What to test when buying a secondhand T60

[stevesimmons]

Hi

I'm looking at a secondhand T60 later today. I'd appreciate any suggestions for what to look for/test to quickly check that the machine is OK. Are there any known hardware problems that can be quickly spotted?

Thanks in advance,
Stephen

P.S. Harddrive isn't a concern as I'll swap in a new one and install Win 7

[yak]

There are AFAIK no known T60 issues, unlike T4x for example (GPU). Just check the overall condition of the machine. Try to keep it running for some time if you can to exclude any overheating problems (like a dead fan for example). Take a closer look at the LCD for minor defects (dead pixel, dust specs) which may be a reason to lower the price. If it has the Power Manager installed, check the number of battery cycles and current capacity. If you can, compare its real specs with what the seller is telling you.

BTW, is it a 15" Flexview model?

[stevesimmons]

Thanks for the sugestions. I'll check those out. Apparently it's been in a storeroom for two years so it's hardly been used.

It's a 15" display with 1650x1050 resolution. That's a nice step up from my T43's 1440x1050. I'm looking for a secondhand one as I can't bear the idea of the low res wide screens on so many models today.

Stephen

[dr_st]

Check that the advertised specs match the actual (CPU/RAM/HD, any extras). Look up the machine model number on Lenovo's site, see if what's written there is actually what's in the machine.

Check the warranty status. If it is in warranty, then you can feel safer regarding any potential hardware problems.

Check that there are no physical damages. This is most important, as most of them are not covered by the warranty.

[rkawakami]

Hopefully this reaches you in time... I'd bring along a copy of PC Doctor for DOS on a bootable CD and run all of the diagnostics. It can verify that everything is working properly from the CPU, to the keys on the keyboard.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222

[stevesimmons]

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I bought the T61. It looks as good as new. All the checks and diagnostics were fine. Still 13 months on the 3 year warranty.

Stephen

[Harryc]

Excellent, good luck with the T61 Stephen.