Thinkpads Forum

I am considering pulling the trigger on a widescreen T60. However, I would like to save a little money by using my own copy of Vista and a Hitachi 7k100 that I have on-hand. I also plan to install my own RAM (2GB).

I figure this will save me $314, but...

• Will any of this void my 2 year on-site warranty?
  
  Will I be able to get full Thinkpad functionality back after a clean install on my own drive? If so, where can I find the instructions?
  
  Where are the official details concerning the Lenovo on-site warranty? I've scoured the Lenovo website and found nothing specific. (I currently have an HP with on-site next-day service which I am very unhappy with. They have never responded to a problem by the next business day. In fact, 8 business days is their current record for me.)

One other thing... I really hate to buy directly from Lenovo, but I can't find a better deal. Does anyone know where I can get one of these for $1611 or less?:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7200
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 128MB
512 MB PC2-5300 SDRAM
Integrated fingerprint reader
60GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo
2 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day

Thanks,
Jeff

Upgrading your hard drive and/or memory will not void your warranty. In fact, it's recommended that you remove your hard drive before sending your system in for service (unless it's the hard drive that's the problem).

Yes, you can get funn Thinkpad functionality on your own drive. There are many threads about that on this forum.

Thanks RonS - I'll poke around for those threads.

Does anyone have a link to the Lenovo warranty contracts? I'd really like to look at these before I buy.

jeffm wrote:Does anyone have a link to the Lenovo warranty contracts? I'd really like to look at these before I buy.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... yle=lenovo

The reason it's recommended that you remove the HDD, memory, etc before sending a TP in for service is not because it will void the warranty - it's to make sure it doesn't get lost or damaged along the way.

jeffm wrote:I am considering pulling the trigger on a widescreen T60. However, I would like to save a little money by using my own copy of Vista and a Hitachi 7k100 that I have on-hand. I also plan to install my own RAM (2GB).

If you buy an XP-equipped T60 between now and March 15, you'll still be eligible for a "free" express upgrade to Vista (ie you only pay shipping).

nonny - thanks for the link. I looked at that page once before, but somehow mised this link (PDF):

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/th ... o_solw.pdf

It's exactly what I was looking for.

tomh009 - I already have 5 licenses for Vista Ultimate. I just thought I would save $49 and order the T60 with XP Home Edition. I assume they'll send me the same hardware. Won't they?

Yes, you'll get the same hardware. The ~$15 free upgrade would then get you a copy of Vista Premium, I think. If you still want that ...

jeffm wrote:I am considering pulling the trigger on a widescreen T60. However, I would like to save a little money by using my own copy of Vista and a Hitachi 7k100 that I have on-hand. I also plan to install my own RAM (2GB).

Another hint that what you plan on upgrading will not affect your warranty is that the user manual informs you how to make these changes (which you probably know anyway). I've made these hardware updates and usually purchase the lowest allowable memory when configuring a notebook and then get the 2Gig RAM from Crucial. The Ultra-bay is another hardware upgrade I've made which allows me to add another 100Gig HD (Seagate 7200rpm).