Thinkpad 770 availability

[Norway Pad]

Hello all

Finally back here after a break, hoping to be able to dedicate some more time to Thinkpads again this winter.

I chose to put this post here, as this isn't a WTB. Not yet, anyway. I have been in the market for a Thinkpad 770 E/D/ED/X/Z for a while, as I want one for my collection, but they seem to be few and far between here in Norway. What kind of availability do we look into if I should try and find one in the US? And what are they sold for recently? (PM me if you don't feel like revealing prices here) Or have all the good ones found their place, in collections and in the possession of owners who have no interest of selling them? I found 2 on eBay, but these are banged up and not what I'm after. I am also aware of the 770 on the marketplace.

I want to pursue finding one in Norway for a little while longer before I move to the US market, the main reason being that I prefer one with a Norwegian keyboard. So I don't want to post an WTB here quite yet, when I have no intent of buying one. But a 770 with US keyboard is in the end better than no 770 at all.

[mnowell69]

I would imagine lots of people have 770s to sell. (or trade) I sold 2 of mine for €20 each in almost mint condition. Just depends how far you are willing to go to get the ideal one for you

[Norway Pad]

Ok, I think there should be hope too. I am starting to give up on finding a Norwegian 770, but I'll watch out until my ads expire. Then I will move to this market, US keyboard or not. Half of my Thinkpads have US keyboards anyway, so no big deal. (And even Irish, thanks to RealBlackStuff )

For the price; 20 Euros for a 770 is not bad at all. I would definitely be willing to offer more for a good 770. Just hoping no one remembers this statement the day I advertise for one.

[Medessec]

I've got a couple of good 770s... and I get them in from time to time. I like to pick them up and make them suitable for use, especially ones that are in better condition. I have a 770X with a P-II, but it's not really in any condition to parade it around... the palmrest is worn through to the plastic, and there's scuffs and chunks out on the corners and on the lid. The operating state of it is nice though-I've been able to install and play the original Half-Life on it.

I also have a 770 with the P-I 233 MHz, which is in very good condition. The lid does have some scuffs and the keyboard has a bit of shine, but I've put a new trackpoint on it.

Another thing I do to the 770s I have in is update the BIOS and install Windows XP on them, as I have a ton of XP keys, and these things run XP SP2 like a charm, and it makes them so much more easy to play with. I don't recommend XP SP3 on these things at all, if you plan to install XP, stick with SP2.

I'm certain if you want one in pristine condition, you'll definitely have some luck with the US market. Ones like my 770 that's in decent condition as a collector's item are very abundant here, you can pick them out of recycle centers all over the place.

[pianowizard]

The rarest 770 models are the 770X and 770Z with the 13.7" 1280x1024 screen. Hopefully you will be able to get one of those. They are hard to find even in the U.S. The non-SXGA models are more common and thus less interesting.

[Medessec]

I've only come across one of those... and it was pretty beat up. I sold it for a good price though-so yea, those are very desired to those who see the 770 as a really cool laptop in the Thinkpad lineup, or history of laptops in general.

[Neil]

I have one of those SXGA 770X models, but I fumbled the LCD panel a couple of years ago while disassembling the lid to change out the dead inverter, and cracked it. It was SO disappointing!

[Norway Pad]

My ad here in Norway didn't give any results at all, so I advertised for one on this forum last Friday. I immediately got offers for two 770Z machines, both with SXGA and a PIII upgrade. I didn't expect to be faced with the need to choose between two SXGA Zs, but anyway, a purchase was made and one of these is now on it's way across the sea. I will post some pictures as soon as it arrives, hope it can be of interest for 770 fans.

I am not quite sure why my ad here in Norway didn't give any result, as I think the 770s were quite common here as well. My boss got a 770 at the time, so I inherited his 360. But I also got to use his 770 when I needed more computing power than the 360 had, and that was my first meeting with what at the time was a highly modern and top class portable computer. That's why I have been looking for a 770 for my collection.

[Medessec]

Ah-so you have some nice memories with it... that's sorta what can be said with me and the 760. My "first laptop" was in actuality a Thinkpad 760, although at best I only got Windows 98 to barely work on it, as I didn't have the technical know-how that I do now.

But I like the 770s because they mark the end of the 700-series, and it's kinda the "big bang" the series went out with... because despite them being so old, they are still quite usable today, having the PC card slots, being able to run XP smoothly and having a USB port.

I've picked up 770s absolutely busted up and crammed with dust on the insides(taking one apart is absolutely terrible the first time btw), and they still boot up and work just fine.