Place to take T-61...

[inwellington]

Hi there,

Have a T-61 with this info: TYPE 7659 - CTO S/N L3-MR220 08/09
PRODUCT ID 7659WAW

Condition to me is a ten. No signs of wear.

Has a OCZ-PETROL 120 gb ssd.

Having difficulty installing Windows 7.

Anyone know of a place or person who repairs?

I can deliver to Toronto, Oshawa, Belleville, Kingston, Peterborough, Ontario areas.

Thanks for any help.

Paul.

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

Could you please tell us more about the problems you have encountered with W7 install?

[inwellington]

Thank you for your warm welcome.

Here's some info:

TYPE 7659 - CTO S/N L3-MR220 08/09

PRODUCT ID 7659WAW

FDXXT QWJRB K3WCP FJB3G TF9V8

BIOS Version 2.29 7LETC9WW

BIOS DATE 2011-03-18

Embedded Controller Version 1`.08

System unit serial no. 7659WAWL3MR220

System board serial no. VF12YG8985A3

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T7100

CPU Speed 1.80 GHz

Installed memory: 5120 mb

Could it be that I am trying to install Windows 32 bit rather than 64 bit? Just realized it has 5 gb of ram.

Bought from a guy who buys off-lease Thinkpads in Toronto a couple of years ago. I fired it up a couple of weeks ago and it wouldn't load. It came with 7 Ultimate and a CD which I can't find. Have moved twice since.

Did a clean install on a PETROL 120 gb ssd.

Downloaded Win 7 Home RTM? I didn't do any fixes or updates because this laptop won't be on the Internet. Is that part of my trouble? Did startup repair many times. Each time it got worse. Had to wipe the disk. Did the ssd align procedure.

Sorry, I'm not a techie.

Regards, Paul.

[ajkula66]

It seems to me that you're doing everything correctly, techie or not...

My thoughts:

a) Download and burn a CD of memtest86 and boot from it to test the RAM.

b) How exactly have you wiped the drive?

Good luck.

[inwellington]

Thank you for your swift reply!

When the ssd was in the T-61, I couldn't do anything with it so I hooked it up to the desktop where I was able to format. I've done the ssd align 1024 procedure.

I'll do the memtest and get back here.

Regards, Paul.

[ajkula66]

When the ssd was in the T-61, I couldn't do anything with it so I hooked it up to the desktop where I was able to format. I've done the ssd align 1024 procedure.

Hmmm...

The W7 install media should be able to align the SSD on its on during the install.

While Petrol was one of OCZ's better moments, I'm starting to suspect that there might be something wrong with the drive itself.

Let's see what memtest reports and we'll take it from there.

[inwellington]

While I'm waiting for the 64 bit version to burn to cd, here's what I'll be using the T61 for.

I'm a ham radio operator. My transceiver is in my car. The laptop will be interfaced with the radio. A program called, "TR4W" is used to logging program that will of course, log the contact. It will also "key" or have the radio the transmit the radio signal.

When using this program (TR4W) on a previous laptop running Vista, there was a "lag" after hitting "enter" and the radio actually transmitted a signal.

I'm hoping that this more recent version of Windows will remedy this situation.

Regards, Paul.

[inwellington]

Installing the 64 bit version of Ultimate worked! Thank you for your assistance!

If I want to get a Thinkpad that is the older "square" type, what models should I be looking for? One that is "quick" and not prone to problems.

Regards, Paul.

[Neil]

Hi Paul, so how old of a ThinkPad are you looking for with a "square" display? T61 models with 14" XGA 4x3 displays would be the newest, while some T60 and earlier models were available with 14" SXGA+ and 15" SXGA+ and 15" UXGA displays. For mobile use though, I suspect you would be looking for 14" or smaller, like maybe an X60 or X61.

[RealBlackStuff]

Don't forget the 14.1" T61 (or R61) with 4:3 SXGA+ and Intel graphics!
And ONLY in Europe (mainly Germany) they brought out a 15" 4:3 R61, rarer than hen's teeth!

[inwellington]

Thanks Neil and RealBlackStuff. The 61 I have is a widescreen. I didn't know there were so many versions! My first Thinkpad was a brand new A31P which I gave away to the local food bank (they do furniture, appliances, etc.). It found a new home the following day! It worked flawlessly. I love these Thinkpads and could become a collector if I had some spare change. The keyboards are wonderful and they are so well made. I read somewhere that the Toshiba CF-Y7 and 8 are good too. Never seen one.

Anyway, I am not a happy camper right now. The 61 is not working again. I bought a new Toshiba 120 gb SSD that is on sale at FS. I'll try system repair first. I should have done the ram test someone suggested while the sucker was still working last night. It worked fine last night. Booted it several times yesterday and ran perfexctly. Today, nada. Getting "cannot boot from any device" message. "ATA HDD0: Device not found."

Any ideas?

Regards, Paul.

[ajkula66]

I read somewhere that the Toshiba CF-Y7 and 8 are good too. Never seen one.

Those are Panasonics, not Toshibas. Yes, they are excellent machines in their own right although the keyboards are nowhere near the ThinkPad standard.

Getting "cannot boot from any device" message. "ATA HDD0: Device not found."

Any ideas?

Regards, Paul.

Return that SSD, it's a dud.

T61 units are normally not all that picky with SSDs, but there have been reports of inability to see certain drives at boot.

[inwellington]

Thanks for that, ajkula66. It's a OCZ-PETROL 120 gb ssd that came with the 61 when I bought it a couple of years ago, so is unreturnable.

Paul.

[ajkula66]

I thought it was Toshiba giving you grief...

Check to see if that Petrol is "seen" in a different machine.

Some OCZ drives are slightly larger than the standard, and need an extra amount of finagling to sit properly in the drive bay.

I'd take the drive out and out of the metal caddy, just place the rubber rails around it and insert back...

Good luck.

[inwellington]

ajkula66, yes I have just been using the rubber rails.

I have a hdd from a HP laptop that died on me several years ago. Before popping in the new Toshiba SSD, I'll install W7 Ultimate on the hdd and see if runs okay on the 61.

Regards, Paul.