Linux on the B2154
This page is now out of date and no longer maintained. I keep it here purely for reference purposes.
If you want more information about repairing laptops, or Linux on laptops try TuxMobil or Repair4Laptop.
The Fujitsu Siemens B2154 is by laptop standards old news. However until recently I owned one, and I'm sure a few other people still do too, and as I like using Linux and have spent some time getting it to run on the B2154 I decided to write this part of my domain. But as I said I used to own one, the screen and battery finally gave in, and the spare parts would have cost more than a new laptop, hence there will be no more updates to this part of my domain, although I will keep it going.
These pages may also be of use to those of you who are trying to get Linux to work on other laptops.
Whilst I may alienate many Linux purists out there I have also written a short guide to installing Windows XP Professional on the B2154, as well as notes on issues I had with the pre-installed Windows 2000 operating system.
Please be aware, as with everything else on these pages, I am no expert, so I can't give you advice on whatever problems you are having, probably because I don't know myself. Also be aware that just because I didn't hurt/ kill myself/ destroy my laptop doing any of the things described here it doesn't mean you won't (so to put it simply; DISCLAIMER: you follow my instructions here at your own risk).
If you are new to Linux then I reccomend getting to know the operating system, whether you are an IT administrator trying new things or a home user who wants to broaden their knowledge using Linux will teach you more about the hardware and protocols of computing than any other operating system. It is often very frustrating getting your system up and running, even for those experienced with computers, all I can say is stick with it, you'll thank yourself for it in the end and gain valuable experience.
Sadly I am not an authority on Linux, my best advice to those of you starting off is to get a copy, Linux is available off the shelf from numerous providers and (compared with what you get from Microsoft) very cheap (see my Linux Links page). One of these installations, especially the later ones is the best way to start. You may have heard the horror stories others tell of their attempt years ago to get Linux installed on their old P75, but Linux as an operating system has matured very fast, gone are those days and modern installations all install as easily, or in some cases more so, than MS Windows on a desktop PC. The systems will of course require tweaking, but thats the fun with Linux, and remember if it goes wrong with Linux chances are you can fix it, if it goes wrong with Windows it's often time to re-install. Linux will also install on most normal Laptops easily but the B2154 is not a standard machine. Hopefully those struggling with it, or with some similar machine will find the help they need here.
The only installation I have ever used is SuSE (pronounced Sooze), but I have used it in several incarnations and so the experiences I've had are broken down on this site into the different installations I have used (see top of page).