Linux on an OLD laptop

I have just been given a laptop (IBM Thinkpad 240 running windows 2k) and spent a few days trying to load linux on it.

The 240 I was given does not have a floppy, CD-ROM or built in network and it won't boot off the USB, but I managed to install Ubuntu Intrepid Alterrnate install like this:

1. Remove the hard disk, and install it in an old laptop (in my case a 365x) with a CD-ROM and floppy drive, boot off a downwloaded MS-DOS 6.22 floppy, format C: and sys C:
2. Copy loadlin 1.6 and dsl linux to a CD. Copy the CD to the local hard disk
3. Put the hard disk back into the 240, and boot MS-DOS
4. Use loadlin to boot DSL (from /boot/isolinux on the CD): loadlin linux24 initrd=initrd.gz root=/dev/ramdisk
   
5. Use DSL to mount a USB disk containing the linux distro you want to install (Ubuntu Intrepid in my case), and copy it to the hard disk
6. Reboot into MS-DOS
7. Use loadlin to boot Ubuntu - I used the network install as Intrepid detected the PCMCIA card I had: loadlin vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz root=/dev/linux
8. Once Intrepid was installed, a standard wireless USB worked beautifully!

Note for the 240, DSL needs vga=789 and xmodule=fbdev to start the GUI

I am currently running JWM and XDM on the 240 with the kazehakase browser (firefox is too heavy for a 300Mhz laptop!)