Thinkpads Forum

I recently had some issues with the windows image on my 1.5 year old t60 due to a malfunctioning battery, and the Lenovo service rep sent me a replacement hard drive and recovery CD's to get me going again, just in case it was both a hardware and software failure.

The replacement hard drive I received is a Toshiba 80 gb, 5400 rpm (FRU: 39T2718), but it has an orange "Serviceable Used Part" sticker on it.

Since calling Lenovo, I have determined that the problem was just a software issue and that my old hard drive (Hitachi) is OK to use.

I will be sending one of the hard drives back to Lenovo, so my question is... which one should I use? Are refurb hd's reliable... or does it basically mean that it has already had a mechanical failure at some point and has been repaired? Any significant advantage between the hd brands?

any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Welcome to the forum!

In order to comment your question, it would be appreciated if you could post the specific model and type for your T60 (e.g. 2623-DDU); you find this printed on the label at the bottom. Without knowing which specific T60 you have, it is actually... a bit difficult to answer your question!

Best regards,

Johan

fidiv wrote:snip....or does it basically mean that it has already had a mechanical failure at some point and has been repaired?...snip

Yes, usually a return product, at times even returned for no good reason.

If I were you I would keep the original drive, not because the replacement part is refurbished but due to the fact the original drive is still working with all my data on it.

As far as HD brand is concerned, in my experience they don't matter much, some HDD's are noisier than others already from the factory or vice versa, it's just a case of hit or miss, either you get a drive that makes very audible noise or you don't. To be honest, I only received a noisy drive once which was manufactured by Fujitsu but on the other hand I own another drive from the same vendor in another PC which is quiet as a mouse.

sorry, model number is 2623-d4u.

I guess i'm not too concerned about keeping all my data since i have it backed up and can move everything over without much hassle, and I would have to reimage the old HD if I decided to keep it.

So even without the data considerations, would my older original HD be the better choice? Wish there was some way I could find out exactly why the replacement HD is a refurb.

fidiv wrote:snip.....Wish there was some way I could find out exactly why the replacement HD is a refurb.

From lenovo's warranty terms:

lenovo wrote:Exchange of a Machine or Part:

The replacement may not be new, but will be in good working order and at least functionally equivalent to the item replaced. The replacement assumes the warranty service status of the replaced item.

Lenovo Statement of Limited Warranty.

fidiv wrote:snip....So even without the data considerations, would my older original HD be the better choice?....snip

As long as the original part works I would keep it but let's say if it dies again or starts giving me problems within next few weeks/months with the machine still under warranty; I would ask for a replacement once again then. Remember, had the software problem not occurred you won't have asked for an exchange at all. Under warranty, you're also entitled to ask for a replacement as many times as the problem(s) shows up.

Everything I expressed here is my viewpoint, you should do whatever makes sense to you the best.

Personally, over the years I have had very good experience with various Hitachi laptop drives and I would prefer to have one of those over any other brand. Jmo.