Ibm Thinkpad & WinXP?

Discussion in 'Windows OS's' started by steveo, Sep 15, 2005.

  1. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    Will a IBM THINKPAD LAPTOP 600E 300MHZ-128MB-6GB accept windows XP?
     
  2. Waffle

    Waffle Alpha Geek

    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    It will, although it would most likely be very slow.
     
  3. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    say if i did install XP on would i be able to go back to 98 if i thought it was to slow?
     
  4. Waffle

    Waffle Alpha Geek

    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    It is possible, although you would need a boot disk with FDISK among other programs in order to format the XP installation and recreate the logical partitions, in order to install 98 again.

    You can't downgrade an operating system without flattening the hard disk and starting over.
     
  5. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    how slow are we talking, i mean so slow that its not worth doing or not?
     
  6. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Yes, you'll need to remove the NTFS partitions using your XP install disc before DOS will recognise the partition though. Although I can tell you right now that your system is about half of the system requirements for XP, so it will be slow, and it'll hammer your HDD the entire time it's running.

    If it was me, I'd Install Linux on that puppy and run a lightweight window manager like XFCE 4:
    [​IMG]

    Or maybe even 'WindowMaker', which isn't flashy but uses only 4MB of RAM:
    [​IMG]

    There's also, IceWM, which looks suspiciously similar to a certain mainstream OS:
    [​IMG]

    It's not difficult to install, and the entire OS and all the software that comes with it is free. I'm a bit biased for this kind of thing though, as I ditched MS some time back and run Linux full-time. If you do want to run a newer version of Windows on that laptop, I'd recommend Windows 2000 pro, which is fundamentally the same OS as XP, but far faster & less bloated.

    All the best,
    -AT
     
  7. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    i'm going to be honest with you i dont have a clue about computers, i'm such a novice, but if i got windows 2000 pro all i'd have to do is put the disc in and follow the instructions right? or would i have to do one of those technical things?. P.S Sorry for my ignorance
     
  8. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    63
    The installer for 2000 is identical to the installer for XP, as they're almost exactly the same OS (like I mentioned earlier). If anybody tells you differently, they're ignorant. :) As for Linux goes, most versions of Linux have an easier installer than Windows, so that aspect is a non-issue. Also, you won't have to mess with installing drivers in Linux, as with Windows you probably will. In any case, make sure to get yourself a legal, non-pirated copy of whichever OS you choose to run. I suggested Linux because it's free and can run quite nicely on old hardware, especially since it doesn't need any antivirus tools, etc. But you can get Windows 2000 Pro for around $50 or so, if you buy it used.
     
  9. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    So Linux just an alternitive to windows, does it have word, paint, media player, etc
     
  10. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    166
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yes, if you are fairly new to computers Linux may not be the perfect choice as it's a little different to setup and there are a lot of programs that won't have out of the box compatibility but I'll let Anti-Trend brief you on all this as he's the expert.
    I would go with Win2000 as well, it will run just fine on that configuration (whether the programs you install on it will is another question), I know this because the computers we have to use at school are twice as slow as what you have. Getting another stick of ram would be a good idea.
     
  11. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    but is 2000 very easy to install?
     
  12. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    63
    I'm not sure exactly what "setup" exfoliate is referring to, but Linux is probably easier for the novice to install and maintain than Windows, although it is definately different for those who know Windows well but don't have experience with Linux. Answering your question about whether it has "word, paint, media player, etc", no, it doesn't. In fact, it comes with vastly superior software which is equivilent in functionality and appearance, and also happens to be free (free = good :)). Out-of-the-box, Linux comes with OpenOffice.org, which is a clone of MS office that's even compatible with MS Office documents. It also comes with 'GIMP', graphics software similar to photoshop (blows paint out of the water). The Linux equivilent of Media Player is called Mplayer, and it can play literally any video format. My point is that the software is in fact present, and the OS isn't difficult or scary. What it is is different than Windows, so if you have strongly engrained Windows habits it may be a tad confusing at first. But if you don't have much Windows background either, there'd be a learning curve either way, right? Anyway, I don't wanna get all preachy or anything, and it is your computer, not mine. But my advice to you is to at least try Linux out, since it is free and will ultimately allow you to do more with your laptop.

    All the best,
    -AT

    P.S. - If you sense frustration in my timber, it's because I deal with people saying "Linux is too hard!" all the time, which isn't even remotely true. My wife (non-geek) and my little sister (who has a learning disability) both run Linux, and they have no complaints or difficulties. If they can run it, I don't see why anybody else can't. -AT
     
  13. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    166
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    The more I hear about Linux the more I'm loving the sound of it. Are you refering to the downloadable versions or boxxed ones (or both)? If I was to get a version where could I buy it boxxed as I can't really download an OS with dial-up.
     
  14. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Both.
    BTW, you can order a pre-burned CD or DVD set for the distro of your choice from an online Linux CD vendor for a couple bucks. For instance, OSDIsc
    .com
    . Or, you can buy a set from the actual distro vendor, and have a nice boxed set with tech support, etc... your call. It's nice to have so many choices. :) Oh yeah, there's cheapbytes.com, too.

    All the best,
    -AT

    P.S. - Forgot to mention it, but I am willing to donate my time to burn & mail Linux discs, if that would help anybody with dialup. I even have the Mandriva Linux RC2 ISO in DVD format. That hasn't even hit the public mirrors yet!
     
    Exfoliate likes this.
  15. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    166
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    Very cool, greatly appreciated AT:) I'll just have to wait for the old laptop but I would love to have a separate partition for pretty much any Linux OS.
     
  16. ninja fetus

    ninja fetus I'm a thugged out gangsta

    Likes Received:
    65
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Ibm Thinkpad?

    I run linux on an old gateway, works like a charm. Also I keep a small (4.3GB) hard drive with linux installed and setup for when my windows goes down I can just slam in the little linux drive and boot up if I need to do something important.
     
  17. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    if i were to type up a a document using linux software, would i then be able to save it to a floppy disc put it on my main PC (witch is windows XP HOME) and print it?
     
  18. pelvis_3

    pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life

    Likes Received:
    123
    Trophy Points:
    63
    As long as it's saved in the correct format!
    e.g- .doc, .rtf, .txt ect......
     
  19. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    so all you have to do to change the format is change the ending?
     
  20. steveo

    steveo Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    doesnt matter just bought window 2000 pro off ebay, is there anything i should know about installation?
     

Share This Page