X61S Questions

[Wobbly]

Hi,

I got a lot of help over in the General Forum for selecting a Thinkpad.
It's a X61S , type 7667-C54
It arrived yesterday and I'd like some suggestions for setting it up.

Here are the specs:
Mfg P/N FRU P/N Description Serviceable

13R1004 42W7765 CDPOP FRUPlnL7300Pro Yes
39T0494 39T0495 ADAPTR Adonis MDC-1.5 Yes
41R0594 40Y8403 MODULE 1GB PC2 5300NP Yes
41R0594 40Y8403 MODULE 1GB PC2 5300NP Yes
41V9667 42W3050 COVER Spacer Battery Yes
41V9757 41V9756 COVER HDD Rubber Yes
41W4528 0000000 - Yes
42T0342 42T0343 PANEL FRU 12.1 XGA Yes
42T0852 42T0853 ADAPTR FRU Golan WLAN Yes
42T1081 42T1491 HRD DSK DR TRYS B80 HGST Yes
42T1496 42T1491 DRIVEH TryS B80 HGST Yes
42T3435 42T3467 KEYBD KBD NMB US Yes
42T5008 - - Yes
42W2427 - - Yes
42W2740 - - Yes
42W2955 - - Yes
42W3720 - - Yes
42W3968 - - Yes
42W9946 - - Yes
42X0335 46V0414 DISKCD SP1VB32RDVDUS Yes
42X3982 0000000 LABELS; HOMOLOGATION LABEL US, WLAN - LI No
42X4075 - - Yes
42X4525 - - Yes
42Y6242 44M4360 VISTA BUSINESS 32 BIT ALL WW:LABELS No
46L5570 NOTAFRU ASSET LABEL:LABELS No
91P8421 - - Yes
92P1160 92P1159 ADAPTR LiteOn65W20V2p Yes
92P1170 42T4775 BATRYO Sony 4cell Yes
93P8979 44W4800 IDATAPLEX 2.5 INCH PAPOOSE BACKPLANE CAR No

It came with Windows 7 installed, but no official disk. It has a Vista Business COA .

BIOS is 1.10
HD is 80GB with a Systems Reserved partition of less than 1GB.


Would it be better to get a Vista to Windows 7 upgrade, or just restore Vista Business?

My main uses are word processing and web surfing.

I have an 150GB Intel SSD that I'd like to install. I've read a little about modifying the BIOS, but I need to research this more. Any tips on this would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[pianowizard]

Here are the specs:....

For simplicity, I copy-and-pasted the product summary from Lenovo's web site:

Based on 7667-34U: L7300(1.4GHz), 2GB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HD, 12.1in 1024x768 LCD, Intel X3100, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, 4c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32

It came with Windows 7 installed, but no official disk. It has a Vista Business COA. Would it be better to get a Vista to Windows 7 upgrade, or just restore Vista Business?

The CPU is pretty weak, getting only a Passmark benchmark score of 754. Both 7 and Vista would feel a bit sluggish on this machine, although 7 might feel just a tad faster. Given that you can install Vista for free (follow the instructions on http://en.community.dell.com/support-fo ... river.aspx ) whereas you would need to spend $80 or more to upgrade to Windows 7, I think you should just stick with Vista. DO NOT even think about downgrading to XP. It's seriously outdated, and it would not run any faster than Vista.

[underclocker]

That CPU is among the lower performing Core 2 Duos offered. However, with an SSD drive and Win 7, performance for Internet and general office apps should be just fine. (Nothing special is needed to use the SSD in the X61s.)

I installed an IDE SSD in an 8 year old Pentium M laptop and performance is fine (with XP).

Please report back on how it turns out.

[Wobbly]

Thanks for the download link, Pianowizard. I think I'll put Vista back on. I guess I'll need to download drivers also.

Underclocker, I thought the BIOS needed to be changed to the Middleton version in order to use
SATA II. (I'm a computer-challenged )

I've been looking for more RAM, but wonder if it's worth it, considering how I use the laptop.

This is my first Thinkpad. Seems quite ingenious.