The official 770 Upgrade and general information Topic

[volvy]

So I installed a 600Mhz MMC-2 in my 770z, and ran into a few issues. The hardware install went smoothly, I did the 127 error mod with the built in hex editor. I'm using the Powerleap Control panel to renable the cache ("cache utillity" would cause Win2k to BSOD). I tried the "deepsleep" utill to get past the speedstep and up to 600Mhz. But it isn't working. So I'm stuck at 500Mhz.

I have one serious problem, Once I boot to Win2k, the temperature sensor no longer tracks the CPU temp. I'm Using PC Wizard to view the temp. The problem is that the CPU fan will not turn on no matter how hot the cpu gets. This evantually causes video corruption.

I can check the Temp changes by rebooting and using PC Wizard to read the temp at boot time. The CPU Fan will come on when I'm running system tests from System Setup (F1 during POST). and if I reboot when the CPU temp is hot enough to start the fan, then it will turn on and not turn off untill the next boot. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this.....

Thanks

Edit:
Well, I have decided that the video problem is probably not heat. Since my post I have determined that the CPU fan does come on. Though I'm not sure at what temp it does turn on, since I still can't monitor changes. At this point I assume the video corruption is caused but the video adapter not being 100% with the 100 MHZ FSB. I have read about the same problem elsewhere in the forum with the same conclusion. Not every one who has made the PIII upgrade seems to have the problem though. My guess is that some video adapters are happy at 100mhz and some are not.

I still can not get the processor speed up to 600 Mhz desite double checking the hardware mods ...

[Lomax]

Hi all,

Just found this (rather old) article on Tom's Hardware which talks about a simple way to change the FSB on PII processors in 440BX motherboards. Got interested as both the 770X/Z have 440BX chipset. Unfortunately the article only refers to Slot-1 PIIs but I assume what they're saying is valid also for MMC-2 processors?

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/19980514/index.html

Reason I'm posting this here is I'm hoping someone a bit more knowledgable can inform whether this is a possible route to upgrade a 770X to a 600Mhz PII with 100Mhz FSB (if one changes the onboard RAM to a 100Mhz SODIMM). Most people who have tried seem to be able to run PIIIs in these machines at 100Mhz...

I'm not too keen on the PIII upgrade route because of the hacks/extra software required - not that I wouldn't feel confident performing the nescessary steps but I would prefer an upgrade route that is 100% compatible...

Lomax

[Lomax]

Just realised how stupid my previous post is, of course a 400Mhz PII won't run at 600Mhz - that is way too much overclocking! Doh!

Ah well...



Lomax


Edit:

Just found the MMC-2 datasheet which contains pin assignments and other in-depth info about the MMC-2 processors.

PII:

ftp://download.intel.com/design/mobile/ ... 366801.pdf

Non-SpeedStep PIII:

ftp://download.intel.com/design/mobile/ ... 530401.pdf

[Lomax]

Maybe not so stupid after all, it seems some people have been lucky with this type fo mod on MMC-2 PIIs!!!

http://www.wimsbios.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... t=45#29302

Lomax

[clint]

There is a lot of good information here...

My question...and no offense intended....is it really feasable to make the upgrades to the TP770X (which I have) considering the resonable price of many laptop computers today that have equal to or better speeds and hard drive/memory sizes that I seen posted in the information here.

I'm sure some just enjoy doing this type work...but if there are other reasons to pursue these upgrades I would appreciate that information.

My TP770X has 2 TP770-64-CE chips, not sure about the one underneath, it has 5.1GB HD, and here is what is stated in System Properties:

System:
Microsoft Windows 2000
5.00.2195
Service Pack 4

Computer:
x86 Family 6 Model 5 Stepping 2
AT/AT COMPATIBLE
195,952 KB RAM

This is not an operating system that I'm familiar with and therefore do not know what processing speed I'm looking at here. but it is super slow and locks up often when trying to run several applications at one time. I do stock/options and futures day-trading and use this machine when I'm on the road. It either needs to be upgraded or replaced and is also the reason for the questions.

Respectfully,
Clint

[pkiff]

...is it really feasable to make the upgrades to the TP770X (which I have) considering the resonable price of many laptop computers today that have equal to or better speeds and hard drive/memory sizes...

This is a question of circumstance, and a judgement call. In my opinion, the jump to a PIII 500+ MHz from a PII 366MHz or slower is significant, but it depends on what you do with your machine. Yes, you can buy a cheap laptop with better specs, but many people can also obtain a PIII 500MHz CPU for $20 USD or less, so upgrading the CPU may be very cost-effective. Also, used accessories for the 770 series are very cheap right now for many people. Whether that makes it worthwhile, depends on your specific needs, your financial situation, and your access to computer parts/support.

Phil.

[pkiff]

At this point I assume the video corruption is caused but the video adapter not being 100% with the 100 MHZ FSB. I have read about the same problem elsewhere in the forum with the same conclusion.

I have had video corruption on my 770Z with the 8MB video card (see 770Z PIII 500MHz - video corruption, especially on reboot). I wonder if you have the 4MB model (1024x768 native LCD) or the 8MB (1280x1024 native LCD) model?

Phil.

[shined]

Hello clint,
Here is my response to this question,

My question...and no offense intended....is it really feasable to make the upgrades to the TP770X (which I have) considering the resonable price of many laptop computers today that have equal to or better speeds and hard drive/memory sizes that I seen posted in the information here.

1: If you just want some extra horse power, forget about your old 770X and go to a newer machine.
2: If you need mobility such as light weight and long lasting battery, a 770X is definitely not the right laptop you can work on the go.
3: If you enjoy doing hardware/software tuning to squeez the last drip from an old dinosour, a 770X is definitely one of the most intersting laptops.
4: If you fall in deep love with excellent keyboard of 770X, you have no choice but to keep your 770X brisk by upgrading.
Considering what you have right now, it seems to me upgrading is not a very good deal because you will want to replace the CPU to at leat PIII-500MHz or faster, increase RAM to 512MB and exchange the HDD to a newer and faster one to make your 770X brisk enough. These can easily sum up $150. and no one can guarantee that your 770X will work fine.

Of course the final answer is up to you. For me, I love this keyboard, and solid build. So I cannot go to any new laptop.

Hi Pkiff

I have had video corruption on my 770Z with the 8MB video card (see 770Z PIII 500MHz - video corruption, especially on reboot). I wonder if you have the 4MB model (1024x768 native LCD) or the 8MB (1280x1024 native LCD) model?

I have both 8MB and 4MB model. The video corruption occurs on both machines, no matter what resolution and color depth are chosen. So I guess this is really machine dependent. not on the amount of the VRAM.

BTW, let me give you one piece of info, As you know, the L2 cache of the PIII retrofitted to 600E/770X/Z is turned off when the system goes to stand-by and wakes up. So you need to launch the powerleap utility to enable the L2 cache.
I found a utility called "restarter'
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/winnt/util/se311201.html
This can automatically launch the powerleap utility and enable the L2 cache when waking up. If you feel bothered in needing to click the powerleap after waking up, try this.
Also, if you know another utility which can do the same job and has English menu, please let me know.

[clint]

Thanks shined and Pkiff
Those answers did exactly what I had hoped...helped me to decide what I needed to do in reference to spending money on my 770x. Thank you both for taking time to respond....

This is a wonderful source of info for thinkpads and lots of other things....

I appreciate your help.

clint

[makaveli559m]

You know that Home Edition runs better on it than does XP Pro? Has anybody tried that before?

[christopher_wolf]

You know that Home Edition runs better on it than does XP Pro? Has anybody tried that before?

Personally, I haven't been able to discern much, if any, of a difference between XP Pro and XP Home; Microsoft shouldn't have split them up like that as it only leads to slight confusion.

[makaveli559m]

You know what I have noticed? That some people still use Pentium 2 laptops for work and for school. I am still using my Pentium 3 Thinkpad. At first I was willing to give it up for a new one, but naw because it seems that Microsoft is pushing too much specs for Vista. My lap top is still like a rock all I need is a dvd burner and that is it. I mean Vista is cool but I am not going to buy a 2,000 lap top and 2 GB of ram just to ue Vista at its peak Anyone see something wrong with that.

[Mean-Machine]

hey
i want to know if its possible to install a celleron 700 mhz cpu on my 770x?
have anyone tried this yet?





regards
Mean-Machine
Denmark

[tfflivemb2]

I believe that the answer is no, Celeron processors in general will not work in the 600 or the 770 series.

[makaveli559m]

Is there any way to keep the Pentium 2 cooler on that lap top? I have a problem that when it heats up to much my computer restarts. I was wondering also that it first read a Pentium 2 now it reads as a Celeron, is it because of the L2 cache?

[shined]

i want to know if its possible to install a celleron 700 mhz cpu on my 770x?
have anyone tried this yet?

Yes, it should be possible. I know some people who successfully retrofitted a Celeron 700MHz into a TP600E. The architecture of TP770X is similar to that of TP600E, so I don't see any reason why it does not work.

I think there is some confusion about putting a celeron processor into 600E/770X/Z. As far as I know, there are 3 different types of MMC-2
Celeron. Let me summarize

MMC-2 celeron processrors slower than 500MHz: Dixon core
1:440DX based: FSB 66MHz, without AGP interface
2:440BX based: FSB 66MHz, with AGP interface

MMC-2 celeron processrors equal to or faster than 500Mhz: Coppermine core
3:440BX based: FSB 100MHz, with AGP interface

1 should not work with TP600E/770X/Z since these systems do have a AGP video chip.
2 should work just fine. No bios tweaking needed.
3 should also work, but some bios tweaking is needed to disable the L2 cache and the on-board RAM.

This may not be completely correct but that's what I have heard so far. The MMC-2 celeron 700MHz is coppermine so it should work fine on TP600E/770X/Z.

[Cheesemanx]

I have my 770ED working great right now but I am looking to make it faster. I have read where people have had success and failers with trying to upgrade the processor in the 770ED. What would be the best choice for speed and stability (I need it to be rock solid).

[shined]

Both CPU-Z and the Inspecs online upgrade configuratron ulitility at Powerleap.com said that the L2 cache is there but not operating.

OK, now you need to take one more step to make the most of your system.

I couldn't find the Cache enabler software anywhere on the powerleap site but saw it refered to as "part of the package" for a number of upgrade processors.
I'm assuming it isn't a free download anymore. Does anyone know where I can download an L2 cache enabulationator program?

It is still freely available on Powerleap Canada website.
http://www.powerleap.ca/Products/CPU%20 ... 0Panel.htm

You may also find this thread interesting.
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=23825

Enjoy!

[cmarti]

By error i think i find a way to eliminate the video corruption in the 770 models when upgraded to PIII, I was following the instructions provided by back viper and after that the video corruption that somethimes surface was eliminated i been using the lappy for three days and i have installed and removed programs and no signs of video corruption.

I just wanted to share this with the group.

Thanks...Carlos.

[Peter]

hey,

just wanted to say that i successfully ugraded to pIII-500 with 128megs 100mhz memory "onboard" and additional 2x128megs in the normal slots.

the bios hack definitely works! in my case there was "00" as well instead of "02" but changing to "0A" made it!

boots now fine without error and runs nice with win xp.
current hard drives improve speed significant! i use a samsung MP0804H (80gb). and its more silent on top.

btw there seems to be a new version of powerleap cpu control panel, which stores the "enable l2cache function". the prog starts with windows and cache is automatically enabled.

machine: 770X 9549-720

theres a little more to do... i want at least a dvd/cd-rw combo drive or even a dvd burner

[cmarti]

theres a little more to do... i want at least a dvd/cd-rw combo drive or even a dvd burner

Peter, Have you check this thread?

Cdrw drive upgrade for 770Z (Dial up user pictures !)

[okie48@hotmail.com]

I've noticed while reading many of the posts that some of you are buying computers off of Ebay. While looking at Ebay I've noticed that most of the Thinkpad 770 that sell don't come with a hard drive or caddy. Where do you get the caddy without paying a small fortune for it and then not knowing if it is any good or not? I bought one that was off Ebay but the ribbon cable is no good and it costs quite a bit more for the ribbon than I paid for the caddy.
I hope someone can help all of us that are in this situation.

Jerry Combs
Learning Computer Tech

[cmarti]

I bought one that was off Ebay but the ribbon cable is no good and it costs quite a bit more for the ribbon than I paid for the caddy.
I hope someone can help all of us that are in this situation.

Did you try the marketplace? You can place a want to buy post asking if anyone has one available for sale.

[el-sahef]

I found a way to get the second usb port of the intel pci-set in the 770x to work.

The "mod" requires complete dissasembly and soldering:

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3963 ... modrp5.jpg

...a picture after the mod:

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/6540 ... usbxp1.jpg

...and a screenshot (1x Nokia 6230i and 1x USB-Stick attached)

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/343/ ... hotgp8.jpg

I hope this helps anyone.

If the links are down, --> PM and I will upload it again.

Use at your own risk!!!!!!!!!

I am not reasonable for damaged or dead Laptops.

[pkiff]

el-sahef, that is an intriguing and original mod! I am sure that there are others who would be interested in knowing more about it, and I would encourage you to post any additional instructions or suggestions you might have.

In particular, there is an active group of people who modify their 600E machines and I expect that you may be able to perform the same mod on the 600E as the 770X. For instance, check out the Second USB port on 600E motherboard? thread here on this forum and the IBM Thinkpad 600E bios mod for processor update on Wims BIOS Forum.

Regarding the photos, I would be happy to post them up to a permanent location if you like.

Congrats on this new mod success, and thanks for letting us know about it.

Phil.

[el-sahef]

Of course you can host the pictures to a permanent location (I hope they are correct but they should as I double-checked them, but I would feel safer if someone would report succes).

I already read the thread at wimsbios.com as there is a lot of good information. I already replaced the PII-300Mhz in my father`s 770X with a PIII 700MHZ and did the Speedstep-Mod + FSB-Mod so it runs at 756MHZ (tanks to Sharedoc ) and I am planning to put a Pentium III in my own Thinkpad as well.

The usb-stuff was also mentioned in the thread.


This is how I found out about the usb-port:

I got the link for the intel pci-set datasheet ( ftp://download.intel.com/design/intarch ... 056201.pdf ) from the thread at wimsbios. In the datasheet it says that the chip supports two usb-ports. I thought it would be necessary to solder the wires directly onto the location on the motherboard where the chip is soldered which is in my opinion too risky as the chip could get damaged from the heat while soldering.

But I dissasembled the Selecta-Base 770 and found out that there is a PCB in it which has the second usb-port attached to it. I thought first that it could only be linked to the first port at the back of the Thinkpad but it was not.
So the signal and power lines for the second port had to be at the connector for the Docking-Station. I dissasembled the Laptop too and found out which connector contacs are the necessary ones.

I think this should also work for the 600E as it is the same situation here:
The Thinkpad has only one usb-port and if the Selecta-Base 600 is attached you can use only the port from the Selecta base.
(Correct me if I am wrong. I am not really sure here because I do neither own a 600E or X nor a Selecta-Base 600. I just saw some photos on the internet.)

Maybe someone with a 600E or X and a Selecta-Base 600 should give it a try.

Here is a photo of the PCB in the Selecta-Base 770:

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/5239 ... pcbwz3.jpg

And here the 770X attached with it:

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5352/p ... hedhu4.jpg

Sorry for the image quality as I can not take photos with the camera at the moment so I had to use my cell phone.

If anyone has tried the mod please post results. I suggest to fix the wires at the docking-station connector with glue/tape or something so they can not cause a short circuit. The pins from the connector are very close to each other.

It should also work on the 770Z and maybe 770, 770E and 770ED
but I am not sure because they do not have the same motherboard as the 770X/Z.

greetings

el-sahef

edit: Here is the mentioned page of the thread at wimsbios. In the middle of it are some posts about the usb-port. http://www.wimsbios.com/phpBB2/topic4046-630.html

[shined]

I did this mod and it worked just fine!
Thank you for posting this interesting info.

[Insomniac1971]

I have an TP770Z 14.1" with 4MB video, that I would like to update to a 100Mhz FSB cpu, properbly the PIII 500 or whatever will work without getting errors under Boot. How do I about doing that and which one is the best to use?

I get that I should use a PIII 500 or 400 or 450 MMC-2 with on-die cache, but what then?

I also get that I should remove the onboard pc66 and replace it with 128MB pc100. What then?

I get the HW replacement but what do I need to know then?

Is it possible to get a PII 450mhz MMC-2?

Also, has anyone suceeded in replacing the Videocard with an 8MB instead?

What I need is a step by step guide:)

Thanx in advance:)

Jan

[el-sahef]

If someone is interested in improving the temperature of his processor and is CRAZY like me, then you could make a heatpipe cooler for your 770X/Z out of some copper, a radial fan and some heatpipes separated from an Arctic Cooling Accellero X1 or X2 (a third party VGA cooler for e.g. GeForce 6800). This will improve cooling significantly. With this cooler, I am able to stress-test my Pentium III at 918 Mhz with prime95 (in-large FTTs) or use other programs that produce heavy load on the processor (like watching TV) permanently. Unfortunately a Toshiba 1,8" HDD had to be used because of lost space in the HDD cage and a custom IDE adapter had to be made (but for CF-Cards a normal cheap adapter from ebay would fit). The temperature does not exceed 70°C while executing prime95. With the stock cooler and arctic silver I skipped the test at 90°C because the Intel datasheet says that the processor will get destroyed at 100°C. For processors up to 650 Mhz this makes absolutely no sense. Maybe I will try to overclock the processor to 1 Ghz at some time in the future with a Turbo-PLL. If I do so, you will read it here...

http://www.abload.de/img/top-1eno.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/top-2o3e.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/sidez06.jpg

(I hope these are not too big)
[Mod edit: changed photos to links]

I apologize if there are any faults in this post, because my english is usually not so well.

[DK6400Brian]

Installed Powerstrip on my evergoing 770Z and that has eliminated the weird flaws in the display with dotted vertical lines all around.
(The strange video corruption, that Pkiff mentioned)
That behaviour occurs once in a while, if you upgrade the CPU to the types, that also enhances the FSB to 100 MHz.
Mine is equipped with the P-III 850 MHz, currently running at 700 MHz and the display flaw has really been an annoying fact.

Installed Powerstrip a couple of weeks ago and haven't seen that flaw since.
The original thought of installing Powerstrip were to control the VGA-out.
A couple of reboots later, I realized that the video corruption didn't occur anymore.

Just want to let you know.

And yes...I'm actually using the 770Z on a daily basis.