2006 T60 with a few problems. Fix or sell?

Hi I just signed up to the forums hoping to get good advice.

I bought a T60 back in 2006, Type 2623 - D6U. Warranty has expired a few months back.

About a year or two ago (I don't remember) I replaced the battery, but right now the battery is pretty much non-functional (it doesn't charge anymore). What I suspect is because I rarely turn off the power; I just close the screen to put it on standby.

Now I've noticed that sometimes I hear some clacking sound at the same time as I type. It seems to be in the area under my left side of the keyboard. I suspect this is a hard drive issue.

Performance wise, I don't have any complaints. Although I feel like I spent too much on this laptop; I'm just a college student that hasn't utilized the whole firepower of this laptop. The most intensive app was probably Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks.

With that said, I realize that if I purchase a new battery (original Lenovo) and probably a HDD, I would spend almost $300. And I have no experience opening up a laptop, upgrading the HD, and putting it back together so I thought it might be a hassle. I'm thinking that with that $300 I can probably get a brand new laptop. Obviously a downgrade from the T60, but I think I can live with a low-end or midrange laptop.

Should I spend the money to fix it or sell this T60? Or do I have to fix it AND sell it so it looks more appealing?

Thanks

 

One vote for fixing it. A new notebook probably won't offer much a performance increase for general usage.

 

the left side is not the hdd, the right side is the hdd, and if the clacking sound is only existent when you type, it could be that some screws are loose.

If you didn't drop the laptop or have water spilt on it, then there is no reason that your laptop wouldn't last 5 to 9 years.

I wouldn't get the alcheapo machines, as you get what you paid for. The 300 dollars machine are really just awful, it is like getting a Daewoo car after you used a Merc for a while. Just use the machine the way it is. If you don't use battery, then don't get a new battery.

You can use any SATA HDD of 9.5 mm and 2.5 inch form factor, and they are pretty cheap around 50 USD for a 250 gig (i am not sure which country you reside in), and you don't need to get a new battery try a used one, also you maybe eligible for a free battery replacement. What FRU does your battery have?

Also burn a set of recovery media from windows under create recovery media, if you decide to get a new hdd, you can use these media to recreate the recovery partition.

If you need anymore advices just shoot me a PM here or on Lenovo.com forum.

 

You guys rock. This is why I seek the experts.
I don't see an option to send a PM so I'll leave it here.

I'm in the USA.

I'm GLAD to know that the clacking is not a HDD failure. I also couldn't believe it; IBM's are supposed to built like a tank.
As far as I can remember I have never dropped it or spilled water into it. What should I do to fix that clacking sound?

As I said with the new school year commencing I would have to walk around places with my computer; not to mention when I hopefully get a job next year.

The sticker on battery says 11S92P1142.

Another thing: I think there's too much dust clogging the cooling system. I can barely hear or feel the fan's exhaust. I've skimmed through the Sticky that mentions the hardware maintenance manual. Please let me know if the pdf file has information on fixing these issues so I can study them when I have the time.

 

The number you gave me is the serial number, you should give me a Part number i.e. FRU 42Txxxx

Try to tighten the screws on the bottom of the laptop, and see whether that helps.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-62733.html

here is the hardware manual that tells you how to do all the hardware services on your T60.

To reach the fans, you should remove the palmrest and then the keyboard, the you can blow into the fans when it is not running, and this will dislodge any loose dusts.

Regarding batteries, if you are not eligible for a replacement, you can get a refurb or a used one from marketpalce on forum.thinkpads.com.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=BATT-082009

Have a look at the detail in the link i provided.

 

You just pop off the palm rest, the keyboard and the keyboard bezel, which will give you access to the CPU, fan and vents. Just clean it out. It's not rocket science. A fresh application of paste never hurt anything.

 

Fru 92p1141

 

stop wasting be green, don't throw away a working latop (t60 is ok just get a cheapo SSD (like the Kingston V+ (not the V) 64GB) and 2GB of RAM a new battery and your T60 will fly for another 4 years).

 

" if you decide to get a new hdd, you can use these media to recreate the recovery partition."

I would not advise messing with a recovery partition at all. My T61p doesn't have one and I've never regretted it.

Renee

 

I purchased a new battery but it's still not charging.

Lenovo service rep advised me that it might be a system board issue and can take $475-575 to fix. My warranty expired last June

 

If you can get another ac adapter, see if that works just to rule out that it's not the adapter. If you do need to replace the board you can get them cheaper on the internet and do it yourself. Replacing the board it's fairly easy, much more so than the LCD.