Wireless-free Thinkpad or easily removable wireless?

[lw1471]

I've had two T22 laptops, an X60s and an X200 in the last two years and am considering another now. I'm intending to go internet-free for at least six months for several reasons I won't bog down my enquiry with here. The T22 began as quite ideal for my purposes but both the ones I had died in the same way it seemed and I'm not keen on getting one as old as that again. They seemed to overheat. Both of them were fine, I left them unattended for a short while to come back and find them dead and beyond reviving. I've saved parts I might be able to reuse.

I mostly want a Thinkpad to word process on, to write a book. Windows 2000, XP or Linux Mint will be perfectly adequate for me so they needn't be Windows 7-, 8-, or 10-ready. If I knew which models come with no wireless that might be handy, but also which can have their wireless cards easily removed through removing a small base plate rather than disassembly, relatively simple though disassembly have proved to be with Thinkpads. I could then leave the card with a family member so that my own willpower issues and capacity for time-wasting don't get invoked...

I also had a T43 briefly but was annoyed by the over-active fan, especially when using Linux. I was looking at T30's a while but they seem thin on the ground and I wouldn't know whether they'd have much more life in them than my T22's. T, X, R, A series are fine, the smaller the better. I don't really want a 15 inch or above laptop. 14 inch is okay but still a bit big. 11 to 12.5 is ideal. My X200 had an audio issue that seems to affect other X200's and though it was otherwise great and affordable I don't want to mess with that type again or have anything else to solve. Apparently there was a BIOS update which started this issue of intermittent audio and I was unable to regress the BIOS.

Any recommendations are welcome. Many thanks.

[FryPpy]

Welcome to TPF!

Any ThinkPad have relatively easy removable wireless module (for my skills). Some more easy (like T2x, T30, X4x, X3x, T6x), some less (needed to remove palmrest).

May be X60s is your choice? Wireless card is under palmrest. Read HMM for steps how to remove WiFi module.
If you like X200 - so there are 2 models are nearby - X61 (and X61s) or X201. First is cheaper, second can be more powerful. All needs to remove palmrest to remove wireless module.
May be X300 or X301 can be more usable for you. Removing wireless module is easy (like on T2x - it is under memory door). But X30x is less powerful but more expensive than X61/X200
I don't know any issues with X61 / X200 / X201 / X301 may be because i rarely hearing music out of it.

BE WARNED. After wireless module have been removed you should isolate and fixate antennas (e.x. with adhesive tape)

PS
I didn't met any newer than T(X)61 ThinkPads without WiFi.

[lw1471]

Thanks. Can I ask why the antennae need to be isolated?

Also, although I have been looking again at X60 laptops having been quite pleased with the one I had before, there seem to be quite inexpensive R61 and R51 laptops on eBay. More the R61 really as I understand the R51 uses IDE drives. The R61 seems to come in several sizes, which seems a bit annoying. You'd think they'd have a different model name if they can vary so much.

Given the simple application of the machine I want, I'm trying to spend as little as possible without falling into the trap of 'false economy', i.e. buying something that will soon die or make a nuisance of itself.

Thanks.

[Neil]

I assume the advice to isolate the antenna contacts is to prevent them from creating a possible short circuit on the system board should they make contact with something they should not.

The R61 is the economy equivalent to the T61, and is usually thicker than it's T sibling. Here are some of the possible configurations you will find in the R61: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:R61

Note that none of the R61 models are as small as the X61. Here are X61 models: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X61

[Saucey]

I vote the the X300/301, I have two of them and they have ran Crunchbang well.
the ULV core 2 Duo hangs but if you will just be doing word processing, I wouldn't think it will be that harsh.
WiFi is easily accessible at the bottom.

I don't know if any T series has a bottom WiFi door, I know you would have to remove the keyboard to get to them. Maybe the T30 but then there's needing to get parts, the RAM slot issue, and it being a Pentium 4 as well, BUT its awesome to have.

Not sure on the L or E series, they are all very different.

[calvinb]

If you want to waste time, you will. I did my writing on an old Presario for a while, (with Windows 98 + Word 97) with no network cards, and I still managed to waste time.

If you don't want to write, you won't write. Perhaps you need to realize your workflow and how you work - on and off constantly, or in bursts?

[brchan]

I vote for an X301. I just got one and can tell you that the build quality is outstanding. Just as good as my old IBM 600X. Sturdy, no wobbly hinges, creaks, or rattles and comes with the same matte finish on the entire unit. The keyboard is a joy to type on, and the port selection great as well. Speaker quality makes all my other thinkpads sound like a tin can, too. It is no wonder why this system retailed at a starting price of $2500. Performance is excellent with arch linux, and the improved gpu is able to play smoother youtube videos than my T61 (T9500, 4GB ram, intel gpu).

Unfortunately, the screen is its only weakness. Although bright (300 nits) and sharp, the contrast and colors leave a lot to be desired... However, the display is a 13.3" 1440x900 screen, and you can always hook it up digitally to a better monitor (max resolution is 2560x1600, not 2048x1536 like the tabook states).

[lw1471]

The x301 is now quite appetising, thanks. It's more than I intended to spend but I may offload some things on eBay to lessen the sting.

"If you want to waste time, you will. I did my writing on an old Presario for a while, (with Windows 98 + Word 97) with no network cards, and I still managed to waste time.

If you don't want to write, you won't write. Perhaps you need to realize your workflow and how you work - on and off constantly, or in bursts?"

Yes, there are a lot of us at it now and with varying levels of flawed commitment. I do think that eight years of increasing internet addiction has messed up my creativity. I may be proven wrong but six months of no home 'net use is worth trying, and I'm inclined to think it'll pay off. I think my capacity to waste time is a product of being able to please myself passing time unproductively online. It's the last thing many will consider because having broadband is so normal now and it's too useful for most to dispense with, but for me it's an unhealthy facility and far from essential. My former creative outlets were what I enjoyed most in life to the extent that I'm happy to go back to using a library for email and rationalised surfing if it means I'll come back to life...

Thanks also for reminding me about the T30's ram slot issue, that would have been too much aggro for me.

It'll be another X6x/X6xs or an x300/301 then, unless anything else is suggested between now and date of purchase.

[Khipata]

X40, X41, X60S, X61S will all do without breaking a bank.
If you want something to have in your pocket all the time, consider HP 200LX Palmtop. Nothing better was created before or after LX series palmtops for on the go writing (maybe Poqet PC, but good luck finding it). Those tiny palmtops run on off the shelf AA batteries which can last for months. Once created, text can be easily moved and formatted as desired on any computer.
IBM Palmtop PC 110 also comes to mind since it can run on easily obtainable camcorder batteries. However, they are very hard to find. And Toshiba Libretto 50CT as well.
Just my 2 cents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_200LX

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poqet_PC

http://boole.stanford.edu/pc110.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MqBx_w9Bls

[rkawakami]

@lw1471: Although the best system to type out a manuscript on would be a 600X (IMHO), it's probably much too old to support economically and doesn't have the battery life like "modern" systems. Since you haven't mentioned any requirement to work away from mains power, my vote would also be along the lines of a X300 or X301. As pointed out earlier, the screen can be the major disappointment but its usage of the relatively rarer/expensive 1.8" SATA drives could also be a minus. If, however, you need to run on battery for a significant amount of time, then I'd say you should re-consider your past experience and think about an X200s with a 9-cell battery. The smaller screen (12.1") is of course the main difference between it and the X300/1 but that could also be a benefit since you'll have a small, light system (as long as you don't attach the Ultrabase to it). The wireless card is under the keyboard and requires some work to get it out. But once it's done, you will have a better chance of remaining distraction-free since it's not as easy to re-install like on the X300/1, where a screwdriver and 30 seconds is all it takes to put it back in.

[brchan]

Also remember that other than the X60 tablet and X61 tablet, all other 4:3 ratio X series laptops came with XGA 1024x768 resolution screens, which will mean more scrolling. You can try to retrofit the SXGA+ screens from the tablet versions, but you will probably end up spending more money and time. An X201 would be another option, but the core-i processor is probably overkill. The screen resolution is limited to 1280x800, which is only slightly better than 1024x768. The build quality is also a step down from previous models and even more so for the X300/X301 (it is still good, though).

[lw1471]

Well I've paid for an X60. The price was in proportion to my limited requirements and the seller's feedback was encouraging. I was put off the 300/301 in the end because for some reason I am a bit sensitive to dull looking screens, partly attuned by using grey-looking Linux distributions I think, which can look a depressing almost brownish colour if contrast isn't too good. (Someone will now tell me the X60's screen is technically worse... but I did like the display of one I had before, so never mind.)

I did start looking at X200s laptops again but the fact that my audio issue wasn't a one-off with the one I had before, that it was seemingly a known problem, was too off-putting in the end.

I think also a 4:3 screen puts a person in a more work-based frame of mind. I really need to stack as many chips as I can against seven years of creative inertia...