Thinkpads Forum

Just received my 1st ThinkPad, a 770X. Want to try a larger Hard Drive and am wondering if there is problem with removing the ribbon connector from the original 8.1 gig drive. Tried a little prying pressure but no movement??
Are the pins compatable with all 2 1/2 drives??
Also having problems with the dial-up modem configuration. ISP tech support even unable to come up with any solution.

Thanks
Wayne

Just received my 1st ThinkPad, a 770X. Want to try a larger Hard Drive and am wondering if there is problem with removing the ribbon connector from the original 8.1 gig drive. Tried a little prying pressure but no movement??

Should be no problem. Sometimes the first time you remove one of the ribbon connectors it is a little stiff, the next time you remove the same connector it will be looser. Be careful to apply equal pressure on both sides of the connector at the same time, otherwise you can bend the hard drive pins. There are probably better ways, but I just use my two hands with one thumb at each edge and gently apply increasing pressure on both sides at the same time, nudging each side in turn, until the connector comes free. [And just to be sure that we're talking about the same thing: when you say ribbon connector, you mean the one inside the hard drive caddy that connects to the hard drive on one end and leads to the external caddy connection on the side, right?]

Are the pins compatable with all 2 1/2 drives??

Yes. Any standard 2.5" notebook drive will fit in there just fine.

Also having problems with the dial-up modem configuration. ISP tech support even unable to come up with any solution.

More details needed to help with this. What OS? Does your modem work for other functions, or is there a possible modem hardware/driver problem. If you are sure it is a config problem, then we need a bit more info to help.

Phil.

Thanks for the timely reply and helpful information, Phil.

[And just to be sure that we're talking about the same thing: when you say ribbon connector, you mean the one inside the hard drive caddy that connects to the hard drive on one end and leads to the external caddy connection on the side, right?]

We were talking about exactly the same thing. Thanks.

More details needed to help with this. What OS? Does your modem work for other functions, or is there a possible modem hardware/driver problem. If you are sure it is a config problem, then we need a bit more info to help.

OS is the original Win98. Am able to connect with the ISP and the User Name & Password are accepted then a Configuration Error #645 is returned that informs me to check my configuration and try again. Have set up and removed a new connection in Dial_Up Networking a number of times with just about every possible configuration, to no avail.....was just wondering if others have had problems with their modem?

Wayne

OS is the original Win98. Am able to connect with the ISP and the User Name & Password are accepted then a Configuration Error #645 is returned that informs me to check my configuration and try again.

Mmmm...not sure about this one, but according to Microsoft, this can be the result of an authentication/password problem. If you are able to dial the ISP's number and hear your modem connect to the ISP, and then you get kicked out before a connection is setup, then I would suspect a login/authentication/password problem. But you say that your Name & Password are accepted. Maybe they are not accepted, but they are successfully sent to your ISP, and then your ISP rejects them, resulting in the 645 error?

Two things to try:

1. doublecheck your login name -- some ISP's require that you login using your full email address as your login name, while others require just the first part of your email (up to the @).

2. doublecheck your authentication settings -- Microsoft says this error can show up if the "Require encrypted password option is enabled on the Server Types tab in the connection's properties". To change this, try: "Click the Server Types tab, click to clear the Require encrypted password check box, and then click OK." See Error Message "Error 645" Using Dial-Up Networking

Also, if you are getting as far as the "handshake" between your ISP and your modem, then you might want to enable the PPP log function so you can find out just exactly where things are going awry (if you haven't already). More information about this is available from Microsoft's support page: How to Interpret the Ppplog.txt File.

There are other things to try, but these will help get the ball rolling.

Phil.

Thanks, again for your time and energy on this, Phil.
1. I didn't mention that I have no problem with the login and connection on my other two computers, so assumed that this was not the case here with the login. When I first tried the connection (I normally use ADSL), I was getting login errors but found out that the ISP had lost my dial-up password in the last couple of months. After that was corrected, no more login errors.
2. "Require encrypted password" option has never been enabled.

Here is the URL of the Telus set up to configure dial-up:
http://edtnnt01p.telus.net/SRVS/CGI-BIN ... lution=970

Will persue the PPP log function as you suggested.

Wayne

[email sent with request for PPPlog.txt file]

Are you using the internal 770X modem? And if so, are you using the most up-to-date version of the modem driver:
ACP modem driver II for Windows 95/98/Me/2000/NT - ThinkPad 600/E, 770/E/ED/X/Z

Also, your other two computers are both running Windows 98 as well? And they dial-up and log-in to your ISP without any trouble from the same location using the same telephone number and the same account you are trying to set up on your 770X?

Phil.

Be VERY careful with that ribbon, they can break the circuit traces if flexed too much. I use one or better, two jeweler's screwdrivers to gently pry the gap open at the connectors. If you look around eFray, there seems to be drive housings show up regularly

Wayne, I got your PPPlog.txt.

I'm not really an expert on reading these things, but the problem appears be that your ThinkPad never gives you an IP and your modem and your ISP's server never agree on how to get the "IPCP" layer up.

Here is a copy of the relevant lines from a successful dialup on my 770Z using the built-in modem: Here the same lines from your modem log: Note that the "IPCP layer" part is skipped, and then at the end, your modem tells your ISP provider that it will not accept IPCP (8021 I think is the code for some kind of IPCP thingy).

How to fix this? I don't know!

But here are a couple things to try:

Device Manager -> Modems -> ThinkPad Modem -> Properties -> Connection -> Advanced:
On my 770Z, I've got "Use error control" checked with "Compress data" checked. And "Use flow control" checked with "Hardware (RTS/CTS)" checked. Modulation type: "Standard". If you've got anything different, try my settings and see if that makes any difference.

Control Panel -> Network:
Check that you have "TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter" installed. If yes, then I would try to remove it, reboot, and then add it again, then reboot again, then try your dial-up again. Make sure you have your original Windows disks handy or that you've got "CAB" files on your ThinkPad to pull the needed files from!

Control Panel -> Network -> Dial-Up Adapter -> Properties:
I've got the following settings on my 770Z: Under Driver Type, "Enhanced mode (32 bit and 16bit) NDIS driver" is marked. Under Bindings, "TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter" is checked and Fast Infrared Protocol is not. Under Advanced, I've got Enable Point To Point IP =Yes, IP Packet Size=Automatic, Record a log file=Yes, Use IPX header compression=Yes. If you've got different settings on any of those, I would try my settings and see if it makes any difference.

Let us know if any of that helps. It may be something very simple that we're overlooking somewhere.

Phil.

Success with the Internal Modem connection!
Thanks to all the help from Phil

I had tried an old USRobotics PCMCIA card and received the same error as with the Internal Modem so knew it had to be a configuration problem rather than a modem problem, so....when I saw the above post from Phil

Check that you have "TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter" installed.

and checked for this, I found five other TCP/IP Adapters there, but not the Dial-Up Adapter (in my previous checks, I noted these adapters but didn't scrutinize them carefully enough to realize the one required for this particular application wasn't present). Added it, and voila, smooth connection to my ISP.

Another very satisfied and grateful FORUM POSTER,
Wayne