External floppy drives count as internal ones?

[Marbles]

Hi there,

I have thought about what ThinkPad model could replace my Compaq E500, if need be.

The floppy drive is of some importance: to run OmniFlop, which has a replacement floppy driver available to access a whole bunch of really obscure floppy formats, it has to have an internal FDD. But do the external FDDs that plug into models like the 600 series, are those counted as internal models or are they like USB drives where the driver is stored on the FDD itself?

I've though about the requirements, and they are: Must have an internal FDD option, built in CD drive, at least one PCMCIA slot, RS232 port, parallel port, at least a PIII at 700MHz, take at least 512MiB of RAM, have IrDA, composite or S-video out is a bonus. I would like a Celeron or something like that, must have Windows 98SE compatibility.

[rkawakami]

For those listed system requirements, I'd say you could use an A21m/p, A22m/p, A30/p or A30/p. Those have the capability of internal floppy and optical drive at the same time. There may be others but these are the ones I'm most familiar with.

A 600 series also has the ability to have both floppy and optical drive accessible at the same time but you would need to use the external floppy housing. It's connected to a special (i.e., non-USB) port on the side of the machine. It will be recognized as an "internal" drive, even without any OS running (BIOS will see the drive and can boot from it). The optical drive would be in the usual Ultraslimbay slot. However, the 600X topped out at a 650Mhz PIII.

I think all of your other minimum specifications are available, even down to the A21m (some models have S-Video out). You didn't mention what type of display is needed. These systems range from 12.1" SVGA (A21m and A22m), all of the way up to 15" UXGA (A30p and A31p). I'd suggest you grab a copy of the old tabook that covers these series:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tawbook.pdf

Also note that the memory requirements between these systems go from SDRAM PC100 (A21) to DDRAM PC2100 (A31).

[Marbles]

Hmmm. Thanks for your reply there, I must say!

I did a quick google search for the R31 and I got wind of a possible FDD UltraBay option. This ought to work, as I can't think of a reason to have both the CD drive and FDD active at the same time.

I also did a search on Lenovo's site for Windows 98 drivers for the R31. Tick off that box! they have them. (Lenovo really does a good job providing drivers and stuff for older models.)

This R31 of mine has been around the block a few times. I have no qualms about acquiring another similar one in better shape, or an R32. This one doesn't have a RS232 on board. (Model number is 2656-1GU, build date is 03/02.)

For display size, I would like to go as small as practical. 12" is minimum, 13" would be fine. 14" I would like to avoid if possible, although the immediate priority is reliability and longevity, build quality and having things properly sorted.

[rkawakami]

I've though about the requirements, and they are: Must have an internal FDD option, built in CD drive, ...<snip>

and

I did a quick google search for the R31 and I got wind of a possible FDD UltraBay option. This ought to work, as I can't think of a reason to have both the CD drive and FDD active at the same time.

If your second statement is true, then forget about the systems I suggested. From your first statement saying that you needed a built in CD drive with an internal floppy drive, I assumed you also wanted them both connected and available at the same time. If you can get away with swapping the floppy and optical drive out of an Ultrabay, then your desire to have a 12" - 13" display would lead me to suggest a 600X (slightly slower than the 700Mhz PIII you first described and screen size of 13.3") or a low-end T23 system. Both of these have built in serial and parallel ports, PCMCIA slots, and infrared. The 600X tops out at 576MB of PC100 RAM and the T23 goes to 1GB of PC133. The T23 can be had with a 13.3" screen but the overall size is still the same as the 14" models.

Now, if 12" is desirable AND you can deal with using an Ultrabase, then the X2x series is a possibility. The low end would be an X22 (733Mhz or 800Mhz). An X21 with a slower 700Mhz PIII could work if you really don't need the infrared port. The X23 and X24 came with faster processors but are physically the same size. The only problem I see with a X2x system is that the lid hinges have a tendency to loosen up with age and then break. Given that these systems are now 13 years old, you won't find many that are in great shape.

None of the R31 or R32 systems came with a built in serial port.