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    A 1999 IBM ThinkPad i1400 series...

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by lineS of flight, Sep 17, 2008.

  1. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Hi...

    I have an old i1400 series machine, which has been lying unused for the past 6 yrs or so. I am sure the battery is dead - but otherwise should be OK. I also think it is Celeron-driven.

    My question is whether it is worth dusting it off, refitting it - getting a new battery etc and using it as a portable? Or, would it be a wasted effort?

    I remember that it had Win2K but other than that I don't remember too much about it aside from the fact that it was a robust little machine. Oh...and no wifi either. If it is worth fixing it up, I will be in the UK shortly - so are there any places that do such things? One thing that I would need would be to have wifi - preferably within the system rather than as an add-on.

    What do you folks think?

    PS: I will have to get a UMPC (netbook - for those who hate Intel's term! :D )...but I was thinking that if I could refurb this then maybe I need not buy a new machine.
     
  2. AznRacerNSX

    AznRacerNSX Notebook Evangelist

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    i think it's not worth it... that beast of a machine is so old now... a new battery will run you around 100 bucks? The processor is kicking at like 500 MHz and... no Wifi... i would cry if i don't have Wifi. I doubt they have mini pci slots in that model... Your ram is like 32MB or 64MB?

    You're better of getting a cheap netbook instead.

    Here's your typical spec for your IBM:

    Processor

    Processor: Intel Celeron 500 MHz

    Data Bus Speed: 66 MHz
    Cache memory

    Type: L2 Cache - Pipeline Burst

    Installed Size: 128 KB
    Storage controller

    Type: IDE
    Optical storage

    Type: 1 x CD-ROM - integrated

    Read Speed: 24x

    Compliant Standards: Kodak PhotoCD, CD-DA, CD-XA, CDi
    Video

    Graphics Processor / Vendor: ATI RAGE Mobility AGP 2x

    Video Memory: 4 MB

    Supported Display Graphics: VGA (640x480), XGA (1024x768), SVGA (800x600), SXGA (1280x1024)
    Audio

    Audio Output: Sound card

    Compliant Standards: Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16/Pro, AdLib

    Audio Input: Microphone - integrated
    Input device(s)

    Type: Keyboard, TrackPoint
    Telecom

    Modem: Fax / Modem

    Max Transfer Rate: 56 Kbps

    Protocols & Specifications: ITU V.90 , Hayes AT command set
    Power

    Power Device: External

    Voltage Required: AC 110/220 V ± 10% ( 50/60 Hz )

    Power Provided: 56 Watt

    Manufacturer's product description
    Winner of two 1999 Mobile Insights Mobility Awards, the IBM ThinkPad i Series family of notebooks is affordably priced and designed for individuals who want the freedom to work and play when and where they want. With almost everything you need already built in, the ThinkPad i Series notebook is a powerful, convenient and easy-to-use PC for your busy lifestyle. Whether it's for personal productivity, leisure time surfing the Internet, playing games, or listening to music, the ThinkPad i Series notebook lets you do the things you want at the price you want. The ThinkPad i Series notebooks contain everything you need. Experience stunning video, 3D graphics and great sound from speakers as you work, learn, or surf the Internet. In addition to featuring powerful and reliable Intel processors of Mobile series, large display, high-speed media drive, roomy hard disk drive and integrated modem, the ThinkPad i Series notebooks are the most affordable ThinkPad notebooks.
    Battery

    Technology: Nickel Metal Hydride

    Installed Qty: 1 / 1 (max)

    Run Time (Up To): 3 hour(s)

    Recharge Time: 2.5 hour(s)
    Operating system / software

    OS Provided: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition

    Software: Drivers & Utilities, AOL, Adobe Acrobat Reader, ConfigSafe, Norton AntiVirus, Netscape Communicator, Lotus SmartSuite Millennium
    Environmental parameters

    Min Operating Temperature: 5 °C

    Max Operating Temperature: 30 °C

    Humidity Range Operating: 20 - 80%
     
  3. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah...that looks right! Pretty much the machine I have! Yeah maybe a good idea to get a brand new netbook instead.

    Thanks for the info. BTW, how does one get rid of the machine - actually I have two more old laptops lying around - well one not THAT old...?

    And...as you said...without wifi I would be dead too!
     
  4. mikec

    mikec Notebook Evangelist

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    I had one of these...it was a good machine in it's time. One of the first with a Thinklight.

    The cost of battery replacement will kill it...you might spend $150 on a battery, when you can get a brand new one for $400 (like a Compaq F700, which is decent for basic use).

    You could put Linux on it (if there are drivers - big if), and use it for browsing and such, but I think it's not worth the effort. As was said, you need a wi-fi card, etc.

    Put it in eBay, get $20 bucks for it (or donate it and take the tax write-off) and get a new one.
     
  5. AznRacerNSX

    AznRacerNSX Notebook Evangelist

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    I say don't dispose it: make it a LINUX SERVER!!

    if you really want to dispose it:

    To properly dispose (at least in canada) you have to take it to a electronic dump site so that they can dispose of it properly and not destroy the earth

    donate it

    I wouldn't bother selling (too much effort) lol
     
  6. mikec

    mikec Notebook Evangelist

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    Getting rid of old laptops:

    - eBay - won't get a lot, but get something. May take a while to sell or not sell
    - Craigslist - you will get much less than eBay, but you will likely get rid of it faster.
    - Donate (if if usable)
    - Recycle
     
  7. Yotsuba

    Yotsuba Notebook Evangelist

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    Well, it all depends on what you are doing on the computer. If you plan on playing games and such, then I would definately recommend you buy a new computer. However, if you are just surfing the web and doing stuff such as listening to music and word processing, then this computer should be good enough. All you should need to do is increase your RAM and get a bigger battery. As for WiFi, you could get an external WiFi PCMCIA card. Now being that the computer is from 1999, I bet the hard drive isn't too large, so you should upgrade that to at least 20GB if you are going to continue to use Windows 2000. Also, upgrading the RAM wouldn't hurt either.
     
  8. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah...maybe I should...though I found out that the battery costs around US$ 79... see http://ibmlaptopbattery.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=55

    The problem is (1) lack of wifi (2) it will probably be very slow compared to what I am used to...

    Tax write off not applicable in my case...for various reasons. No e-bay for me at least from the location I am in currently...so maybe just donate it...but donate a machine that does not work becoz of a dead battery?
     
  9. AznRacerNSX

    AznRacerNSX Notebook Evangelist

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    well... check highschools... because there's computer courses that they need old school computers to teach basic networking (tcp/ip settings and connecting to a switch etc etc)...
     
  10. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    That's an idea! Gotta strip clean the HDD though!

    Thanks!
     
  11. AznRacerNSX

    AznRacerNSX Notebook Evangelist

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    i think there's some free software out there that does hd wipes with a DOD standard (department of defense)
     
  12. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    Could you post it's specs, or at least what you remember about it? I might be interested in it. i.e you can donate it to me :)
     
  13. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Lolzzz...i'll look it up and post...in the meantime, your sig reflects that you are not in need of a 'donation'...you have a pretty smart machine yourself!
     
  14. shoehopper

    shoehopper Notebook Enthusiast

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    I would stay far, far away. I use a Thinkpad 600E from 1999 on a day to day basis (can't believe the battery still holds a charge, will get me about 30 mins), and it is very frustrating even for light use. Web pages consistantly take 1-2 minutes to load and this machine has a Pentium II (72 MB RAM). Of course I put XP on it, which it was never meant for, but these old machines just don't hold up to the media-rich web that we have become used to. Unless you are a very patient person or a glutton for punishment, I would ditch it.

    I seriously have to restrain myself from putting my hand through the screen every day. My U330 can't get here soon enough.