T20 battery replacement and general advice

[yetome]

Hey,

So I found an old T20 laptop just sitting around in my basement and decided I'd like to use it. The specs are its a P3, 700Mhz, 256 mb ram, and what I believe is the original 12 gig hard drive. I cleaned off the original OS and put WinXP on it and it works just fine.

Problem: the battery only lasts a max of 20 minutes, maybe 40 if I disengage the CD/DVD player, keep the brightness at a minimum and use MS word only.

I'd like to purchase a new battery but I'm pretty lost on where to find a decent but relatively inexpensive battery. I've checked ebay and looked at some of the $30-40 batteries and even asked a vendor about how long they would last. They told me a max of 1.5 hours (with energy saving settings) which really doesn't cut it for me. I'm looking for a minimum of 2 hours at least.

I've checked out an outside vendor called "lenovo batteries" and they claim to have battery life of 2-3 hours but are selling for ~$70. This a little out of my price range but I'd be willing to invest in it if it was worth it (If what the sites saying is true).

Does anyone know if its possible to find a decent battery on ebay? Any advice for T20 batteries in general?

I've heard from previous topics that a T30 battery is compatible with the T20 and only needs a 72 watt charger cable for it to charge properly. I have the cable but I want to be sure that I won't have issues if I choose to the get T30 battery. Can anyone confirm that its a good alternative from experience?

Finally, is it even worth it to put any money into the laptop? Or should I just try looking for a new laptop altogether because something more powerful isn't hard to come by for cheap?

[Neil]

Welcome to the forum!

I've heard from previous topics that a T30 battery is compatible with the T20 and only needs a 72 watt charger cable for it to charge properly. I have the cable but I want to be sure that I won't have issues if I choose to the get T30 battery. Can anyone confirm that its a good alternative from experience?

I have used a T30 battery in a T20 and consider that the way to go. I wouldn't buy anything else. That said, though, I find it hard to spend as much money on a battery as the computer is worth. Sometimes you can find a deal on T30 batteries.

Finally, is it even worth it to put any money into the laptop? Or should I just try looking for a new laptop altogether because something more powerful isn't hard to come by for cheap?

An old laptop like the T20 can still be useful, but I don't think it's worth any additional investment, when much more powerful models can be purchased for little more. Best bet would probably be to sell the T20 for...~$50-100 maybe, and put that toward something better.

[yetome]

Thanks for the reply!

I've thought about getting a new laptop but I don't really plan on using it for much more then MS word related stuff and maybe a little web surfing. If I can find a decent battery and get even two years or so out of the laptop then its served its purpose for a fraction of the cost of getting a new laptop. I'm more of a desktop person anyways and will not use the laptop all that much.

But thanks a bunch for the response, if nothing else works out I will consider selling the laptop and invest the money back into another one. And its great news that a T30 battery will work without problems.

Do you (or anyone else) know of a reasonable price and battery life for a T30 battery in a T20?

[Neil]

I got the T30 battery I had for about $20 shipped through an Ebay auction. It was used, but very little. Seems like my run time approached two hours when I first got it, but decreased over time. It was still giving 1.5 hours plus when I sold the machine it was in.

[yetome]

How long did you have the battery?

[jronald]

I think this will work
http://www.pcsurplusonline.com/index.cf ... rentCat=59
I have purchased several and all have been near perfect
The price is incredible

Ron

[yetome]

Unfortunately, I can't use an ultrabay battery addition. The CD/DVD drive is jammed and refuses to come out.

[Neil]

How long did you have the battery?

Not sure...six months, maybe more.