OK, I may have an INCOMPATIBLE drive :-(

[vk60402]

first, my Thinkpad Model is 2681-CU1, not 2691.

secondly, I think that the Samsung drive may be incompatible with my system. It is rated 5V dc. 0.7A and my 20G Hitachi Travel star is 1A, perhaps the extra current from the power supply plays a role...

It is sad, I've thrown the packaging out already and need to return this monster.

[924guy]

.3 amp difference should be at the far end of "compatable" , most of this stuff is rated lower than its actual tolarance. have you tried it?is it not functioning when you install it? very odd, id thought power requiremnts for these drive was pretty much universal... learn something new every day....

[Thane_Bitter]

Ok after looking the number up I see that you have an R40. So you’re concerned that your new hard drive draws .7 amps and not 1 amp like your old one? If this is what you mean then I would total relax, from a power standpoint there is no compatibility issue. If anything having a hard drive that draws less current (amps or amperes) is a bonus since it will not drain down your battery as fast. As 924guy stated, the rating lists the maximum current the drive will use if it’s operating normally (typically this is when the drive first spins up during boot or during a lot of drive activity). Have your tired to use the new drive or was this something you wanted to check before you installed it? If it’s not working I bet you have another issue of compatibly such has BIOS limitations for example (but unlikely in your case). Check out IBM’s/Lenovo’s site for the hardware maintenance manual (HMM) for your R40, it will have a section on how to replace the drive. Good Luck!

Thane

[chalrie_hng]

The 0.7A or 1.0A is power consumption rate, not an issue of compatibility. You don't blame a device that draws less power than its predecessor. The point is, does the machine bootup at all and the drive is recognized by BIOS? If it does then you should be fine. Otherwise replace it with Hitachi. Previously my A20M has an issue with Western Digital 40GB/8MB. The drive is recognized and installable, but the performance is not there. I've checked with WD support, said because the way WD drive handles the purge on the 8MB buffer, you feel interruption on running programs or mouse move. Eventually I replaced it. My experience is, for upgrading IBM laptops, don't go for small brands, otherwise you will suffer in the other way.

[vk60402]

Returned the 80GB hard drive.

Got the Hitachi 60GB 5400 RPM and had no problems for a week+.

The problem with Samsung was intermittent - the drive would be spinning at boot up and other times it would not start, causing 'os not found' error.

So... lesson learned, stick with Fujitsu or Hitachi on IBM thinkpads.

As a side note, Samsung warked fine when hooked up to external PCMCIA adapter, but I wanted it as internal...

Another lesson, if you are changing hardrives, one of the best tools is to use Apricorns EZ Gig transfer. It hooks up two drives together and re-images the old drive onto the new drive. And, it costs less than $50 on Dell's website, including shipping and handling...