USB key on IBM Thinkpad

['Forum Post]

Barry Tice Wrote: 
> 

> I installed Ubuntu for the first time this morning, from an iso
> downloaded

> last night. It went on (wiped) an IBM Thinkpad 390E that previously
> had

> Fedora Core 1 on it.

> 

> With FC1, I was able to access a USB key drive. I have not been able to
> do

> so under Ubuntu. Any information about why this would be the case would
> be

> most appreciated.

> 

> I went into the #ubuntu IRC channel, where someone who was trying to
> help

> requestedthe  information returned  from dmesg, lshal, lspci, lsusb
> and

> lsmod commands. They can be found in the pastebins at:

> 

> dmesg: http://paste.ubuntulinux.nl/1086

> lshal: http://paste.ubuntulinux.nl/1087

> lspci: http://paste.ubuntulinux.nl/1088

> lsusb: (No information returned)

> lsmod: http://paste.ubuntulinux.nl/1090

> 



I ran into this exact same problem recently when I resurrected my old
IBM Thinkpad 390E and installed Ubuntu on it.  I found a solution.



Short answer: put "acpi=off" at the end of the kernel command line.



Geeky Details: For some reason, the kernel can't see the USB controller
(see line 200 of the 'dmesg' (http://paste.ubuntulinux.nl/1086), the
lack of output from lsusb is another good indicator).  In the past, I'd
had success with devices the kernel couldn't find on another laptop by
disabling various acpi bits on the kernel command line.  So, on a lark,
I tried this, and it worked.



Hope the original poster hasn't given up on this.



Rich


-- 
rrenomeron