Install Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on a ThinkPad T500

T500 Site under construction. You are invited building an useful guidance!

Before Installation

Before you can start Ubuntu from CD or USB you have to change two BIOS settings:

• Change to Internal or ATI Graphics with Config --> Display --> Graphics Device --> [Integrated graphics] or [Discrete Graphics]
• Disable OS Detection for Switchable Graphics. Otherwise it will mysteriously switch back to Switchable Graphics.

Now you can boot your Live-CD, connect to Wireless Lan, and install the OS.

What works out of the box?

• Wireless with iwlagn driver (Intel WiFi Link 5100/5300 WLAN controller)
  • G mode + WEP, WPA and WPA2.
  • with status LED and everything!
• Bluetooth
  • I could connect my nokia mobile phone through bluetooth
• Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller
• Intel driver for Integrated Graphics (Intel Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD)
  • with 3D acceleration out-of-the-box
  • VGA output - mirrored, other not fixed yet
• ATI fglrx doesn't matter for me at the moment. Intel Graphics works fine!
• Touchpoint and Trackpad
  • Including scroll at the right side of the pad by default.
• Optical drive
  • Not tested burning yet.
• Sound card
  • To use your internal microphone you have to change to "HDA Intel CONEXANT Analog (ALSA)" in audio-settings.
• 7-in-1 card reader from Ricoh (MMC, Memory Stick, Mem Stick Pro, SD, SDHC, XD, XD Type H Memory)
  • Only tested SD cards.
• Control buttons/Hotkeys
  • Volume control buttons
  • Screen brightness control works fine. So there is a strange behaviour. If you change the brightness to dark it gets darker then it gets a bit lighter and after view steps it stay dark. The display of ubuntu shows that it is maximum dark or maximum light, but it still changes. Not a real problem though.
  • Thinklight control
  • WLAN/BT/OFF toggle (Fn+F5 and mechanical toggle)
  • Media player control
• Some ACPI features: Works great with "Listen".
  • Battery status, power graphs and history (tested with an single 6-Cell battery)
  • Lid states and events

Enabling Touchpad on/off key

Source: [[1]] The SHMConfig is now controlled through hal. In the past this was done through xorg.conf

You have to add the file

$ sudo gedit /etc/hal/fdi/policy/shmconfig.fdi

with the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
 <device>
  <match key="input.x11_driver" string="synaptics">
   <merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">True</merge>
  </match>
 </device>
</deviceinfo>

After this change please reboot. Restarting hal doesn't help.

Links for more information

Most stuff is identical to T400. so watch this link Install_Ubuntu_8.10_(Intrepid_Ibex)_on_a_Thinkpad_T400 I will add more information in the next days. Please contribute, if you have more information!