X60 libreboot 32bits

9 replies [Last post]
delaforce
Offline
Joined: 05/18/2014

Which OS install nowadays?
Thank you

Markmus

I am a member!

Offline
Joined: 11/19/2019

Hey, I had a T60 that i Upgrade to a 64Bit CPU to combat the same issue as you. Maybe if its possible for you, then look in to upgrading the CPU.

https://trisquel.info/en/forum/thinkpad-t60-cpu-upgrade

Here is the forum post i did, back in the day.

libreleah
Offline
Joined: 04/03/2017

i know the perfect OS, if it's a 64-bit model. switch the u-boot payload to 64-bit, as per: https://libreboot.org/docs/uboot/uboot-x86.html#thinkpad-x60t60

and install Haiku OS! it was tested recently, on a dell optiplex 3050 micro running libreboot. U-Boot provides UEFI. so you use haiku's UEFI boot method.

https://www.haiku-os.org/guides/uefi_booting/

haiku is a small unix-like OS, designed to run really well on even the slowest PCs. a lot of distros are bloaty nowadays.

either that, or pick a BSD.

...

or just use trisquel, that's good too

also yes, UEFI is a thing now, on libreboot and canoeboot. even on these ancient thinkpads. the original firmware doesn't do UEFI at all on a T60. i've used it numerous times for booting BSD systems more easily. more reliable than SeaBIOS.

Zoma
Offline
Joined: 11/05/2024

I think BSD is more setup to handle UEFI nowadays, so that makes sense.

I prefer grub over seabios too anyways due to usbs with operating systems cloned onto them working better with grub.

I don't specifically know how you managed though to get uboot working on libreboot though, but good job on that.

libreleah
Offline
Joined: 04/03/2017

U-boot provides its own init most of the time, but it also has a mode where it skips that and relies on what coreboot did. So it can be build as a coreboot payload. This is specifically supported in the U-Boot build system.

I made a few of my own fixes on top, to make it more user friendly, such as adding an auto-timeout feature on the bootflow menu. With that, you don't have to press enter to boot your OS.

Bonejo
Offline
Joined: 04/26/2025

Trisquel Mini 9 works quite well on my ThinkPad T60, which has a T1300 processor, making it a good option as a personal computer. However, it is important to note that this is the last version of Trisquel compatible with x86 architectures, and its support ended in April 2023. Fortunately, Parabola continues to provide support for x86. You also have the option to install Gentoo-libre GNU/Linux-libre. My recommendation is to either stick with this or consider upgrading to an x86_64 processor. I do not recommend *BSD, as they tend to be proprietary.

By the way, it is relevant to note that Libreboot is no longer libre. Consider installing GNU Boot.

Avron

I am a translator!

Offline
Joined: 08/18/2020

> Parabola continues to provide support for x86

I suppose you mean i686.

Parabola supports this but be aware that the support for 32bits in Parabola is not as good as 64bits. Typically, terminal programs are much more likely to work than graphical ones. This is not Parabola's fault, Parabola support for i686 is based on archlinux32, which is also struggling to maintain the same programs like for 64bits.

Zoma
Offline
Joined: 11/05/2024

or canoeboot would also work.

libreleah
Offline
Joined: 04/03/2017

Probably makes no difference tbh. Unless you want these:

* Encrypted /boot with Argon2 in LUKS2
* UEFI support (U-Boot payload), to boot e.g. Haiku OS, or boot BSDs more easily

Canoe has these, and more.

Canoeboot is more updated and generally better, but Libreboot 20220710 was a fine release, as is GNU Boot which is still largely based on that release (with the exception that they did recently update their GRUB payload, to v2.12, albeit without many of my additional fixes that I apply to Canoeboot's GRUB).

For example Canoeboot's GRUB won't brick itself when your laptop gets a stuck key. I remove the grub_printf that spews "Unknown key" repeatedly, allowing you to still boot; otherwise, that message would spam endlessly and you would have to remove the keyboard first before being able to use the machine.

Canoeboot also has some other minor fixes in it, in coreboot, GRUB - and Canoeboot builds on the latest distros, for example Parabola was recently tested. It even still compiles on bleeding edge 32-bit distros (GNU Boot doesn't, because of a bug in vboot, which Canoeboot fixed).

But if you just want to flash a pre-compiled image and boot basically any GNU/Linux-libre distribution and be done with it, either GNU or Canoe will do. GNU, too, has the extra GNU prestige I suppose. Whereas Canoe is unholy because I am its maintainer.

libreleah
Offline
Joined: 04/03/2017

NetBSD is probably your best choice IMO, for that machine. It's nice and lightweight, and they'll probably maintain 32-bit support like, forever. NetBSD prides itself on supporting as many architectures as possible:

https://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/

NetBSD is well-maintained and has many thousands of packages in it. The kernel/userspace is very efficient and basically anything you want to use from GNU/Linux is probably ported to it.

But if you want a FSDG gnu/linux, then Parabola is great.

Parabola or NetBSD, that's what I recommend on the X60 these days. Either one will be pretty much rock solid.