I bought a NEW X31 off ebay! UPDATE-ARRIVED

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Mr.Marui · #1 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:46 pm

Hey guys, I'm new to thinkpads, but I have used them before and love the solidity compared to my Dell and even Alienware laptops

Anyways, I'm still waiting for it to come, it's still enroute with UPS.

The specs are,

1.4ghz p4m
512mb
40gb
internal wifi
bluetooth
port replicator
(of some sort)

Supposedly, it was just out of warranty/corporate lease and is being sold in mint condition. But the seller would not disclose how long the lease or warranty was.

Consequently, she would not disclose what year this computer was made since that would give it away.

1) I'm just wondering, from what year to what year were the X31's made?

2) Also, are there any tips you guys would like to share?

3) Can I put in my XP professional CD and reformat the harddrive with NTSC?

4) When upgrading, where can I find the specs for what's compatible? I'm not sure if it's 200pin ram or 172. I also don't know if the hard drive is ATA150 or if it's using some other connector.

5) I ordered a new keyboard as well off ebay, I plan to install this, are there any guides that can help?

6) When I receive it, I also plan to take it apart and vacuum or wipe off dust from the fans, etc... Where can I get a guide to help me take her apart?

7) I also want to update as many things as possible and install the latest drivers, are there any easy ways of doing this?

Thanks for your help!

-Matt

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:55 pm

Was the seller laptops-unlimited-2?

Mr.Marui · #3 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:56 pm

Yes, is there something untold about her?

*holding breath

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:02 pm

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

Here's a few links which may answer some of your questions:

- Hardware Maintenance Manual
- Warranty Lookup
- tawbook.pdf (system specs on various 'withdrawn' systems)
- [url=thttp://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-43800]Software and Drivers[/url]

edit: A quick and easy way to obtain the neutral and negative feedbacks of eBay users is this site: http://toolhaus.org Here is the result from running "laptops-unlimited-2":

http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=l ... y&ref=home

edit2: Found your auction and from reading the "fine print" in the "Terms" section, I would NOT do anything to the system until you fully verify that it is working as delivered. Download a copy of PC Doctor diagnostics from the Software and Drivers link I posted and execute every test that you possibly can before opening up the system and voiding your "warranty" from the seller.

Mr.Marui · #5 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:23 pm

Sweet thanks, man those ratings scare me

How did that seller get 99+% satisfied on ebay though?

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:54 pm

Simple math. The seller currently has 6628 positive feedbacks from unique buyers (7178 overall, which means that there were about 550 repeat customers). Given that they only have 28 negatives, that's where the 99.6% comes from. Don't be too worried about this 0.4% as I've dealt with sellers with poorer scores without any problems. Unless Harry PMed you about them

. I don't believe that I've made any purchases from them so I can't say anything from personal experience. I would, however, make sure that the system works as described prior to performing any "upgrades" just in case something is wrong with it. This includes accessing the BIOS and making sure that there's no passwords set and that it works correctly with and without the docking station (in other words, check ALL of the ports on BOTH the dock and laptop). Now is the time to figure out if there's something that doesn't work, not after it's been opened up which gives the seller an excuse for not exchanging the system or refunding you your money.

Mr.Marui · #7 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:03 pm

Cool thanks, but how does one go about finding out how many unique buyer feedbacks there are?

Did you buy yours used too?

I've never bought a used laptop before, but I hope this one will last.

Mr.Marui · #8 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:46 pm

Where can I buy batteries? What does the extended battery look like?

#9 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:52 pm

The feedback score that is obtained by clicking on the eBay member's ID is the count of unique feedbacks, but both as a buyer and seller. I don't believe that there's any way to get an exact count of the number of unique buyers that left a positive. If you click on the "See all feedback" button you will get the complete history. If you compare the "Members who left a positive" number against the "All positive Feedback" number, that can give you an idea on how many repeat customers there were. To isolate just the selling history click on the "Feedback as a seller" tab. There will be a number there that tells you how many transactions resulted in feedback (of both positive, negative and neutral).

For example, your current feedback indicates 21 transactions in both "members who left a positive" and "all positive". That means you haven't had a repeat purchase from the same seller (or that they didn't bother leaving you feedback). Your X31 seller has a fair number of repeat buyers. You can take that as meaning that people are happy with how their purchases turned out and are willing to buy from them again.

I mostly scan for the comments that the seller leaves as responses to getting a negative or neutral. You can usually determine what their general attitude is by what they say in those cases. Sellers who leave emotional tirades about how the buyer is stupid or a jerk will earn a quick dismissal from me. On the other hand, a seller who adequately explains what happened without resorting to personal attacks earns some trust on my part.

ALL of the Thinkpads I own (and have owned) were bought used. The ones in my .sig represent the different systems I've purchased (mostly as parts/repair systems) and have brought some of them back to life.

Batteries can be bought most anywhere online; eBay, here in the Marketplace forum if another member has one to sell. Google the part number 02K7039 (standard 6-cell battery) or 02K7041 for the extended life battery.

iamdmc · #10 Post by **iamdmc** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:17 pm

Don't worry about that seller.

I bought an X31 from him, and it was in better-than-stated condition. I opted to replace the 40GB hard drive with an 80GB I had lying around, and upgraded the RAM to 1GB (200 pin DDR)

GL with yours, and enjoy!

Mr.Marui · #11 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:29 pm

Ah, thanks I finally understand it! I didn't realize that a repeat buyer could only affect the seller's score by 1 point and as a consequence didn't realize the difference between "all positive feedback" vs. "members who left a positive."

I still can't find out which connector the hard drive uses.

A) ATA-6
B) SATA 3.0Gb/s
C) Serial ATA150

?

The IBM online guide did state that the ram can be pc2100 or pc2700 and can support up to 2gb max.

As far as the battery is concerned, are there any pictures of the extended battery attached to the computer? I could only find pictures of the extended battery on it's own, and am a bit concerned that it would look strange being lifted up from the rear.

Just curious, how have your used laptops been? I worry about catastrophic surprise failures like the LCD back lighting going out, or the motherboard dying.

After being used for a few years by someone else, shouldn't one have to replace the cmos battery and other little things? I hope the hard drive isn't going to fragment anytime soon.

#12 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:29 am

Disk drive is the standard ATA-100, 9.5mm high form factor (info in the tawbook.pdf file). Haven't seen an extended battery in real life so I can't comment there. It's probably no worse than using a port replicator which lifts the back edge by about 7/8". The CMOS battery should last at least 5 to 6 years so assuming that you are getting one of the earliest systems, you should be okay for another couple of years. Looks like that battery is in the same place as the X2x systems; under the keyboard. Besides that and the main battery, those are the only "consumables" that need regular replacement.

Harder to say how long the LCD's backlight, the hard disk drive or any other major components of the system will last. Treat it with some care and you can probably get at least another 4 to 6 years out of it. By then, Vista will have been replaced with Windows Horizon and you're going to need a 5Ghz Core 4 Quad CPU with 8GB of memory just to launch a browser

. A couple of my 600X systems were made in late 1999. They are still working great. Most of the regulars here will tell you that the 600 series was built like a tank and that you really can't compare it to some of the later Thinkpads. My daughter is still using one and leaving it on 24/7. Sure the display is a little bit smaller and dimmer than a T41 but it works for what she needs it for. She wants to move up (?) to an X22 mainly because it's so small. I've been looking into getting an X31 myself just to see how much better it will be than an X24 (which I find runs a little too warm for my lap).

#13 Post by **draco2527** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:00 am

CONGRATS!

I think I can add something to this, if you decide to take it apart...look out of the THIN plastic piece above the PCMCIA port cover when removing the keyboard. I managed to break it when removing my keyboard (never wrecked a customers machine, but somehow manage to goof my own...)

Mr.Marui · #14 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:23 am

rkawakami wrote:Disk drive is the standard ATA-100, 9.5mm high form factor (info in the tawbook.pdf file). Haven't seen an extended battery in real life so I can't comment there. It's probably no worse than using a port replicator which lifts the back edge by about 7/8". The CMOS battery should last at least 5 to 6 years so assuming that you are getting one of the earliest systems, you should be okay for another couple of years. Looks like that battery is in the same place as the X2x systems; under the keyboard. Besides that and the main battery, those are the only "consumables" that need regular replacement.

Harder to say how long the LCD's backlight, the hard disk drive or any other major components of the system will last. Treat it with some care and you can probably get at least another 4 to 6 years out of it. By then, Vista will have been replaced with Windows Horizon and you're going to need a 5Ghz Core 4 Quad CPU with 8GB of memory just to launch a browser . A couple of my 600X systems were made in late 1999. They are still working great. Most of the regulars here will tell you that the 600 series was built like a tank and that you really can't compare it to some of the later Thinkpads. My daughter is still using one and leaving it on 24/7. Sure the display is a little bit smaller and dimmer than a T41 but it works for what she needs it for. She wants to move up (?) to an X22 mainly because it's so small. I've been looking into getting an X31 myself just to see how much better it will be than an X24 (which I find runs a little too warm for my lap).

Wow that's awesome that your laptops run so well for so long. Did you buy them used off ebay, craiglist, private deals?

Have you had to replace the CMOS in any of yours?

What do you think of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136072

When people say that IBM's last forever, I always wonder, isn't that technically not correct since the major parts that will eventually fail are not even made by IBM like a mobo that may fail, hard drive that fragments, ram that overheats, etc...

IBM only makes the case design correct?

Mr.Marui · #15 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:24 am

draco2527 wrote:CONGRATS!

I think I can add something to this, if you decide to take it apart...look out of the THIN plastic piece above the PCMCIA port cover when removing the keyboard. I managed to break it when removing my keyboard (never wrecked a customers machine, but somehow manage to goof my own...)

Thanks man, I'll definitely keep an eye out for that.

#16 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:51 am

Mr.Marui wrote:Did you buy them used off ebay, craiglist, private deals?

98% of them from eBay. The lone exception is my first Thinkpad, a 600E from an online seller from NY. I believe he is now on eBay as "brucecomputersystems".

Mr.Marui wrote:Have you had to replace the CMOS in any of yours?

Most of the 600 series systems and a couple of the T2x now have new CMOS batteries. Some because they came to me with 161/163 errors and others that I've replaced simply because they were measuring less than 3 volts.

Mr.Marui wrote:What do you think of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136072

Seems like a nice price for a 120GB drive. Don't have any experience with WD notebook drives. I generally use Hitachi, Toshiba or Fujitsu drives in the Thinkpads. However, if you are thinking about using that one in the X31 then I don't think it will work. That one is a serial ATA (SATA) drive. The X31 uses parallel ATA (PATA).

Mr.Marui wrote:IBM only makes the case design correct?

Not sure how much of the older systems (T23s and earlier) were actually made by IBM. I would assume that the design of the system components was under IBM's direction but farmed out to other companies. Some of the other "oldtimers" here can tell you for sure who made what.

Mr.Marui · #17 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:22 am

I'm confused because if you go to Newegg the only categories they have under laptop hard drives is:

ATA-150
ATA-6
3gb/sec

I'm not sure which one PATA or ATA-100 falls under

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory ... ard-Drives

Mr.Marui · #18 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:25 am

iamdmc wrote:Don't worry about that seller.

I bought an X31 from him, and it was in better-than-stated condition. I opted to replace the 40GB hard drive with an 80GB I had lying around, and upgraded the RAM to 1GB (200 pin DDR)

GL with yours, and enjoy!

Thanks man! That sure is comforting, do you happen to know which hard drive category on Newegg the X31 is compatible with?

losmeme · #19 Post by **losmeme** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:26 am

ATA-6, the other two types are SATA drives.

I have an X31, and upgraded the HDD to a Hitachi 60GB/7200rpm, ram to 2GB, and wireless to an atheros based card. Runs like a champ.

Mr.Marui · #20 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:03 am

losmeme wrote:ATA-6, the other two types are SATA drives.

I have an X31, and upgraded the HDD to a Hitachi 60GB/7200rpm, ram to 2GB, and wireless to an atheros based card. Runs like a champ.

Cool thanks, what is an atheros card?

Is the built in wireless subpar?

Did you buy your X31 used as well?

losmeme · #21 Post by **losmeme** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:08 pm

I purchased the X31 used from IBM September of last year. It comes stock with a Cisco wireless b card.

Atheros, Broadcom, Cisco, Intel. They all make wireless chipsets. Atheros is generally preferred by people on this forum as it is considered to be better at not dropping connections.

Within wireless cards, there are three technologies: a/b/g. Wireless a cards are primarily used in corporate networks. b cards are older technology and are not as fast as newer generation g cards.

Read the X forum if you want to replace the card, for newer models of TPs not just any card will work. Best if you could find an IBM OEM version of a g card, otherwise you'll receive error messsages on startup. (IBM OEM cards will generally have FRU number stickers on them)

Mr.Marui · #22 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:43 pm

Oh wow I didn't know the X31's only came with wifi b cards

I was under the impression that it would support b/g since g was pretty common on laptops in 2003.

iamdmc · #23 Post by **iamdmc** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:41 pm

I managed to put an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG card and a 2915ABG card into the X31, but opted to stick with the 2200BG card since it had a lower profile, and the startup logo changed from "Pentium M" to "Centrino"

It wasn't an IBM card so I had to do a "no-1802" hack. Google it if you're thinking of going this route.

As for the hard drive, the X31 did not use S-ATA (aka SATA aka Serial ATA aka SATA-150 aka SATA-300). Don't buy this kind of hard drive unless you're using an X6x or T6x. ATA-6, ATA-133, and other ATA drives should be what you're looking for. Once you have the laptop, type in the machine type (ex. 2672-C2G) at Lenovo.com (support tab) to find out the specs of your system. I'd go from there with upgrading - don't do it before then. I have an earlier X31 model that supports only PC2100 up to 1GB, but I have a friend whose X31 can be maxed at 2GB PC2700. Again, you find this information by going to Lenovo.com support section.

Good luck and enjoy!

P.S. The laptop I got from that seller has zero problems even after I gave it to my folks who took a 2 month trip across Europe with it (and probably banged it around quite a bit).

Mr.Marui · #24 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:03 pm

iamdmc wrote:I managed to put an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG card and a 2915ABG card into the X31, but opted to stick with the 2200BG card since it had a lower profile, and the startup logo changed from "Pentium M" to "Centrino"

It wasn't an IBM card so I had to do a "no-1802" hack. Google it if you're thinking of going this route.

As for the hard drive, the X31 did not use S-ATA (aka SATA aka Serial ATA aka SATA-150 aka SATA-300). Don't buy this kind of hard drive unless you're using an X6x or T6x. ATA-6, ATA-133, and other ATA drives should be what you're looking for. Once you have the laptop, type in the machine type (ex. 2672-C2G) at Lenovo.com (support tab) to find out the specs of your system. I'd go from there with upgrading - don't do it before then. I have an earlier X31 model that supports only PC2100 up to 1GB, but I have a friend whose X31 can be maxed at 2GB PC2700. Again, you find this information by going to Lenovo.com support section.

Good luck and enjoy!

P.S. The laptop I got from that seller has zero problems even after I gave it to my folks who took a 2 month trip across Europe with it (and probably banged it around quite a bit).

Sweet thanks for the tip, would you dare say the laptop from laptops unlimited looks almost new?

That's what one of the feedback comments stated, that it looks basically new except for the keyboard.

On a side note, I emailed the seller regarding b/g compatability and she said it supports G.

iamdmc · #25 Post by **iamdmc** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:05 pm

Not "brand new" but close. Just a little dusty.

Mr.Marui · #26 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:34 pm

It came today in very pristine condition.

Now I have a few issues I must ask you gurus for help on

1) The wifi card that came with the computer is only B, and cannot even connect to my network in the same spot my other laptop with a G card easily can pick up signal.

So, I was a little annoyed and went ahead to buy a G card, an IBM branded Intel one. It's from a T40, but the seller says it fits X31's as well.

802.11 G/B Wi-Fi Card FRU 93P3483

Does anyone know if I need some sort of hack to get it to work? I got very confused reading up on how these things work.

2) Everytime I log in, this popup that says IBM DLA always appears and I have to click yes or no. How do I disable this?

3) There's also a slight gap between the hard drive cover and the palmrest in that area. It looks like it's sort of bent or something because when I put my right wrist on the palmrest in the position to type, I can feel the right side sort of sink and creak. Now, the left palmrest is much more solid and does not exhibit this feel, that's why I'm thinking something is wrong on the right side.

4) How do I wipe the whole system and reformat it? Isn't there a saved image of XP that IBM saves onto something other than the harddrive?

5) When carrying it in my hand, by my side and walking around I can audibly hear creaking and I think it's coming from the hindges... not sure what this is, but is there any way to tighten the hinges to give more resistance when opening/closing?

6) I've also realized the left USB port is not working. It's straight up DOA. When I plug my mouse in the rear USB port though, it works fine.

Thanks

#27 Post by **Harryc** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:44 pm

802.11 G/B Wi-Fi Card FRU 93P3483
Does anyone know if I need some sort of hack to get it to work?

The card you referenced is an IBM branded Intel 2200b/g and will work with no hack

Another alternative - Look for part number 91P7301. It is an Atheros card that also does not require the hack.

If you use the Intel card you'll keep your Centrino logo on boot, if you use the Atheros card you'll lose it.

Everytime I log in, this popup that says IBM DLA always appears and I have to click yes or no. How do I disable this?

It's looking for the CDRW in the media slice. This is normal, ignore it...

There's also a slight gap between the hard drive cover and the palmrest in that area. It looks like it's sort of bent or something because when I put my right wrist on the palmrest in the position to type, I can feel the right side sort of sink and creak. Now, the left palmrest is much more solid and does not exhibit this feel, that's why I'm thinking something is wrong on the right side.

Download the X31 maintenance manual from Lenovo and look at the palm rest removal procedure. Remove the screws for the palm rest and make sure their lengths match what's in the HMM. If not, get the right screws. Make sure they all are tight.

How do I wipe the whole system and reformat it? Isn't there a saved image of XP that IBM saves onto something other than the harddrive?

Mine didn't come with a recovery partition. You'll need to source X31 recovery CD's. Try the Marketplace forum.

When carrying it in my hand, by my side and walking around I can audibly hear creaking and I think it's coming from the hinges... not sure what this is, but is there any way to tighten the hinges to give more resistance when opening/closing?

No, hinge replacement is the only option.

I've also realized the left USB port is not working. It's straight up DOA. When I plug my mouse in the rear USB port though, it works fine.

This is a reason to RMA the laptop. The other issues are minor but the seller needs to repair this issue. Tell them to fix the hinges while they are at it.

#28 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:51 pm

Mr.Marui wrote:2) Everytime I log in, this popup that says IBM DLA always appears and I have to click yes or no. How do I disable this?

Right-click on your optical drive in My Computer, choose Properties > DLA tab, and uncheck box to "Enable DLA on your drives".

#29 Post by **Harryc** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:21 pm

Drive Letter Access (DLA) allows you to drag and drop from your hard drive to your CD-RW drive, copying the file to the CD-RW media. If you use this function often, you'll not want to disable it.

Mr.Marui · #30 Post by **Mr.Marui** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:43 am

Thanks for your help guys, I emailed the seller explaining the problem and so far I still have no response

I bought a NEW X31 off ebay! UPDATE-ARRIVED

I bought a NEW X31 off ebay! UPDATE-ARRIVED

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