upgrading a T23,could use some recommendations

[jaimelaager]

Hello to the forum.New member here. I recently acquired a T23 with XP Pro from my neighbor. Machine has a few issues which I would like to address. First & foremost, it is slow as hell & ismissing software & when I performed a scan it came came back with 500 registry errors. Now, original owner paid a guy to add RAM & clean it up which he did by doing a system restore then erased the F11 partition fromthe hard drive. The key board space bar is skipping also.
So I planning on just ordering the recovery CD's & replacing the keyboard(cheap enough) & adding RAM. System came with 128, now showing 256. I was just gonna throw in 2 sticks of 512 & be done with it. All in all, the machine works perfect & the case is in excellent shape.
Now, my question is, should I upgrade the HDD? This unit has a 30GB HDD & I just can't help but feel like for the sake of another $65-$100,replace it with a larger one.What is recommended & what have others done already?
I'd also like to use a WiFi card, cuz I do spent a few days at the local Starbucks wasting time....
Thanks for any input

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

The slowness could be partially due to the amount (read: lack) of memory in your system, along with whatever registry/software issues you have. 256MB and Windows XP don't mix too well with a ~1Ghz PIII processor. By all means, upgrade to 1024MB of memory and things will run a lot smoother. Not Core Duo quick, but you should notice better performance. I haven't checked eBay recently for the latest prices for PC133 512MB SODIMMs, but the last time I looked, they were running for about $20-$25 apiece.

If the hard drive is 4200RPM, that could also contribute to the slowness of the system. 30GB is fine for most casual web surfing and office document creation, but is woefully inadequate if you intend on even partially filling up an 80GB iPod. A fast (5400RPM or 7200RPM) 80GB or 100GB drive would probably last the lifetime of the T23 and should be obtainable at a reasonable cost.

As far as the wireless option goes, some T23s had wireless built into the system in the form of a MiniPCI card mounted inside one of the panels on the bottom of the laptop and antennas in the lid. If the sides of your lid have these plastic "hash marks":

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/antenna_comparison/t23.jpg

then it could already have the antennas. Pop open the panel near the middle of the bottom; in other words, not the one covering the memory bay and see if there's one of these in there:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0318534677

Otherwise the usual thing to do is install a PCMCIA (aka PC Card or Cardbus) wireless adapter but it will stick out from the side of the system. Most any card will work, just be sure it comes with drivers for XP.

You should probably grab a copy of the Hardware Maintenance Manual from here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... UYM3F.html

as this will greatly help out if you need to service the system.

And finally, it's recommended that you list your system's TYPE number (e.g., 2647-4MU) in your signature field (click on the User Control Panel link at the top of the page, then click the Profile link, then Edit Signature) so that in the future people will know how your system is configured (or not) and will be able to provide better help.

[jaimelaager]

Thanks for the welcome. This is my first Thinkpad. My 2nd laptop actually, my first being a very overpriced Dell I bought in May 08 with Vista. So I'm pretty used to having a quick system.
Obviously, the best way to repair the registry issues is the recovery, which is missing on this machine. I will have to purchase the CD's. $45
Ebay for the RAM huh? I had anticipated spending more then that, so I will start looking. $100???
Now as for a HD...I believe I should be looking for an ATA 6? IDE? I figured about $65-$100, so should I shop around for the most GB I can get in my price range? Preferably 7200RPM?
Since I am planning on the recovery CD's, do I wipe out the existing HD & remove it, then load the software on the new HD? Is there a need to clone the existing one?
I was hoping for an internal wireless card, so I could use my Cardbus slot for an express card/SD disk & also thePCMCIA cards are rather bulky. Not a big deal though....

[RealBlackStuff]

Check your PM mail box.

[doctor bloomquist]

When I first got my T23 not too long ago, I really wanted internal wireless too, and used rkawakami's guide - http://www.rkawakami.net/ibm_t2x/t23_wireless/

It's excellently written with big photos, and very clear to follow. As a laptop newbie with no experience of opening them up, I found the job much easier.

[jronald]

I found these the other day
Wish I had used them when I upgraded both of my T23's
http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-LAPTOP-NOTEBOOK- ... |294%3A200

Ron

[IBrokeIt]

Hey I was wondering can I just upgrade everything inside my T23? like the motherboard, cpu, video card, internal wireless card and I might be streching it but bluetooth maybe

[Neil]

There are other motherboards that might fit, but the T23 is the best of the lot already. Video card cannot be upgraded. 1.2GHz is the fastest CPU support in a T23, so not much of an upgrade. But, you probably could add internal wireless, following the guide posted above. Bluetooth? Not internal, but could just plug in a USB device.

[IBrokeIt]

Soooo no luck on trying to squeeze a core2duo cpu in there huh?.....hmmmm well as far as performance goes what can I do to tweak it? what would you suggest this is my first think pad so not really familiar with it at all my dad gave it to me as a gift so i just want to Supe it up as much as possible, how much ram can i throw in this thing? and what type of ram is it?

[tom lightbody]

> ram

2*512 megs pc133 SODIMMs: please reread Ray's first paragraph.
He is the t23 expert to whom we all defer.

> soup it up

consider an OS upgrade: *nix (various for free these days)
much faster than Microsoft offerings. Or you could dual boot.