OS/2 Tips: How to install OS/2 Warp v4 on an IBM Thinkpad

By Andy Sisko

Installing OS/2 on a Thinkpad is not a simple thing. There are numerous processes to go through, before the installation is complete.I had already decided that the best way to install the new version (OS/2 v.4), was to take a backup of the one important file on my machine, and to simply re-format the drive, then go for the install! Fortunately, before getting Warp, I had been browsing the Web, and discovered an IBM site that promised to make things a lot easier for the install. The site http://www.rs6000.ibm.com/pspinfo/obi, provides a utility for installing Warp 4.0 on all ThinkPads. I downloaded the file(OBI.EXE), for use later.

There are two ways to install Warp onto a ThinkPad, the easy way, and the hard way. The easy way is to use the OBI.EXE file. The hard way is to install straight from the box. I tried to both ways, knowing that I was going to be writing this article.

The hard Way
The hard way is to load Warp straight from the box.

To start it is fairly simple: install OS/2 as you would with any other system, specifying which screen driver you have, which CD-Rom you have, which modem you have, which printer etc, when required. After the base code has been installed, you then need to load the following software in the specified order:


 * 1) ThinkPad Features Program
 * 2) PCI-IDE Bus Master driver
 * 3) PC Card Director
 * 4) Audio Support software
 * 5) Infrared support
 * 6) Thinkpad Display Driver

A lengthy process, but one that is essential to get the most out of Warp on any ThinkPad. The total amount of time to install Warp this way is approximately two and a half hours, as several reboots are required.

The Easy Way
The easy way to load Warp is to do the following:

Before installing/upgrading, download the OBI.EXE file from IBM's web site at http://www.rs6000.ibm.com/pspinfo/obi. Format 4 disks. When the file has been downloaded into a new or empty directory, run the program. When it has finished (it takes about 2 seconds to complete), enter the command cdinst a: while the Warp 4.0 cd is in your CD drive. This will then create 4 installation disks that are to be used in place of the three disks that come with Warp.

The scenario then is VERY easy! Start the install of, with the new installation disks, and then ..... leave it! Warp will then install itself! There is only on response required, and that is for the ThinkPad Utilities program install (a license agreement that requires you to respond Y). The whole process take about one and a half hours, and involves 5 reboots, but it is all automatic. The only thing that I found that I had to do with my ThinkPad 365XD, was to install the display driver manually at the end, which took 3 minutes. That's it!