T30 with wrong resolution

[clowenst]

Recently I got a Thinkpad T30, model 2366-92U. I read the Hardware Maintenance Manual (page 137) to state that this model has a 14.1-in SXGA+ LCD assembly. This should be 1400x1050 pixels.

The BIOS says that the display is 1024x768, no operating system I have tried can produce a higher-resolution display. With a magnifier I can see the individual pixels, and can count them in a line of text, and compute that there are indeed 1024 pixels across the screen.

The person from whom I bought it says that the unit had never been sent out for repair such as replacement of the LCD assembly. So what could have happened? Am I reading the manual incorrectly?

For what it's worth, the model number and serial number as reported by the BIOS are the same as what is printed on the bar-coded sticker on the bottom.

[rkawakami]

If you go to IBM/Lenovo's support page here:

IBM/Lenovo Support

and plug in your model number you will see that the system came from the factory with the 1400x1050 screen. It's probable that somewhere along the way somebody swapped out the screen. If you are sure there's only 1024 horizontal pixels, is there a chance you could return the system to the seller as it's not original?

BTW, Welcome to thinkpads.com!

(edit: Altered the last sentence into a question about returning the system as opposed to a confirmation as to the number of pixels.)

[pianowizard]

This happened to me recently when I bought my A31p from solarcom on eBay. It's supposed to have a UXGA display but what I got was only XGA. Apparently someone had swapped the original UXGA display with an XGA one, and the seller didn't know about it. I got an RMA, returned it and got a replacement about two weeks afterward. You should do the same. If you purchased it on eBay, make sure you don't leave any feedback for the seller until the issue has been straightened out.

[rkawakami]

To get slightly OT...

I just saw a T23 on eBay advertised as a 2647-NU8 (1.2G/SXGA+/Wireless) that only had about an hour and a half to go. I looked at the pictures and entered my eSnipe bid. Went back to the auction description and looked through it again. Looked closer at the pictures and noticed that the lid did not have the plastic ribbing for the built-in antennas. The seller made it a point to say that the display was SXGA+ but said nothing about built-in wireless. I fired off a question to him but figured that I wouldn't get a response so close to the end of the auction. I was pleasantly surprised when he replied within 10 minutes and said the previous owner had swapped the display. Needless to say I cancelled my snipe. The seller had known this detail but neglected to explicitly say the lid was exchanged with the normal, "non-wireless" version. This case is different than the person who knows nothing about the previous history, nor what the laptop should come with.

All of this is just another way of saying to be careful when quoted a model number. Some additional questions are always suggested and even if the seller has said "as-is", you probably still have a good case if quoted a model/type number that is substantially different than factory stock.