R31 -- boot from USB pen-drive possible?

[kiomava]

Hey there. Does anybody know if it's possible to boot from a USB pen-type drive from an R31?

The BIOS indicates boot from USB floppy is possible. I've got the internal floppy boot disabled (BIOS says when this is enabled, boot from external USB floppy is not possible). I've tried a commonly referenced HP utility, and also FlashBoot (free eval version) in both HD and FD mode. I've got a 128MB Lexar USB drive. I can get the USB drive to boot on newer laptops, but not the R31.

BIOS version is 3.04 I think, and I don't have an easy way to upgrade it at this point.

The story is, for those interested:

I've really run my R31 into the ground. The HD just failed days ago, and the CD Drive failed a year or so ago. I'm considering getting a replacement HD, but installing an OS onto it may be tricky if I have no easy way to boot.

By the way, the HD failed I think because of a problem relating to my power cord. The power cord plug broke long ago, and I've been re-soldering it back together to keep it alive. The solder joint typically lasts a few weeks before I have to redo it. My patched together power cord connection isn't totally reliable, and it's much easier to unplug and cause power loss. Oh and the battery no longer works, so getting unplugged really causes immediate stoppage of the computer. The last time this happened, and I tried to reboot, the HD started making strange sounds and eventually I got an HD-related error message during the first power-up stages. Because this failure happened immiediately after a failure of my soldered power cord, I'm assuming some kind of voltage spike killed it.

Also, the internal fan failed some time ago, and the HD failure may be an indirect result of that as well. As the fan was failing, I literally used frozen ice packs to try to keep it cool, but soon I got a laptop cooler mat thing that seemed to help quite a bit and didn't require frequent trips to the freezer to re-freeze the ice packs.

Despite all this, before the HD failed, it was working to my satisfaction. It's out of warranty, and I got a good deal on it to begin with and I used it in some very intense ways. It doesn't surprise me at all that it's had these problems, given how much I've used it.

If I can get the USB drive boot to work, I'll probably just get a new HD and swap it in. Otherwise I think I'd have to find a way to format the new HD, etc, which would require more hardware purchases and it might not be worth it. I'd been backing up the old HD daily and I don't care about recovering data from it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[Thane_Bitter]

Hey kiomava,

Nope I am afraid that the R31 will not boot off a USB flash drive, it seems that the BIOS does not support that option. I have tried with a Sandisk Cruzer memory key with the latest BIOS (3.110) and it just won't work. The good news, you are correct, a USB floppy drive will work, so if you can borrown one or find a cheap one out there somewhere that's an option for you. Another option, assuming you have access to a desktop computer, would be to get a 3.5" - 2.5" Hard drive adapter. This would allow you to plug a new laptop HD into a functional destop computer (one that already has an OS installed) which would allow you to format the new drive as well as copy installation files. I bought such an adapter a number of years ago, and though I don't use it that often, it's been a lifesaver when I have.
Glad to see another R31 user out there, I have been quite happy with mine since I bought it a little over three years ago. Good Luck with yours.

Thane

[storage_man]

Thane

I to have a R31 which I am really happy with. I have had it for about 3 years. I like it because its real light to carry around. I use it mostly for Internet access and in my truck when I go 4 wheeling. Hooked up to my Garmin, I can find and go any place. The only feature I wish it would have is USB 2.0. I have upgraded the memory from 192mb to 384mb and upgraded the HD from 20gb to 30gb. I have several USB 2.0 external drives that I use for video and picture temporary storage so the 30gb works pretty good.

Storage_man

[kiomava]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I ended up finding a 2.5" to USB adapter on ebay that I hope to be able to use to format the new HD from a desktop. It was pretty inexpensive and I can see using it again. Hope it goes smoothly.

I've put this thinkpad through a lot, even though I've only had it 3 years or so. It was probably powered up 25-50% of the time, and it's been from above the arctic circle to centeral mexico. I've used it on boats, small prop planes, on road trips with little kids playing movies on it, all over thep lace and in fairly harsh environments. If I'd replaced the power cord and the fan, it would probably be in flawless condition now, but alas, I was cheap. The hard disk was getting a little tight anyway.

[Thane_Bitter]

Storage_man, kiomava,

I never though of an USB Hard adapter that’s a brilliant idea and definitely a very useful tool. I wish you success with the rebuild. Wow both of you have put some considerable mileage on your ThinkPad’s, by comparison mine has not travelled far at all. I would say that for the most part my R31 has spent about 90% of its life coupled with a port replicator sitting on my desk, however its rarely ever off. Storage has not been much of an issue for me as I store most of my files on a central server. I don't mind that the system is not USB 2.0, since I am just using it for syncing a PDA; but if I could change the hardware I would prefer having a graphics system that didn't share with the system memory. Through daily use I have polished my keyboard to a glossy shine; it's really the only thing that hints at its age. Nice to hear of other R31 users that are just as satisfied with their systems as I am with mine.

Thane