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Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
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serpico
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Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#1 Post by serpico » Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:54 pm

Picked up a used T410s. Exterior has some cracks, but it seems to operate fine. I just want to do some basic field stripping and see what parts are inside. I know it's got a 1.8" SSD. Is there a spare bay that will take a 2.5" HDD?

First thing I noticed is what appears to be a sim card under the battery. There's also a wireless provider sticker in the battery compartment, so I'm assuming this is a sim card for 3G or WWAN. I assume I can remove this as I won't be signing up for a 3G plan for the laptop.

But how to remove it? Pulling on it doesn't work. Pushing it in to potentially engage a spring loaded mechanism doesn't work. Kind of stumped here.

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T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

ajkula66
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s

#2 Post by ajkula66 » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:50 pm

serpico wrote:Is there a spare bay that will take a 2.5" HDD?
You can install an UltraBay HDD carrier instead of media drive.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

serpico
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s

#3 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 12:14 am

OK, so I did a quick fieldstrip - optical drive, SSD, memory, keyboard - just to have a peak inside and note some make/model and part numbers.

Still haven't managed to get that SIM card out. I guess the blue tab has been pulled out. Tried using tweezers, but no luck. Anybody got any suggestions?
ajkula66 wrote:
serpico wrote:Is there a spare bay that will take a 2.5" HDD?
You can install an UltraBay HDD carrier instead of media drive.
Pretty neat. Do these take standard 2.5" SATA HDD's? I've got an old drive that came with my T60 laying around; may as well put it to use if I can.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s

#4 Post by ajkula66 » Sun Nov 09, 2014 12:21 am

serpico wrote:Pretty neat. Do these take standard 2.5" SATA HDD's?
Yes they do.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

serpico
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s

#5 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 12:42 am

ajkula66 wrote:
serpico wrote:Pretty neat. Do these take standard 2.5" SATA HDD's?
Yes they do.
Thanks! :)
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#6 Post by rkawakami » Sun Nov 09, 2014 3:20 am

According to your picture, there is no SIM card installed. The black piece is what the SIM card rests/slides on. There's no spring-loaded action either; simply push it in and when you want to remove it, finger/thumb pressure on the SIM and slide it out. I have the same socket on my X300 systems.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

serpico
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#7 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:57 am

rkawakami wrote:According to your picture, there is no SIM card installed. The black piece is what the SIM card rests/slides on. There's no spring-loaded action either; simply push it in and when you want to remove it, finger/thumb pressure on the SIM and slide it out. I have the same socket on my X300 systems.
Thanks. I had assumed the green piece under the black piece was the card. Guess the seller took it out prior to selling. Cool.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#8 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 1:52 pm

I was checking to see if this laptop has the pre-desktop/Thinkvantage partition. Appears not.

On startup, when I press the Thinkvantage button, I get the 'Startup Interrupt Menu', which has the following options:

ESC: resume normal startup
F1: enter BIOS setup utility
F12: choose temporary startup device
CTRL+P: enter Intel Management Engine setup

In Disk Management, the 120GB SSD is partitioned as follows:
1st partition: NTFS, system reserved, 100MB, 72% of which is free space
2nd partition: NTFS, system partition, 112GB

What's on that first partition?
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#9 Post by ajkula66 » Sun Nov 09, 2014 2:35 pm

serpico wrote:
What's on that first partition?
That's a partition that a W7 install creates. You have no recovery partition, and you shouldn't - at least in my opinion - have one on the SSD to begin with.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

serpico
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#10 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 2:43 pm

ajkula66 wrote: That's a partition that a W7 install creates. You have no recovery partition, and you shouldn't - at least in my opinion - have one on the SSD to begin with.
What's the purpose of that W7-created partition? Can I remove it and opt not to create a new one on a fresh install of W7?
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#11 Post by ajkula66 » Sun Nov 09, 2014 2:57 pm

serpico wrote:What's the purpose of that W7-created partition?
I'm not entirely certain.
Can I remove it and opt not to create a new one on a fresh install of W7?
AFAIK, the answers are "no" and "no". Personally, I wouldn't be bothered by a 100MB partition in the least...
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#12 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sun Nov 09, 2014 3:46 pm

The small one is the boot-partition.
Without it, it won't work!
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#13 Post by serpico » Sun Nov 09, 2014 10:54 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:The small one is the boot-partition.
Without it, it won't work!
My Windows 7 desktop has no such partition (or at least not one that I can see in Disk Management). It boots directly from a regular Win7 OS partition.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#14 Post by rkawakami » Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:41 am

Please confirm you are looking at Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Disk Management. A small, un-lettered, partition should be displayed before your C: partition. On my X300 W7Pro installation it's listed as SYSTEM_DRV. If you are looking at a Windows Explorer window (i.e., "Computer"), then you won't see it as W7 hides it from you with that view.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#15 Post by serpico » Mon Nov 10, 2014 7:51 am

rkawakami wrote:Please confirm you are looking at Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Disk Management.
That's exactly where I'm looking.

Image
rkawakami wrote:A small, un-lettered, partition should be displayed before your C: partition. On my X300 W7Pro installation it's listed as SYSTEM_DRV. If you are looking at a Windows Explorer window (i.e., "Computer"), then you won't see it as W7 hides it from you with that view.
The first two partitions are two different, active, W7 OS partitions. No small boot partition, as I'm seeing on the T410s.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#16 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:41 am

Technet (see below) wrote:This “stub” of a partition, which is new in Windows 7, serves two functions. First, it holds the Boot Manager code and the Boot Configuration Database. Second, it reserves space for the startup files required by the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature. If you ever decide to encrypt your system drive using BitLocker, you won’t have to repartition your system drive to make it possible.
More info: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/maga ... 41289.aspx
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#17 Post by that1nerd » Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:35 am

serpico wrote:
rkawakami wrote:Please confirm you are looking at Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Disk Management.
That's exactly where I'm looking.
rkawakami wrote:A small, un-lettered, partition should be displayed before your C: partition. On my X300 W7Pro installation it's listed as SYSTEM_DRV. If you are looking at a Windows Explorer window (i.e., "Computer"), then you won't see it as W7 hides it from you with that view.
The first two partitions are two different, active, W7 OS partitions. No small boot partition, as I'm seeing on the T410s.
I've seen that before, but very rarely. When I happen to find such examples, they're usually OEM installs.

Traditionally, there is supposed to be a 100MB "System Reserved" partition that manages the bootup of Windows. But in these special cases, where there is no such partition, the C drive becomes bootable and a "Recovery" partition is supposed to sit alongside it. (I'm talking about the 12~15GB partition that holds a factory image of the C drive.) For the sake of simplicity, for the OEMs, they "hacked" together a custom Windows image that will boot independently, without the "System Reserved" partition, to make deploying the factory image more simplistic and straightforward. I have also seen said "Recovery" partition being used as the system partition, containing an option to restore from the factory image in the "System Recovery Options" menu.

Sure that works for rolling out a factory image onto hundreds of thousands of PCs, but it becomes quite a hassle for the PC tech who has to work with this stuff on a daily basis... (I speak from experience.)

It's because of this, that I've defaulted to blowing away, and installing a clean copy of Windows, onto every PC I purchase brand new.
My "daily drivers":

T520 (4240-48u) - Core i7 2620m (2.7GHz), 8GB RAM, 80GB mSATA SSD, 1TB HDD, nVidia NVS 4200m (Optimus)
T43p (2668-VQ7) - 2.26GHz Pentium M, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB HDD, Radeon Mobility FireGL V3200

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#18 Post by serpico » Mon Nov 10, 2014 12:43 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Technet (see below) wrote:This “stub” of a partition, which is new in Windows 7, serves two functions. First, it holds the Boot Manager code and the Boot Configuration Database. Second, it reserves space for the startup files required by the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature. If you ever decide to encrypt your system drive using BitLocker, you won’t have to repartition your system drive to make it possible.
More info: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/maga ... 41289.aspx
Thanks. That explains it. When I did a fresh install on my desktop, I first used GParted to create all the partitions, then just pointed W7 install to the partition I wanted it installed in. Thus, no System Reserved partition.

More color: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... ded248247f
However, if you install on a drive that has multiple partitions, the recovery environment is stored in a folder in the root of your installation drive, so if you install to a partition with a label of C:\ it will be located at C:\Recovery.
Though I don't see a 'Recovery' folder in either Win7 partition on my desktop.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#19 Post by that1nerd » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:09 pm

serpico wrote:Though I don't see a 'Recovery' folder in either Win7 partition on my desktop.
Oh, it's there alright. It's a hidden system folder.

In order to see it, you'd have to uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" from within Folder options.
My "daily drivers":

T520 (4240-48u) - Core i7 2620m (2.7GHz), 8GB RAM, 80GB mSATA SSD, 1TB HDD, nVidia NVS 4200m (Optimus)
T43p (2668-VQ7) - 2.26GHz Pentium M, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB HDD, Radeon Mobility FireGL V3200

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#20 Post by serpico » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:24 pm

that1nerd wrote:
serpico wrote:Though I don't see a 'Recovery' folder in either Win7 partition on my desktop.
Oh, it's there alright. It's a hidden system folder.

In order to see it, you'd have to uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" from within Folder options.
Correct you are, sir! I forgot that I had protected OS files hidden in Explorer options. There is a 'Recovery' folder in both Win7 partitions on my desktop.
T430: i5-3320M(2.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14" 1600x900, NVIDIA NVS 5400M 1GB
W510: i7-720QM(1.6GHz), 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 15.6" 1600x900, 1GB nVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
T410s: Core i5 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 14.1" 1440x900
T60
X60

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Re: Help me dissect my new-to-me T410s *PIC*

#21 Post by Norway Pad » Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:22 am

that1nerd wrote:For the sake of simplicity, for the OEMs, they "hacked" together a custom Windows image that will boot independently, without the "System Reserved" partition, to make deploying the factory image more simplistic and straightforward.
I sometimes help out at the IT department at the local college when they have tasks that require lots of hands on work. So I made Win7 installs on T430 and T420 machines, installs that would later be uploaded to SCCM as a basis for machine images there. They didn't want this System Reserved partition either, so I remember simply deleting this partition, and then running the fixmbr command from the install disc to make the C: partition itself bootable.
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