New to me T440

[cyclops13]

Hi all, I always was a fan of Thinkpads but somehow never came across this wonderful forum.
Recently registered and going through the threads make me feel that the T440 (no p or s) is not a popular choice.

I got a used T440 last week for less than $200 and know of the following issues so far but still liking it. Your advise and opinions are appreciated.

1. It had computrace enabled - this was a dealbreaker, was about to return it but followed the guide on this forum and luckily got it removed by submitting a ticket
2. The LCD (1600x900 touch) has some white bright spots (3) visible in plain background. Reading on this screen is not great, probably not a defect, but nature of this display panel? Is replacement needed? What is the best option?
3. Bottom cover was not aligned well when I received it and I thought its a broken hinge but I opened it and saw the hinge is good. However most of the mounting tabs seem to be broken - on the bottom cover as well as the top part which snap together. Bottom Cover also has a crack near the edge and few fan vents are broken. I think the previous owner used heavy hands to open the case. After carefully closing the case and tightening the screws, its holding pretty good and nice but I know its broken, wondering if I should replace both.
5. Please check the warranty information below, I am not clear if it includes the accidental damage coverage. What exactly is the upgrade, what will they cover?

System Summary
Product ID: 20B7S31E00
Type: 20B7
Serial Number:
IMEI:
- Location: United States Of America

Base Warranty Start Date: 2014-06-30 End Date: 2017-07-09
Warranty Type: 3EZ
Status: Active
Serial Number:
Description:
This product has a three year limited warranty and is entitled to depot repair service. Customers may call their local service center for more information. Dealers may provide carry-in repair for this product. Batteries have a one year warranty.

Warranty Upgrade Start Date: 2014-06-30 End Date: 2017-06-29
Warranty Type: TQ1
Status: Active
Serial Number:
Description:
This product has a three year limited warranty which includes a ThinkPlu s warranty upgrade. This product is entitled to mail-in or carry-in repa ir service. This machine is also entitled to the Thinkpad Protection Ser vice for 3 Years.

[RealBlackStuff]

You can check here what warranty it has: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/warrant ... e=Warranty
That probably confirms your info.
Contact them next via : https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/contactus
Fill in Thinkpad T series and T440 and your S/N and then choose.

[cyclops13]

You can check here what warranty it has: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/warrant ... e=Warranty
That probably confirms your info.
Contact them next via : https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/contactus
Fill in Thinkpad T series and T440 and your S/N and then choose.

Thanks for responding.. I already checked the warranty and pasted the details in my post.
I will contact Lenovo as well, but just wanted to check on the forum if its covers damage or not.

Also I was wondering if I can change the whole body of the laptop. I mean the bottom, keyboard and LCD cover.
What would be the most cost effective way of doing that?

[brchan]

Ebay has plenty of new parts for thinkpads. Just be sure to buy from sellers with at least a 98% seller rating. Make sure the item description has OEM or original parts in it. The only real counterfeit parts I have seen on thinkpads are hinges.

Also, the parts except the keyboard you listed that you want to change are not considered consumer replaceable units (CRUs), so changing them will void your warranty.

[WVZR1]

I stumbled into a T440 (no P or S) also a while ago and actually like it, aside from the [censored] track-pad. I was actually shopping for a T430 or T420. The only other aside to mine is the display at 1366 X 768. If I had both of them tweaked I'd be very happy. I also seized the opportunity to try W10 on this machine and I'm OK with that. The keyboard I'll get accustomed to also. Mine is backlit and I've ordered a backlit for my X230T that I bought about the same time. The fall/winter Service Pack seems to have done it well. Mine was originally a down-grade to W7 so I got Recovery Media for both W8 & W7. M$ issued me a product key for my W10 as when the Service Pack was done it wouldn't auto-activate. A 10 minute phone call and allowed them remote access to confirm.

Mine I'm assuming has never been disassembled for a thing and I'd say there are no issues with the build quality. Looking through the HMM I can see where if the wrong pair of hands got into it well ...... I watched a couple U-tubes and they were certainly the "wrong pair" in most instances. I did find a very good one for the upgrade/change of the track-pad. I didn't save it so I hope I can find again as I'll likely do it.

I'll likely live with the display and for the Internet browsing it will likely do.

Regarding the warranty reference to CRU parts. Find a "local" service facility and carry it in for anything that you need. The "local" is only concerned with a "SATISFIED CUSTOMER" and a favorable survey to Lenovo when service is done. I wouldn't do anything other than a "local". Location is key maybe.

*** It's difficult to find conversations that are T440 - the conversation generally wanders to S or P product and the information seems useless to a T440 user. Good to see a T440 user.

[systemBuilder]

The only real counterfeit parts I have seen on thinkpads are hinges.

In the T4x era there were a lot of low-quality counterfeit keyboards. They worked about as well as the worst chicklet keyboards available today, i.e. just barely. Nearly all batteries are counterfeit after a certain point, but that doesn't mean they won't work. I had an experience two weeks ago where a seller sent a very low-spec substitute LCD display but advertised a different brand, for a T430s. Buyer beware!

[brchan]

The only real counterfeit parts I have seen on thinkpads are hinges.

In the T4x era there were a lot of low-quality counterfeit keyboards. They worked about as well as the worst chicklet keyboards available today, i.e. just barely. Nearly all batteries are counterfeit after a certain point, but that doesn't mean they won't work. I had an experience two weeks ago where a seller sent a very low-spec substitute LCD display but advertised a different brand, for a T430s. Buyer beware!

Ah, forgot about the batteries and screens. That should have been the first things that come to mind. Now that I think of it, there are also fake HDD/ultrabay caddies. Never heard of or seen counterfeit keyboards in Thinkpads though. Can't seem to find anything on it except this picture: http://imgur.com/PwImkCg.

[cyclops13]

Thanks for posting guys, its good to know your views.

For now I think I will will leave the bottom panel replacement for later sometime as its not causing any issue.
I will just change the LCD rear cover (the lid) as it kinda flexes and widens the crack every time I open the lid.

Is it a very difficult job to do? Any reliable tutorials I can refer? Also, can I make the hinges a little less tight?

Thanks.

EDIT: Wow, I found a video and the replacement process looks scary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxYMyv88G-o

[WVZR1]

Thanks for posting guys, its good to know your views.

For now I think I will will leave the bottom panel replacement for later sometime as its not causing any issue.
I will just change the LCD rear cover (the lid) as it kinda flexes and widens the crack every time I open the lid.

Is it a very difficult job to do? Any reliable tutorials I can refer? Also, can I make the hinges a little less tight?

Thanks.

EDIT: Wow, I found a video and the replacement process looks scary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxYMyv88G-o

Top of the HOME PAGE UNDER THE HEADER, click on the HMM link and get the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your machine

[cyclops13]

Thanks for posting guys, its good to know your views.

For now I think I will will leave the bottom panel replacement for later sometime as its not causing any issue.
I will just change the LCD rear cover (the lid) as it kinda flexes and widens the crack every time I open the lid.

Is it a very difficult job to do? Any reliable tutorials I can refer? Also, can I make the hinges a little less tight?

Thanks.

EDIT: Wow, I found a video and the replacement process looks scary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxYMyv88G-o

Top of the HOME PAGE UNDER THE HEADER, click on the HMM link and get the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your machine

Thanks. I checked the manual and it suggests the replacement similar to how the video shows (except for removing the hinge first) and it seems very difficult.

Is there a way to determine that the inside rollcage is damaged or its just the cover which is cracked? Whenever I open the laptop, I can see that the LCD cover flexes and widens the crack momentarily. Should I just leave it like that till it breaks or leaving it like that will damage some internal parts? Is there anyway I can glue the crack to avoid further damage?

[brchan]

Is there a way to determine that the inside rollcage is damaged or its just the cover which is cracked? Whenever I open the laptop, I can see that the LCD cover flexes and widens the crack momentarily. Should I just leave it like that till it breaks or leaving it like that will damage some internal parts?

T440 lids do not have internal magnesium frames like T61 - T400 models did (LCD cover + front LCD bezel), so if there is a crack in the cover you would only need to replace the lid cover. To check for frame cracks in the base, removing the keyboard bezel/palmrest and keyboard should give you enough view of the frame

Is there anyway I can glue the crack to avoid further damage?

Do not bother with glue or any other patching methods. A new lid cover is the only proper way of fixing the problem.

Also, can I make the hinges a little less tight?

There should be a nut at the end of each of the hinges accessible after removing the lcd bezel and lid cover. I am not sure what nut size t440 hinges take, but T/W530 models need a 6mm socket wrench for easy adjustment.

EDIT: The hinges look like they contain two parts, so you may need to do a little more disassembly.

[WVZR1]

There is nearly always T440 parts for sale on eBay and with the ZOOM function you should be able to look at whatever you needed to in "great detail".

There's lids and hinges there currently that offer you views of anything that should interest you. eBay offers the best opportunities to "visualize" anything that might interest you and generally in great detail.

[systemBuilder]

Counterfeit keyboards nearly always say "Chicony" and "Made in China", and they are the hardest-to-type-upon keyboards that I have experienced on any laptop anywhere, you actually have to physically pound your fingers into each key or it won't register, and they easily cancel out the benefits of the Made-in-Thailand keyboards that made thinkpads famous. I have a few and I am just going to throw them away because they are so horrifically bad.

[cyclops13]

Thanks for your responses. I really appreciate your help.

I was looking up the replacement LCD for the T440 and came across two options, 00HN855 and 00HM039.
Both of them look the same to me and I could not find any differences. Any advise to identify which is better?

[lembang]

AUO B140HAN01.x series are pretty good for the screen, but they are not touchscreen.
I use B140HAN01.3 matte. I like the colour on the screen.

[cyclops13]

AUO B140HAN01.x series are pretty good for the screen, but they are not touchscreen.
I use B140HAN01.3 matte. I like the colour on the screen.

Thanks. I guess for touchscreen there is only one option so I will take that.

I'm thinking of adding more storage (currently just have a 128gb SSD) to the laptop and have thought of following -

Boot Drive - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ASBZEO/ref ... UTF8&psc=1

Storage Drive - http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Travelstar-2 ... op?ie=UTF8

Sounds like a good plan? Are these compatible?

The HDD is 9.5mm - it will fit, right?

[RealBlackStuff]

AFAIK you need 7mm high drives.

[Ibthink]

9.5 mm HDDs / SSDs also fit in the T440.

[cyclops13]

9.5 mm HDDs / SSDs also fit in the T440.

Thanks for confirming! I remember reading this somewhere but was not sure...

[cyclops13]

AUO B140HAN01.x series are pretty good for the screen, but they are not touchscreen.
I use B140HAN01.3 matte. I like the colour on the screen.

Thanks. I guess for touchscreen there is only one option so I will take that.

I'm thinking of adding more storage (currently just have a 128gb SSD) to the laptop and have thought of following -

Boot Drive - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ASBZEO/ref ... UTF8&psc=1

Storage Drive - http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Travelstar-2 ... op?ie=UTF8

Sounds like a good plan? Are these compatible?

The HDD is 9.5mm - it will fit, right?

I am placing the order today. You guys see any issues? SSD for boot and HDD for storage?

[lembang]

Sorry I didnt see this post for so long.
I would avoid HGST because of the noise caused by the disk. maybe try SEAGATE SSHD.
Adata SSD NGFF is great, I've been using it and no problem at all.