TP 600 upgrade questions for new owner

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Diafel · #1 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:26 pm

Hello:
I'm sorry for all the questions I'm about to ask, but I'm new and have aquired just enough knowledge to be thoroughly dangerous! LOL
I need a little help here, please.

I just bought a TP 600 from ebay that showed the 161 and 163 error codes.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=008

I am crossing my fingys and hoping that all I need to do is change the battery and it will zip along.
Having said that, I will need to upgrade the machne to suit my purposes.
I intend to use this machine as my main portable Karaoke hosting machine.
I intend to use Win XP or, failing that, Win ME.
I will be running Winamp with CDG plugin (for the graphics) and will run the music off of an external USB hard drive.
What I am wondering is what kind of memory do I need to buy to upgrade it and how big can I go? (the more the better!)
What kind of hard drive can I get, if I choose to upgrade this? What's the biggest this machine will take?
Are there cheaper non-IBM Thinkpad hard drives and memory that are compatible?
Will I be able to wipe the existing drive and install Win XP (or Win ME) without a floppy or will I need to purchase one?
Will the CPU be sufficient to run Win XP?
If not, where is the best place I can go to purchase an upgraded CPU and are the Gateways compatible?
Money is, as always, a big consideration so I may need to upgrade in stages. If this is the case, what would you recommend I upgrade first?
Thanks in advance for both your time and patience.
Best regards, everyone!
Diafel

BillD · #2 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:09 pm

161 and 163 errors are a dead CMOS battery..Not the main battery..

256RAM + the 32 onboard RAM...Low density ONLY!

Get a 7200 or 5400 RPM HDD..( make sure you upgrade the BIOS)

If you upgrade the CPU make sure it is NOT....NOT a Celeron CPU, they do NOT work in 600's. Make sure it is a PII CPU..Either 300, 366 or 400...If you can the 366 or 400 should do you nice.

IMO Upgrade the RAM first, then the HDD, then the CPU...If you Max out the RAM, get a faster HDD, you should be able to run XP just fine... Then do the CPU. MAx RAM and a faster HDD will give you more speed and performance than the CPU...

Just going by memory, others may have more info..If you upgrade the BIOS to the newest version you should be able to load XP from CD...

Have fun....

Diafel · #3 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:17 pm

Thanks for your response. It helps!

I am aware that it's the CMOS battery that need replacing and have alreadly purchased one, so that's one thing out of the way!

256RAM + the 32 onboard RAM...Low density ONLY!

I am a total airhead when it comes to RAM! I know absolutely nothing.
When it comes to RAM, I am totally lost, so I will need to be told EXACTLY what to get.
Can you give me some models/ makes, or whatever it is they go by?
Thanks!

cmarti · #4 Post by **cmarti** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:53 pm

Diafel wrote: When it comes to RAM, I am totally lost, so I will need to be told EXACTLY what to get.
Can you give me some models/ makes, or whatever it is they go by?
Thanks!

You will need a PC100 256mb ram with 16 chips (Eight on each sides) I have sucessfuly used these rams in the 600,600E and 770Z without any issues.

ms5133 · #5 Post by **ms5133** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:56 pm

Low density ram means it has 16 chips total on both sides.

To be absolutely certain look for IBM part nbr (FRU) 33L3070
to avoid any compatabilty issues.

BillD · #6 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:59 pm

Yeah well, unfortunately when it comes to these 600 and RAM, nothing is easy...

If you're conservative buy Two 128 PC66 Low density sticks.. They WILL WORK! The Low Density They have 4 chips on both sides of the stick...They are on Ebay for $12-20 each..

Like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0209539310

If you feel like rolling the dice if you can find it 256mb PC 66 Low density sticks( 16 chips) will work. So there's a possibility you can max out the RAM at 544.. But there's also a chance the 256 sticks won't work OR the 600 will only 'see' half the RAM(128mb) anyway.

Have fun....

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Diafel · #7 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:07 pm

Thanks again!
Will these work, too?
eBay link

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BillD · #8 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:09 pm

cmarti wrote:
Diafel wrote: When it comes to RAM, I am totally lost, so I will need to be told EXACTLY what to get.
Can you give me some models/ makes, or whatever it is they go by?
Thanks!
You will need a PC100 256mb ram with 16 chips (Eight on each sides) I have sucessfuly used these rams in the 600,600E and 770Z without any issues.

Yeah, so have I...

But I have also had them where the 256's didn't work..Or the 600 would only see half the stick...

That's why I left the decision up to the OP...

BTW your link is showing PC 133, they will not work in a 600...

cmarti · #9 Post by **cmarti** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:11 pm

Diafel wrote:Thanks again!
Will these work, too?

Hey! That's a desktop ram, it's too big it won't fit.

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BillD · #10 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:14 pm

[quote="Diafel"]Thanks again!
Will these work, too?

Nooooooooooo

Thats desktop memory...

You want notebook...144 pin...

Diafel · #11 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:15 pm

LOL!
See why I need you guys?

Thanks
PS How do you tell the difference?

BillD · #12 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:25 pm

Follow this link..This is 128mb PC66 notebook 144 pin RAM...

eBay link

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Diafel · #13 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:43 pm

Thanks again. I followed the link and intend to buy these guys.
Am I right this time?
LOL

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0216260513

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0217137454

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cmarti · #14 Post by **cmarti** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:47 pm

No...

You need eight chips on each side.

BillD · #15 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:51 pm

No, as Cm said that PC 133, they will not work...They say they're backward compatible to PC 66 but don't trust it...

You need low density, PC 66...Straight PC 66...

Follow my link...

Diafel · #16 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:53 pm

Not sure if you're only looking at the picture or not, but I followed the link that BillD gave me, which was an eBay search for the correct RAM.

The picture on these auctions clearly state beneath them: "PICTURE IS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY - SPECS ARE AS ADVERTISED; HOWEVER, ACTUAL PRODUCT'S PHYSICAL APPEARANCE MAY VARY"

The description on both of these read:
128MB PC133 133MHz Notebook/laptop SDRAM 144-pin SODIMM, SDRAM, PC133,Non-parity, 133MHz, 3.3V, 16Megx64

If this isn't it, then I'm more last that I thought. ANd I thought I was really lost!

Diafel · #17 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:55 pm

ok look for PC133 in the title and count that out.
I'm getting a little frustrated with it. Why don't they just advertise what it is properly and be done with it instead of all the other unneccassary crap they throw on the auction pages?

Diafel · #18 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:16 pm

Ok, after wading through tons of sellers who WAAAY overcharge on shipping I think I've found something.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0235865911

The reason it's been tough for me, besides not knowing what to get, is because I'm in Canada and for some reason alot of sellers on eBay seem to either be
a) under the mistaken impression that shipping to Canada via USPS, UPS or others is exhorbitantly expnesive(It's not-I puchase alot from the USA)
or
B) under the mistaken impression that Canadians are made of money and can afford to pay outrageous shipping, despite the fact that our dollar has been significantly lower in value for the past umpteen years, barring the past few weeks, and is again, I might add.

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cmarti · #19 Post by **cmarti** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:18 pm

Now you are on the right track...

But remember to update your BIOS first.

BillD · #20 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:36 pm

Diafel wrote:Ok, after wading through tons of sellers who WAAAY overcharge on shipping I think I've found something.

The reason it's been tough for me, besides not knowing what to get, is because I'm in Canada and for some reason alot of sellers on eBay seem to either be
a) under the mistaken impression that shipping to Canada via USPS, UPS or others is exhorbitantly expnesive(It's not-I puchase alot from the USA)
or
B) under the mistaken impression that Canadians are made of money and can afford to pay outrageous shipping, despite the fact that our dollar has been significantly lower in value for the past umpteen years, barring the past few weeks, and is again, I might add.

There you go...This will work...

As CM said you might need to upgrade the BIOS first... If you do the only way I know of is by floppy drive. And you will need a good fully charged main battery too..

But before you go there check the computer's BIOS first, it might already have the most recent version.

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SMA · #21 Post by **SMA** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:39 pm

Has the machine arrived?
If so, then look at the bottom and find the type/model number. Might be something like 2645-210.
If it has not been received, then I would say, hold your horses and wait for its arrival.

Reading the auction page, I see that it has a 233 MHz cpu. It will then most likely be a pentium I cpu.
I am not sure, but it is possible that a pentium I can not be upgraded to a pentium II, and you cannot get a faster pentium I.
Let us find out, if it is relevant.
A pentium I at 233 MHz will be close to the minimum for XP.

Diafel · #22 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:45 pm

Thanks so much guys!
You really helped me out.
I changed my mind on the last one and went with this pair, for $36. plus $11.00 shipping total.
Still high shipping but it sure beats the other crooks who quoted me at $10-$20 for the first chip and an extra $5-10 to toss one more ram chip in the box. (actually they'll probably come in a bubble envelope to save themselves some more on shipping).

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Thinkpad-600-60 ... RAM-Memory...

[Mod edit: shortened URL to prevent horizontal scrolling.]

Now I can sit back and wait for all parts to arrive and pray that it's not password protected.
In the meantime, I can research, research , and research some more!
Again, thanks for all your help!
You guys made my day!

BillD · #23 Post by **BillD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:50 pm

Good luck...

All the info you will ever need is on this site.. Use the search feature and research away.

Lots of help here, this is a great site...

Diafel · #24 Post by **Diafel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:55 pm

No, it hasn't arrived yet but I am counting on it being a straight 600. I do need to upgrade the RAM, no matter what, so I opted to do this now. I will definitely wait to comfirm what it is before I purchase a new CPU for it.
If worse comes to worse, I will run Win ME on it.
I'm really only playing music with it, after all.
It will still do the same job, just XP suits me better because that is what I currently run on all my machines.
I'm really looking forward to this machine since I will no longer have to take my expensive Inspiron with me to do gigs and run the risk of damage or theft. You might ask how they would steal it if I'm using it, but it is at some minor risk at the end of the night when I'm packing out my gear.
From what I understand, these machines are quite the workhorse and are on the tough side too.

u.mac · #25 Post by **u.mac** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:48 am

After very heavy testing TP 600 (without "e" or "x") max. memory is:

32MB on board
256MB PC100 low density (16 chips) in slot 1
128MB PC66 (!!!!) low density (8-chips) in slot 2

Slot 2 will recognize PC100 memory only with half capacity - also after deactivating onboard memory! I think, there is a bug in memory slot design.

The TP 600 has a MMC-1 CPU-socket. Fast CPUs are rare and expensive - even 256MB memory modules.

Wingnut · #26 Post by **Wingnut** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:28 am

Unfortunately, I am a little late to chime in here as it looks like you have bought the RAM already. But my suggestion would be to get a different laptop. The 600's are great, don't get me wrong, I have about a dozen of them. But with the money you would have to put into upgrading it, you can get a 600E or 600X for less money and a faster CPU already.

The fasted CPU you can get for your machine is a 400mhz MMC-1 and they are about $30 + shipping. So that puts you up in the $100 range for your PII laptop with a 12" screen. There are many 600E or 600X machines available under $100, with faster CPU's already and in many cases, more RAM too, with 13.3" screens. And they are MMC-2 CPU's, so they can be upgraded to as much as a PIII 850mhz. And they can handle more RAM than the 600 if you need to upgrade further.

If you decide to stick with the 600, here are some options for you to consider:

Fastest CPU you can use: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0208745768

highest memory you can use in slot #1 (256mb PC100 LOW DENSITY): http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0041521699

Highest memory you can use in slot #2 (128mb PC66): http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0209661531

With that combo, you can get as much as 416mb of RAM on your 600. As U.Mac said, the 600's are pickey about their RAM, but you can max it out if you follow his direections.

Diafel · #27 Post by **Diafel** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:49 pm

Okay, so the thinkpad arrived today it is a Type 2645-21u and my worst fears have been confirmed. It is password protected.

Should I just chuck it out now or do I have any other options?
I'm considering opening a paypal claim because the seller apparently deliberately neglected to say it was password protectecd and probably knew the implications of it. I certainly didn'know about it until after I already purchased it. I had never heard of a password protected laptop that couldn't be got around.

Any advice guys?

Moderator edit: No open discussions on password removal / defeats / bypasses / etc. allowed per forum rules. Thanks.

Wingnut · #28 Post by **Wingnut** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:32 am

My advice,

That laptop is worth more in parts than to fix it. Its slow, has a small screen and cannot be upgraded very much more that what it is now. Contact the seller & try to get a refund. Be civil, you never know. I bought a pair of PW protected 600E's from a vendor in Edmonton that were not advertised as such, and after politely complaining about it, he sent me a bunch of laptop parts for my troubles.

You may have an issue as the item description clearly states that the laptop is for parts or repair only. But it still should have indicated that it was PW protected. As, supposedly, a PW protected motherboard cannot be "repaired", so you might have an out there.

If the nice aproach doesn't work, then file a paypal claim as well as an "item not as described" claim with E-bay to try to get your money back. If that works, then buy yourself a 600E or 600X. For a little more money than the 600, you can have a machine that is much faster out of the box and more upgradable if you decide to do more with it in the future.

If all that fails, let me know. I have a stack of 600's on my desk. I can trade you a non PW protected 600 for your PW protected unit and you pay both shipping costs. I know what its like to get burned on E-bay, so I would be glad to help you out. But I would really consider upgrading to a 600E.

Good luck and keep us posted.

u.mac · #29 Post by **u.mac** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:37 am

"Product: ThinkPad 600 2645-21U [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: P 233MMX (512KB) 32MB RAM 3.2GB 13.0 XGA HPA 24X 56K(ACP) Win95"

- deleted -

virge · #30 Post by **virge** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:29 pm

I've never owned a 13" HPA screen, but I think its different technology than the 13.3" TFT in 600E machines. Is it compatible with motherboards that came with TFT screens? Maybe someone who has experience in this will chime in.

TP 600 upgrade questions for new owner

TP 600 upgrade questions for new owner

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