T42 upgrades?

[niceguysfinishfast]

Hello all, this is my first post. I was wondering if someone could tell me about all the possibilities that exist for upgrading my T42. I found this thread (http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=46242), which is very helpful, but the information is almost 2 years old. I just want to make sure I have the most up-to-date info.

I have a T42 2378-R4U. Original description: P M 725, 256MB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 24x24x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, Intel 802.11b/g wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip, 6 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

I have since increased the RAM to 2GB (which I believe is the max), and the HD to an 80GB I bought directly from Lenovo.

I am most interested in getting as large a harddrive as possible, but I'm confused as to what my options are. I'd also like to get a DVD writer, and perhaps a longer-lasting battery. I would also love to hear if there are any other useful upgrades. Thanks very much.

[sktn77a]

You could upgrade the CPU to a 2GHz or 2.1GHz Pentium M but the 2.1 GHz runs a little hot. It's hard to find the DVD burnrs with the bevelled fronts but the flat front models fit the ultrabay slim just fine. The largest HDD, I believe, is a 320Gb. Whatever you do, DON'T be tempted to put Vista on the machine - it's way slow on a T42 (no matter what CPU you have).

[niceguysfinishfast]

You could upgrade the CPU to a 2GHz or 2.1GHz Pentium M but the 2.1 GHz runs a little hot. It's hard to find the DVD burnrs with the bevelled fronts but the flat front models fit the ultrabay slim just fine. The largest HDD, I believe, is a 320Gb. Whatever you do, DON'T be tempted to put Vista on the machine - it's way slow on a T42 (no matter what CPU you have).

Thanks very much for the info. I was wondering if you could point me to specific DVD-RWs and HDDs- I just don't know what's compatible with my T42. Thanks.

[ZaZ]

I think this the drive being referred to. It's the largest PATA drive available at the moment, which is what the T42 uses.

[91011]

Here's a DVD-RW on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-T41-T40-T42-CD- ... dZViewItem

The FRU number indicates it was used in a T43 (among others) which means it should have the angled front panel. You might check with the seller. Price fairly reasonable.

There is also one listed on the Forum: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=76645
It will be faster and the same price as above but has the flat front panel.

John

[madkat]

The one on ebay is Ultrabay Enhanced - the thick model that fits in T4x with 15' screen and in R5x.
NOT in T4x with 14'

[91011]

In the ebay listing I linked to above, the stock photo is of an Ultrabay Enhanced drive BUT the FRU 39T2507 in the listing is the FRU of an Ultrabay Slim Drive. I own two 39T2507 drives and they are interchangeable in my 15" T43p, T42p and 14" T43, T42, T41.

FRU 39T2507 http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62332

Obviously I would check with the seller to confirm but I wouldn't put much faith in a stock photo over a FRU number.

John

[madkat]

of course, but this only makes you trust the seller less... or at least i would...

[ZaZ]

Both the 14" and 15" use the slim drives.

I'd go with the newer drive even if you can't get the angled bezel. The DVDRW drives from those ThinkPads were not very good. I know I had one on my T42. It was very picky about which media it accepted and burns failed with some regularity.