Thinkpads Forum

I got a TP 600 recently and I can find 2645 on the bottom but nothing else to indicate what the rest of the model number is.
There's a S98-3801-2 and a DAFG 23C-0798-S on the bottom but no other 3 digit no's. Like my TP 600E is a 2645-4AU.
Any ideas?

Thanks!

~susiejo

Access Easy Setup (BIOS) by holding down the F1 key while turning the power on. Continue to hold F1 down until you see the display change to the diagonal "Thinkpad" background then release. The first seven characters of the System-unit serial number should contain the type number. To exit Easy Setup, click on the Restart icon, then OK.

Running "System information" under W2k and XP also gives model/type info

Hi, Thanks for the replies.
I am running win 98se on it and under setup- system unit serial number it is blank.

One of the reasons I needed to know is I am having problems with the display. When it starts up the IBM and Thinkpad logos are shown far apart so it appears that the screen is O.K. but once the win 98 starts up it is in a little square in the center of the screen. I have been trying to find the correct driver for it but am having problems.
I have downloaded all the drivers from the IBM/Lenovo site but it isn't working.
Do you have any thoughts on a driver for an IBM TP 600 (2645)?

SUSIEJO wrote:[...]under setup- system unit serial number it is blank.

Heh, heh. Well that could mean various things. Maybe your Thinkpad was stolen from somebody and the thieves deleted the serial number before reselling to you or eBay or whoever. Or, maybe someone replaced the motherboard and then did not check (or know how) to make sure that the serial number matched the new board. In any case, it makes it much harder to figure out which model you have -- you could potentially have a motherboard from one model and the rest of your laptop from another.

SUSIEJO wrote:When it starts up the IBM and Thinkpad logos are shown far apart so it appears that the screen is O.K. but once the win 98 starts up it is in a little square in the center of the screen.

That is normal behaviour. Does your display appear correctly after you've finished booting up, or does it stay in the little square box in the center?

When you boot up, initially there is no driver, it is just the Thinkpad BIOS controlling the display, so it uses the full screen. When Windows 98 starts to boot, the Windows splash screen is shown in 640x480 resolution, which will appear like a box with a black frame on your 1024x768 screen. Then when Windows finishes booting up, you should enter into 1024x768 as the desired resolution. You should be able to change this resolution in your Display properties. If you can't, then you haven't correctly installed the Thinkpad 600 (or 600E??) Windows 98 video driver from IBM/Lenovo, so I would try to install it again, and follow their instructions EXACTLY.

Phil.

Then it sounds like the motherboard was replaced at some time but the system-unit information not transferred to the new board.

The display problem sounds like the screen resolution in Windows is not set the same as the LCD's (native) resolution. In other words, your panel is probably XGA (1024 x 768) but Windows is set to VGA (640 x 480) or SVGA (800 x 600). To fix that you need to go to the Display Properties in Windows 98. I believe you can get there by right-clicking on the destop, choose Properties and then click the Settings tab. Note where the slider is for Screen Area (resolution). Look above that and see what Windows thinks is the Display type. That may have the resolution in the description. Slide the Screen Area slider to match the description. If there's no resolution mentioned in the Display line, then slide the Screen Area slider one setting towards the right. Click Apply. You may get a warning screen saying that your screen resolution may not work and that it will return to the previous setting if you do nothing.

This assumes that you have the correct video driver enabled. If the system can't figure out what you are using, then most likely Windows will default to a "safe mode" and use VGA (640 x 480) and won't let you change it from that.

Thanks Ray and Phil for your help.
I did check under the display settings and it does say vga but you know how sometimes the answer is just right there in front of you, Well Phil you were right! I had not followed the instructions EXACTLY!
Well, I went back to ibm and got the instructions and followed them exactly and well,,,,,,, now it works perfectly.
Thank you both very much.

(sometimes being blonde just doesn't pay off)

~susiejo