ThinkPad T61p and Ubuntu experiences and hints

First: Don't buy 1920x1200, unless you are an eagle. 

Unfortunatley, the T61p has far too new hardware for Linux:

• xorg runs 2 ways: 
  1. with VESA driver only (forcing 1920x1200 as only resolution in Modes line(s) of xorg.conf). 
  Advantage: Suspend and Resume can be used. 
  Disadvantage: No GL, no Google Earth. 
  
  2. with NVidia's 100.14.11 driver. Though, before installing this, one should remove any nvidia-glx-* packages, and rmmod nvidia. TIP: After running the installer (and when rebooting, before starting X!), you need to prevent xorg from magically using traces of nvidia-glx-* packages, by inserting the newly created module manually:
  rmmod nvidia
  insmod /lib/modules/2.6.20-16-generic/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko 
  Advantage: GL and Google Earth work. 
  Disadvantage: Suspend and Resume crashes the kernel. 
  
  
  

• Sound works half. TIP: In this Ubuntu Bug, you find comments and a link to t61_audio_hack.py, which turns sound on, more or less. 
  
  
  

• The CD drive only works with SATA compatibility mode (a BIOS setting). 
  
  
  

• WLAN is claimed run by manually installing Intel's driver, and with gutsy. 
  
  
  

From: IBCL BLog.
Originally posted: 2007-08-21