AGN wireless controller works fine on the R61, albeit they are a pain to install. You can get these drivers from http://intellinuxwireless.org/?p=iwlwifi. You can view installation instructions at our Configuring the iwl4965 driver for the Intel 4965AGN wireless controller guide.
You will need the CVS ALSA modules to get sound working properly. Not even the latest 1.0.14 drivers are new enough for the R61. You can find a little easier to use alsa snapshot packages here. Grab the latest. Update: Most Linux distributions no longer require this step.
It's a real ordeal to get the Thinkpad R61 working with Linux and it does require some very in depth configuration knowledge. Definitely not one for the newbie but you can get everything working with a fair bit of work. Update: Ubuntu 7.10 and more than likely other recently released distributions now include good support for this laptop. The sound and wireless work without extra configuration.