I was able to boot up one of my recent acquisitions for the first time last night, since I've now got its power cable: a Lenovo Thinkpad T61, from 2006. 2 GHz Core 2 Duo, integrated graphics, and 4 GB of RAM. Can't put storage into it without a disk caddy, but I can at least boot some things from USB to ensure the thing still functions; namely, Haiku (a build from 2024) and Linux Mint 22.3 (it's what I had on hand). Alas, it froze during the Quake test, so I'll hold off on any further.
Once I _do_ get that caddy, I've got a drive already picked out for it that already contains a Windows XP install, but I'm pondering what I should try putting on it instead. I've never messed with a BSD before and maybe this should be the time that I give that a try.
I figure I owe this site the update as well since I posted about it here before. The Thinkpad, now dubbed "PonderSlab", is now running FreeBSD 15.1, has functioning wi-fi, graphics and audio drivers, runs Lxqt as its window manager...
And pulls 33.5 FPS from Quakespasm at 1280x800. 😙
As much of an ordeal as it was to get it to this point - FreeBSD installs almost nothing by default except network drivers - I'm extremely thankful that their website includes full, comprehensive documentation that even an inexperienced hobbyist like myself could follow.
Still some minor blips to contend with; my user has permission to `su -` but not to `sudo`. But the thing functions! No idea where I'll take it from here, as ever, but I always wanted a ThinkPad in any case.
Items potentially on the wishlist for PonderSlab? Well, the Ultrabay is currently empty. Logic dictates that I put a DVD drive in it, but I wonder if there is anything weirder or more interesting that can go in the bay. I spotted someone on eBay selling an Ultrabay ZIP-100 drive, but the pictures were so bad I couldn't be sure if it was even a ZIP drive, let alone for an Ultrabay.