My X60s palm rest (which seems to be one part that has thin "sides" that travel all the way around the keyboard) has a small crack developing from the front edge towards the finger print reader and another crack in the lower right corner which has allowed the IR sensor cover to come loose and I don't have a clue where it is.

I have seen a number of posts on the forum regarding members ordering these parts from various vendors and doing the replacement themselves. I don't have those skills.

Is there an out-of-warranty service depot I can send my laptop to for replacement of these parts?

The bigger issue to me is that my "life" is on this laptop, and there are many programs on it for which I don't have the program discs anymore.

Is there an easy way to clone everything on my 100gb hard drive to an external drive and still use the programs? Many have told me that there are BIOS (?) issues and that my X60s-installed programs won't work on another machine.

Any guidance on these issues will be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Your best bet to get factory-qualified service would be to call Lenovo and ask if they could do it. Of course it will probably cost some $$$$

ref: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-44986

Replacing the palmrest/keyboard bezel is not too hard to do if you have the right tools (small screwdrivers, good eyesight, steady hands and good organizational skills). There's the Hardware Maintenance Manual to help guide you through the steps needed to do the job:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62866

As far as cloning your hard drive.... It seems most people around here like to use Acronis True Image. The latest version is here:

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/pr ... index.html

As long as you are simply copying your OS and installed programs onto a larger drive and will be using it in the same X60s, then there should be no problems. The only thing I can think of which could happen would be if you have a retail version of XP on your drive (i.e., not a factory-supplied copy). Windows may detect that the hardware is slightly different and ask you to re-activate it. That's usually just a call into MS telling that you are upgrading to a larger drive and they should not have any problems giving you an activation code. There will be no BIOS issues. What you have been told by others about your X60s programs not working on another machine is mostly true. Windows looks at the hardware on each boot and determines if there's been any major changes since the last boot. If there is, then it assumes it's running on a different computer and may, 1) ask you to re-activate or, 2) issue a "Blue Screen Of Death" (BSOD) because the installed software on the disk drive does not, or cannot, support the hardware in the computer.

However, before you decide on the program to use, the one thing you should consider is what kind of hardware you will be using to copy/backup to. If you have an Ultrabase for the X60s, then you could use an Ultrabay Hard Drive adapter to mount the backup drive. The problem then becomes, "how to you start/run the cloning program?". You either have to start it from Windows or use a boot disk (floppy, CD or USB flash drive). That means you'll have to have a USB floppy or CDROM drive. The other method would be to connect an external disk drive to the laptop's USB port. The cloning program would then start from Windows or if you have the Ultrabase, from a CDROM drive. What I'm basically trying to point out is be sure that whatever cloning program you buy/download/use, it can support whatever hardware configuration you have (or need to get).

Thanks for the incredibly detailed and knowledgeable response.

My goal is to clone my X60s drive with Acronis or some other program to a USB external drive or a hard drive I can install internally on a desktop machine so that I am not "down" if I send the X60s in for repair (which will probably going to take weeks) or I am not totally out of business if I take the plunge, try to fix the X60s myself and somehow trash the machine.

Any further guidance will be most appreciated. Thank you!

The X60S top bezel comes with the IR plate already attached. If you get one from ebay
make sure it's there. On the other hand if your machine runs a little hot, get a bezel from
an X61S which is a 100% fit but with palmrest cooling slots and no IR plate. (No IR on an X61S)
Either one is an easy replacemant job, just take your time and you'll be fine.

There is free disk copy software from Easeus (Google) that works like a charm.

Tim S

If you do replace the palmrest bezel, my advice is to take your time and *don't* try to force anything. There are a couple bits of the assembly that have some rather devious little lips on them, and it's very easy to try to pull one free and crack the rear portion of the plastic in the process (it's pretty thin and flexible.)

Firstly, which country are you in?
Secondly, the cost for sending this sort of machines for repair would be similar to getting a used X61s from ebay.
Thirdly, there is video tute that teaches how to do the repair yourself.

http://www.lenovoservicetraining.com/ion/

I am in the USA.

I am assuming that I would have to use Acronis or some other program to ghost my drive to the X61. Would all of my programs work on the X61 without having to reload them?

Thanks for that info; what about fingerprint reader palmrests ? they're at different places, will the cable fit too ?

Assuming the X61S cover will work perfectly, I would like to go with it becasue of the heat issues.

Where is the best place to buy the part from?

Does anyone have a SKU numnber for the top cover we have been chatting about. If it fits perfectly, I would like the X61 cover because of the heat that the X60S throws off.

Thanks in advance for your help.

If heat is your problem, then you should really replace your wifi card with a half-size Intel 6200N, combined with a half-size bracket.
Since you are taking off the palm rest, you have full access to the wifi card.
Download the illustrated manual here: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail. ... MIGR-62866
In there you will also find all the part numbers you need.
Shouldn't take more than ca. 15 minutes at most!

Also, click on User Control Panel at the top of this page, click on Profile , and then fill in the field after Location: and after City, State (or City, Country):.
Knowing roughly in what area someone lives, makes giving help a lot easier!
Someone near you might be able/willing to do the parts-swap for you.

I have not been able to locate a half-sized card that doesn't require BIOS modification, and the people doing those aren't doing them anymore, and never did for the x60t.

That is incorrect -- modified BIOS for the X60T exists.

Where do I buy the X60s top cover part from?

Don't bother -- the cooling slots on the side of the X61[s] palmrest will not mitigate the hot palmrest issue on the X60[s]. Those vents help a little only if you also have the 2nd fan, which is not an option on an X60[s]. Install a modified BIOS which will permit the installation of an Intel 6205 (or older 6200), and the palmrest heat issue will disappear ...

My X60S top cover (goes around the perimeter of the keyboard) is cracked. That is the reason I am replacing it, not the heat.

Where do I buy the replacement part?

Here you go (pay attention to fingerprint/no-fingerprint, if that matters to you):
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=%28 ... &_ftrt=901

Thanks so much. Can anyone give me a SKU number for the X60S top cover with the fingerprint reader opening so that I know which part on eBay is the proper part?

There must be 40 FRU numbers -- IBM logo, Thinkpad logo, older, newer, etc ... and the eBay listing may or may not have the number. Identify the item visually. Here are the lowest-priced ones (at the moment) from the list above:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-LENOVO-THIN ... 43adacdb27
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-THINKPAD-X6 ... 35b8b96b92

RTFM...
I already gave you all the info you need!

Thanks to everyone for all your help. I ordered the part from eBay and will let you know how the installation goes.

One question--should the top that I ordered have come with the little window for the IR sensor, or is that a different part I need to order?

If it is, if anyone has a source and the part number, it would be appreciated.

RealBlackStuff--you must have misread my prior post. I have an X60S and purchased the top panel recommended above for the X60S, not the X61.

I am just trying to find out if the X60S top panel normally comes with the IR plexi or not. If is does, I will contact the seller that I purchased the panel from off of eBay. If not, a recommendation on where to purchase one would be appreciated.

Can't you just remove the IR window from your old palm rest and put it on the new one?

My existing IR window is missing--any ideas on where I can purchase the window itself?

One more question--where can I get some replacement key caps? The actual letters on a few of my keys have worn off.

Thanks!