Questions about Linux, Thinkpad T43 and hardware

[James1138]

I apologize up front if these questions have already been answered in the past and welcome any answers.

I got real lucky in finding a working T43 with 1500x1040 res screen for 6 dollars at a garage sale!

1. What is the maximum capacity IDE/PATA hard drive that a T43 can use without partitioning? I have already updated BIOS to newest version 1.29. Some people say 120 gig but I heard as much as 320 gig IDE/PATA.

2. I got my T43 to normally see 3 gig of ram on every boot but the installed OS (Lubuntu 14.0.4 lts) only sees 2 gig. I hear it is due to the 915GM chipset and maybe no way around. But... if the BIOS sees 3 gig on every boot... is there anyway to "trick" the T43 to see 3 gig after boot is completed?? Perhaps some kind of flash update for the 915GM chipset?

3. The rest of the computers in our household that my lady and grandkids use are Windows systems hooked to a Lexmark x9575 multipurpose printer/scanner/fax. The drivers are Windows XP but refuse to install for some unknown reason onto my T43 using Wine 1.8. Install gets almost all done, then stops and uninstalls. Everything found online says Lexmark will not work... my question - would anyone know of any generic / third-party print drivers that would allow my T43 to print to the Lexmark x9575? Are there any drivers for wireless / wifi printing to Lexmark x9575 using NDISwrapper??

4. Last... but not least... if unable to see more than 2 gig via Ubuntu OS and 120 gig is the max... is it possible to remove the T43 motherboard and replace it with T61 motherboard? I REALLY DO NOT want to loose this great high-res display!!!

[brchan]

2. I got my T43 to normally see 3 gig of ram on every boot but the installed OS (Lubuntu 14.0.4 lts) only sees 2 gig. I hear it is due to the 915GM chipset and maybe no way around. But... if the BIOS sees 3 gig on every boot... is there anyway to "trick" the T43 to see 3 gig after boot is completed?? Perhaps some kind of flash update for the 915GM chipset?

Not possible.

4. Last... but not least... if unable to see more than 2 gig via Ubuntu OS and 120 gig is the max... is it possible to remove the T43 motherboard and replace it with T61 motherboard? I REALLY DO NOT want to loose this great high-res display!!!

No. However, you can get a relatively cheap 4:3 ratio 14.1" T61 with 1400x1050 resolution display, or a 4:3 15" T60p with the much better IPS display with 1400x1050 or 1600x1200 display. These are rare and expensive to find in good condition, however.

[MisterB]

The largest 2.5" PATA drives I know of are 320gb and that is the maximum the T43 can use. If there were bigger 2.5 PATA drives, the T43 would recognize them. With a cheap Ultrabay 2nd hdd SATA adapter, the limit is what the OS will see. With Xp it is 2gb, with any later version of Windows and almost any Linux version, it will be as many Terabytes as you can afford.

[jaspen-meyer]

Your main goal is to keep the screen.
You can put a sata drive in a T43. See http://theboardroom.info/ or ask 'Real Black Stuff'.

My guess is the max disk size is 2TB, limiting factor being the MBR, but if the drive uses GPT the max disk size will be depend on your file system, ranging from 16TiB to 16 EiB.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record

MBR partition entries and the MBR boot code used in commercial operating systems, however, are limited to 32 bits. Therefore, the maximum disk size supported on disks using 512-byte sectors (whether real or emulated) by the MBR partitioning scheme (without using non-standard methods) is limited to 2 TiB.

On linux you won't have a 120gb disk size limit -- it's a shortcoming of XP, or bios with 28-bit LBA. T43 likely uses 48-bit LBA).

If you're dealing with large files, you'll want a filesystem with "large file support (otherwise) the maximum file size on a 32-bit system will be 2 GiB". With large file support the file size limit goes up to 8EiB.
2gb of ram is plenty for a T43 running Lubuntu. But, just in case, partition some swap space onto the ssd.

Getting a non-linux printer to print is an advanced topic. You can take it head on http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collabor ... _server.3F or drum up a work-around.
Off the top of my head - one work around is to 'print to file' on your Lubuntu machine then send the pdf or postscript file to a windows machine which, in turn, submits the printing job. Solving network printing work-arounds was the flash point for the 'free software' guys at MIT in the early 70's - you'll find a useable hack, go for it!

[Sudevan]

For what it's worth, it is possible to put an R52 motherboard into a T43p chassis. I have such a Frankenpad, bought from one of our forum members about a year or so ago. It works fine, and the screen for the T43p, a 1600x1200 UXGA, is brilliant. There were some things that were slightly downsized, such as a change from a 128MB ATI FireGL V3200 graphics card to a 64MB ATI X300. The CPU is a Pentium M 760 (2GHz). It came with Windows: I can't remember if it was Win XP or Win 7, I have so many T43s! However, as with almost all of my Thinkpads, I made it a dual-boot machine with Linux Mint (either 17 or 16) installed on it. I recently updated Linux on it after a gap of almost a year (I cycle through my Thinkpads, using each one for a while). I don't know if an R52 motherboard will work in your T43 chassis (the T43 should be identical in size and shape to the T43p, the only difference being a better screen and graphics), but you might want to check on this. It's one possible option. Again, RBS or Ajkula66 would both be excellent sources of information. Their experience, knowledge, and advice have helped me tremendously in forming my own collection of Thinkpads.

Bonne chance,

Sudevan

[RealBlackStuff]

got a T43 with 1500x1040 res screen

Guess you mean 1400x1050, which is known as SXGA+
There's a label on the bottom, which says something like: TYPE 2668-P2U S/N L3-12345 06/05
What is your 7-char. TYPE?

1) Max 320GB IDE in main drive bay
2) T43 takes max. 2x1GB RAM DDR2 PC4200 or PC5300
3) no idea (yet) about Linux
4) Any of the T4x/R5x motherboards on this list will fit: http://theboardroom.info/ibm_list.html
But only T43, T43p and R52 mobos use the same CPU and RAM that you now have.
No other motherboards will fit.
Unless your current mobo is defective, there's no point in replacing it.

FYI: I no longer do SATA-mods.