This is a guide to running Linux with the IBM-Lenovo Thinkpad X40 laptop.
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.
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| Name | IBM-Lenovo Thinkpad X40 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium-M 1GHz |
| Screen | 12.1” XGA |
| RAM | 256MB |
| HDD | 20GB |
| Optical Drive | None |
| Graphics | Intel Extreme Graphics 2 |
| Network | 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Intel 2100 802.11b Wireless |
| Other | 2 x USB2.0 |
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| HDD | Yes | |
| Graphics | Yes | Use the i810 module |
| Sound | Yes | Use the snd-intel8x0 module |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Yes | Use the ipw2100 module |
| 56K Modem | Not Tested | |
| USB | Yes | |
| Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| PCMCIA | Not Tested |
This laptop does not include an optical drive so you will need an alternative installation method. Options include a external USB optical device or a network boot.
There were no problems in getting this laptop working when used with an up to date Linux distribution. It is recommended to use a Linux distribution with kernel version 2.6.16 or greater, such as Fedora Core 5 or Ubuntu 6.06.
Discussion
I've been running Linux on the X40 for a couple of months now. My machine is a 2371-J4U, with a 1.5GHz Centrino CPU and 1.25GB of RAM. I also have the Ultrabase X4, loaded with a CD-RW/DVD drive. So far, I have run both #!CrunchBang 8.10.01 and Ubuntu Intrepid on it. Both distributions worked quite well. All hardware, including the SD card slot, was recognized. With #!CrunchBang, I had re-mapped the right Alt key as a Super (Windows) key. I have not tried this yet under Ubuntu. My Wireless card is detected as an IPW2200 and works.