Hi, I am a new owner of a IBM THINKPAD T30. (Bought off Ebay) Can someone tell me:
1: Do I need the Wireless MPCI card?
2: Should I purchase a 1TB external drive to increase memory?
3: How can I get a free dvd decoder codec?
4: How do I update ALL the Windows software?(Currently running XP)

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

I moved your post from the How To/FAQ forum to the one which is dedicated to the T2x/T30 systems. To answer your questions:

1) You will need a wireless card only if you require the system to be connected to the internet (or your own home network) in any room of our house or if you travel with the laptop and don't want to deal with an ethernet cable.
2) Depending upon the type and number of files you are dealing with, an external drive could be desirable. Without knowing what you use your system for, or plan to do with it, then this is a hard question to answer. What I can say is that if you are considering an external USB drive, then your T30 only has USB 1.1 ports. These are the older, slower versions than exist today so you'll have to be careful that you select an external drive that can work with the 1.1 speed.
3) I believe that there are several free DVD players that work under XP; Google is your friend here.
4) You can generally get all of the Windows updates by clicking on the Start button, then clicking the Windows Update entry near the top of the main Start menu list.

Will I also need a wireless router? How can I get a higher speed USB port? What upgrades should I do in order to download & watch movies, store movies, videos, documents, surf the web....etc. in any room of my apt.? Thanx

Here is the ideal type of wireless card, provided you the antennas in the lid
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-Latitude-D600- ... 3a628f6a5a
If the antennas are not there:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3COM-XJACK-PC-C ... 27b872ccaa
A TB is a huge amount of storage, plus the slower USB im not sure how practical it will be. This however will get the speed up:
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-0-PCMCIA-card ... 3f0746e530
I use windows media player, with the K-Lite Codec pack to play DVDs
http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

HOWEVER:
Before you go nuts on extras, lets talk about some inexpensive tweaks to max out the T30 you have. The ideal T30 is a 2.0 Ghtz, cpu with 1.25 gig of memory. These upgrades will cost under $100.00. Upgrade the HDD to a 7200 rpm and the system will fly.

YMMV
Ron

Thanks A lot!!!! I'm having internet service installed on Tues.....I'll be sure to post my progress. P.S.
Inside the cover was a little folded thing with a black wire and white wire that says main on it. Are those the antenna?

I purchased a pair of used IBM T30(s) several years ago. One thing that I've learned is that a machine with a fresh Windows XP install runs faster than a 2 year-old install (even after Registry Cleaner and HD Defrag). If I am wrong, then someone please tell me what products I ought to be using.

Please search my posts "robert213" and then you will see my progress thru:

A. Purchase two used PATA/IDE (not Sata) 100 GB Hard Drives.
-- Hitachi 5K100 (5400rpm) or 7K100 (7200rpm) 80 or 100 GB Hard Drives.
-- Western Digital Scorpio Blue (5400rpm) or Black (7200rpm) less than 320 GB Hard Drives.

B. Obtain IBM T30 Recovery CD
-- This CD will restore your machine back to the way it left the factory.
-- It includes Windows XP Pro, Device Drivers, and IBM Utilities.
-- RealBlackStuff has a post in this T30 forum that will be of help for you.

C. Download MS Win XP Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3.
-- If I remember correctly, the IBM T30 Recovery CD has SP1.
-- Therefore, you can skip over SP2.

D. Free DVD decoder codec
-- The IBM T30 Recovery CD includes InterVideo's Win DVD 3.2 DXVA
-- which has DVD decoder codec needed to run Windows Media Player

F. Purchase Acronis True Image Home
-- Use this to make back up copy of your fresh Windows XP SP3 install

G. Purchase Apricorn Drivewire Adapter
-- Use this as your HD enclosure for your backup Hard Drive.

H. Purchase USB 2.0 PC Card
-- The port on our T30's is USB 1.1. USB 2.0 is much faster.
-- AKE PC Card (with 5V power cord, if available)

I. Download Avast! (anti-virus) and ZoneAlarm (firewall)
-- http://download.cnet.com/windows/
-- http://www.filehippo.com

J. Should I purchase a 1TB external drive to increase memory?
-- Purchase two 512MB PC2700 memory chips.
-- Purchase one 1GB PC2700 memory chip and use one existing 256MB.
-- I use my original 40GB HD for backup copies of spreadsheet & docs.

K. Do I need the Wireless MPCI card?
-- Most folks, purchase an internal wireless card.
-- I was lazy and purchased Linksys -11g PC Card
-- I connect ethernet cord directly to router when downloading install programs

L. Summary
At first this may seem like a lot of work, but
my IBM P4M T30 with fresh Win XP install runs just as fast as
my GF's 2 y/o Dell iCore5 Latitude E6510.

The hard part (the lessons learned from prior mistakes) has already be done
for you by the members of this T2X/T30 forum.

Yes those 2 wires are the antennas. You can use a card "like" the one I posted in the above post.

THAT said:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_w ... twork_card
Read this carefully, or make sure you use an IBM card.
I prefer the Atheros branded cars, they seem to work best for me.
RealBlackStuff likes the Broadcom
And plenty of people run the Intel 2200 style cards.

If you want a factory "B" card I have several that will drop in. $2.00 postage will more than handle shipping. This is the slower version of whats out there BUT its a drop in fit, no fuss, it just works.

Ron

THANX SO MUCH EVERYONE!!! Iam NO computer wiz and ALL the answers were helpful to me. I'll keep you posted and tell EVERYONE about this site!!!

Atheros card, will cause the 1802 error
http://cgi.ebay.com/Atheros-AR5213A-AR5 ... 3f01199ccc
Broadcom card, will cause the 1802 error
http://cgi.ebay.com/Broadcom-Mini-PCI-W ... 414eb084a6
Intel card, will cause the 1802 error
http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-PRO-Wireless- ... 56426370ee
IBM Intel card, should NOT cause the 1802 error
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Thinkpad-T40-T4 ... 3f072eb6d9

Keep in mind the 1802 hack, is very, very easy use and is reversible.
I did not check the prices on any of these...in fact I dont have a clue how much they were.

Ron

One last question: Does the antenna have to be sodered?

Nope plug and play, after the drivers are installed

Ron

All of these internal wireless -11b/-11g cards are selling for less than $10 shipped.

I spent over $60 for my LinkSys -11b/-11g external PC Card!!!!

In everything except my X31 series built specifically for battery time, I use the cheapest card I can find. That's normally a Dell Atheros card. I run the factory drivers and have no issues. Typically I pick them up for less than $4.00 per card shipped!. Even when I bought the Intel/IBM cards for the X31's I watched and only spent about $10.00 shipped.

About the same thing for my WAPs (wireless access points). I have a 2 story house on 1.25 acres of land. In the house and 1 outbuilding I have 8 or so access points. All of mine are:
http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Linksys- ... cess-Point
1 acts as the DHCP server and the rest act as access points. The most expensive one I paid about $30.00 shipped. Im a firm believer in the KISS method. Nothing fancy, but plenty of coverage cheaply.

Ron

HI RON,
I got the wireless card and installed it. Now what do I do because I still can't connect to the internet. Do I need to purchase my own wireless modem w/router? or can
I connect to a neighbors internet?

You need to get internet into your house.
Telephone companies like Verizon and AT&T can also provide Broadband.
Cable companies like Comcast, Adams, BlueRidge etc. can also provide Broadband.
Check around for the best prices, and read the small print!
Whomever provides you with Broadband, will also supply a modem and a router or a modem/router combo.
If you want wireless, you have to specify that, so you get a wireless-capable router.

Thanks A lot!!!.....Anyone know a couple cheap good wireless internet providers? Only need service for home.

While you are negotiating prices between Comcast's Broadband and AT&T's U-Verse, you could test your wireless card at...
1) your local neighborhood library
2) Panera Bread restaurant (and many other restaurants)
3) a friend's home

That's a good idea..Thanks!!!

Check this out: http://broadband.theispguide.com/urlfil ... dband.html
Make sure to also click on: Click here to get Instant quotes from Broadband Providers in your area

My TeleCo was much cheaper than cable, it pays to shop around.
Try the local WiFi spot to make sure everything is up to par on the wireless card you installed. By the way which one did you wind up with?

Ron

Honestly I don't know. I put the description in the Ebay search for the one that would not cause the error and bought it for $27. It came with two disks(Bios & Intel). The hardware was found & the software installed. The Intel software tells me the wireless connection is strong but the internet is still coming up with connection errors and doesn't connect What should I do? Is the error because I don't have internet in my house and it is connecting to a print server of my neighbors?

Entirely possible. Try it at a local restaurant and see if it connects. If your friend has wireless, ask them if you can connect, it will tell you the same thing as the restaurant. They will need to tell you the name of the Wireless Access Point so that you can be sure it is connecting.
An example for my network is everything starts with "RE-". Im using my "RE-store" point currently, but there is also RE-out (outside building) RE-up (upstairs) and RE-down (downstairs).
Anyway, for the layman the easiest program to use is Windoze Wireless Connection. It is a streamlined program and seems to be easier to use than the factory.

Im assuming its an Intel Card, based on the price and the extra CDs that came along with it. Something like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/DELL-INSPIRON-1200- ... 20ac883643
Plenty of the crew on this board run them.

Let us know if you need help
Ron

THANX SO MUCH RON!!!! You are the BEST!!! My parents have wireless so I'll try it n let you know....

Im going to keep this simple, till you get connected:

There are 2 types of WAPs (Wireless Access Points)
Locked and Open
On a locked wireless point, it will ask for a password. There are several types of locks...not the point of this post. Anyway, you will need a password. It may contain numbers, it may contain letters, it may contain both. On a locked point, it will have a password.
On an open wireless point, it will ask if you want to connect. it will then warn you its not secure connect anyway? Tell it yes. You will then be able to surf the net.

You really want to own a locked access point. Some preach WPA some preach WEP on this forum. For 99% of the general public it does not matter. My system has both.
High dollar does not equal better performance, so dont be fooled by high dollar WAPs. The tried and true is the Lynksys WRT54GL:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wir ... 2eb35c878e
I typically pick them up for $25 to $30 shipped, I have found them for $7.50 used!
Lynksys,ZxTel, D-Link are all decent brands. If you live in a small apartment, even a no-brand will work.
This appears to be a private label built by Lynksys:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid ... PB&cat=NET
When I went wireless, I picked up 2 of them and ran them for more than 2 years with no issues. Actually I may end up re-installing one of them for the kids Nintendo DSi!

Anyway, dont spend a fortune on a WAP and expect it to be significantly better than a middle of the road WAP.

Ron

Hi Ron....Update: it's working!! I just need to know how to increase my memory space to hold music, pics, videos, & movies because I think the lack of space is causing the laptop to run slow and how do I upgrade my 1.1 ports to 2.0 USB ports?

This is what I am using:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AKE-PCMCIA-USB-2-0- ... 4aa6adf11f

AKE BC168 - flush mount
5V power cord - borrow 5V power from USB 1.1 port (while using external USB HD enclosure)
CD - contains Win98 device driver (Not needed for Win XP and after)

Your T30 + USB 2.0 PC Card + using another HD as a USB enclosure

a) another HD from desktop
b) another HD from laptop with PATA/IDE interface
c) another HD from laptop with SATA interface

I am using Apricorn Drivewire adapter
-- adapter box
-- power cord between AC 120 outlet and power supply
-- power cord between power supply and adapter box
-- mini USB cord between adapter box and your USB 2.0 port

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apricorn-Drivewire- ... 336575ea7a

Purchase 500GB HD (Western Digital Scorpion or Hitachi 5K500.B)

Our laptops use PATA/IDE interface. Newer laptops use SATA interface.

I am using Silverstone's Raven as USB enclosure to store my music and videos.
http://www.sundialmicro.com/silverstone ... _1560.html

-- Editted after Ron's response

I am using Hitachi 7K100 100 GB inside of my machine. My 500 GB suggestion is only to be used in an external USB enclosure.

Here is one that is PATA/IDE and 60GB for $65...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hitachi-Travelstar- ... 3a635fbf70

and one that is PATA/IDE and 100GB for $115...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hitachi-Travelstar- ... 3a635fbf70

Shop around and you may find an 80GB version for a price somewhere in between.

What Robert123 said!

I can add is a couple of thoughts:
I prefer to use smaller than 70 gig HDDs on board. All of my "good" Thinkpads have 60gig Seagate 7200 rpm hard drives. Other people like other brands, but the Seagates have always done an outstanding job:
Here is an interesting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/24503 ... hard-drive
That said, I looked to the drives I prefer and only found 100gig or more that are available now.

On the USB enclosures, I have gone a little different way, I have many of these (in this brand):
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid ... AU&cat=HDD
Cheap, almost indestructible and seem to work well. One I have is over 5 hears old now!
Also Have a few of the SATA version, same price but the HDDs are cheaper, once again i run the Seagates. If I purchased one today, it would the the SpeedMetal with a SATA HDD (for use as a portable drive)

Keep in mind, on the machines I give away, every single one has been equipped with a Thinkpad OEM 30 or 40 gig HDD (a few 10 gig on the Linux boxes). I can not attribute any failure to using them.

Seagate's have the best warranty in the industry, last time I checked

I do have one of these also, its built by IBM and has the Thinkpad Logo on the other side. I bought it just because it matches the Thinkpads.
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-2-5-Hard-Disk-D ... 5327348463

Ron

[Start][Control Panel][Performance Maintenance][System][General]

My System Properties says:
IBM Corporation
Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R)
4 - M CPU 1.80GHz
1.80 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

What does yours say?

You may need to purchase two 512MB PC2700 memory chips or one 1GB PC2700 chip from the Marketplace forum on this site.