# Problem with Thinkpad 1200

## Sieg

I'm trying to install gentoo on a Thinkpad 1200 (model 1161), and it fails at the detection of the USB controller. The last kernel message is the following:

```

usb-ohci.c: usb-00:14.o, Acer Laboratories Inc. [ALi] USB 1.1 Controller

```

I've tried both version 1.2 and 1.4rc1, and both give the same error. I've tried 1.2 with rescue no-usb and rescue nousb, but both of them fail at the same place.

I've also tried with rescue pci=conf2, and it did go to the menue for language, but after that, it failed to detect any PCI bus, and therefore was unable to get the network card running. I've even tried a pcmcia card. The module pcmcia_core loaded fine, but after that it could not load the driver of the card, both a 3com and a Linksys. Any ideas on a possible workaround for this? Ideally on 1.4, but if you have one for 1.2, it would be really appreciated. This is the first time I've had problems installing gentoo so far, but I know that it's an issue with most distributions. However, this is the first one for which the above solutions did not allow us to install.

Thanks a lot!  :Smile: 

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## Tiber

Go into your thinkpad BIOS.  Under HARDWARE (uh, third icon on the right if I remember my BIOS picture and we have similar BIOSes), choose USB.  You have the option to disable it.  I know it sounds like it sucks, but do so.  

You can re-enable it once your gentoo is installed and you've properly compiled a kernel for it.  I have an older thinkpad with a USB 1 interface and the same thing would happen to slackware.  (Although slack didn't lock up, it just gave up and kept on installing).   :Smile: 

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## Sieg

Thanks for the reply, but unfortunatly, there is no such option in the BIOS of this model  :Sad:   That had already been thought up, but we realized that it could not be done...

Thanks

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## Kaphein

I have exactly the same issue... bump  :Smile: 

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## Kaphein

Bump bump...

I still can't install gentoo on my laptop...

any help is appreciated but keep in mind that I have been trying for a month now so I "might" have tried all the basic things. And as a pointer (and an additionnal challenge) I need to tell you that using the network is impossible since the cards can't be detected because the only way to get past the usb error is to disable the pci bus using "pci=conf2" as a bootparam. And to spice it up a little more there is no serial port and no floppy drive on this sh*tty laptop.

    Mission impossible ???

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## squanto

Although very not fun to do, you could build a custom kernel for the laptop and put it on to the live cd. Leave out the usb stuff from the kernel and boot off of it.  You may have to mess with some md5 sums as well (as a heads up).

Would that work?

Yes, I know it seems daunting.

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## Kaphein

I resolved the problem by swapping the hard drive into another IBM laptop, bootstrapping, minimalist kernel and system building were all done in the other laptop. After I reinserted the drive in the iSeries Laptop and it worked. Unfortunately only a couple of days after I had successfully installed Gentoo on the laptop I left the company and since the laptop was not mine I don't have it anymore... It served educational purposes I guess... 

Now I have a Powerbook G3 which is another challenge (I'm still not sure if I'll try to install Gentoo on it since it's days are counted too as I might change laptop in a couple of weeks)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who suggested something !  :Smile: 

--Kaphein

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## squanto

Get one of them 17" powerbooks  :Wink: 

and watch the new apple ad with mini me  :Mr. Green: 

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