ThinkPad Driver Matrix Collection
=================================

This Collection is provided to assist in the installation / re-installation of various operating systems onto a ThinkPad. It is an assembly of the various drivers and support software made available by IBM and Lenovo, and the latest version of the Collection is available from:

http://www.basterfield.com/TPAD-MATRIX

My TPAD-MATRIX site was created as a tribute to the old IBM ThinkPad driver matrix pages, to give simple tabulated access to all available downloads for older ThinkPads. Whilst heavily based upon the original IBM Personal Computing Support pages, my site has been re-written by hand to emulate the style of the originals, but to simplify access to the necessary download files. 

You are invited to use this collection for your convenience, but you do so at your own risk. I accept no liability for the use of the software contained within. Software and drivers are provided as published by IBM - bugs, limitations, omissions, and all - and remain the copyright of their original authors.


Understanding the Driver Matrix Collection
==========================================

The directory tree should be fairly self-explanatory. With the exception of bootable diskette images, all files have been unpacked into directories following the convention: 

    ThinkPad Model - driver category - operating system - driver directory

Each driver directory will have a corresponding .txt file of the same name in its parent folder, which is the README for that driver package/directory: 

e.g.

    600\
      + audio\
      |   + Win31\
      |   |   + aftprw31\
      |   |   + aftprw31.txt
      |   + OS2\
      |   |   + aftpros2\
      |   |   + aftpros2.txt
      :   :   :
      :
      + video\
      |   + Win31\
      |   |   + vftpxw31\
      |   |   + vftpxw31.txt
      |   + OS2\
      |   |   + vftpros2\
      |   |   + vftpros2.txt
      :   :   :
      :

(Best viewed using a fixed-width font)

Where one driver package supports a number of Windows versions, to save duplication of driver packages the naming of the 'operating system' folder will be more general, e.g. Win9x, Win32, etc. A .txt file matching the folder name specifies which versions of Windows that package applies to.

In the root of each driver package will be this readme.txt, plus a version.x text file giving the version number and containing the revision history.


Bootable diskette images - .EXE files
=====================================

Bootable diskette images remain as the self-extracting .EXE files. There are two reasons for this: 

    1) Most such diskettes are involved in flashing firmware - I don't want an error on my behalf bricking your ThinkPad;
    2) It retains the bootability of such diskettes, without converting to .IMG files (see point 1 above).

These self-extracting .EXE files can be run in DOS, OS/2 command prompt, or 32-bit x86 installations of Windows 9x / NT / 2000 / XP etc. This includes virtual machines running under, e.g. VirtualBox. They will not write correctly to floppies under DOSBox, in my experience. For more information on this, especially when using a VM and USB-attached physical floppy drive, see the following page:

http://www.basterfield.com/TPAD-MATRIX/doc/diskimgs.html


Enjoy!
Dan Basterfield
daniel@basterfield.com
