A21m 2628: SOLVED, thanks to this forum and schen!

[solvn25]

Hi. I tried for the past month, off and on, to solve various problems alone, but have failed to accomplish my main goal, so I am here at the forum, soliciting advice.

Thinkpad a21m model G1U 2628.

It appears to have only a modem (Lucent win modem), no ethernet controller, though the back of the unit does have an ethernet connector...????

The unit has a 20 gb hard drive, and a cdrom drive.

I was finally able to update the bios, only after replacing the battery...???counterintuitive, since I had the power supply plugged in, didn't require the battery, but, that is an illustration of my lack of experience with any laptop....IBM requires the battery to be there, and fully charged, regardless of whether or not I have a power supply connected....Very strange engineering, to my way of thinking...

Failed several times, to install win98-II, after wiping clean the hard drive....

Thought maybe the problem was memory, so I purchased (VERY expensive, comparable to 4GB dual channel DDR-II 800MHz) some obsolete sdram 256 mbytes each, two sticks. That may or may not have been the problem, but, at least now, finally, I do have win98-II installed and running. Hurrah.

Problem 1. I am still unable to install WinXP/service pack II. The computer gets about half way through the initial step, and then halts with an error, accompanied by a high pitched screech, keyboard frozen, "mouse" not working, well, the real mouse, the ps-2 mouse, RARELY works, really very flaky, but here, I am referring to the dim-witted knob in the middle of the keyboard. So, the only option is to poweroff, and power on again. One must WAIT, a little bit, after turning off the power, I don't know why. This problem with the cdrom drive, or the hard drive, don't know which, manifests itself especially with xp, but I also had encountered it, several times, earlier, when attempting, in futility, to install win98.

Linux has been unpredictable. The live distro of Ubuntu 9.1 just sits there. Knoppix 6.2 can't even boot up. In contrast, Puppy Linux 4.31 works well, as a live install, but then, for the actual installation, it ALMOST completes, before encountering the same crash, as with win xp, thus, I have not yet succeeded in installing it either.

problem 2. I need an ethernet connection, and don't have one. I do have two empty pcmcia sockets, but have no idea how to relate these sockets to the ethernet female receptacle on the rear of the unit.

I would welcome any advice, or suggestions, on how to proceed. The default is to relax, and enjoy win98x with a dial up modem. Well, why not? I guess? I see folks still riding horseback, and bicycle. Not everyone has to drive an automobile, right?

I had hoped to install linux, and I have come close with Puppy Linux 4.31. Maybe I just need, as with win98, to try and try and try again and again.....

Seems to me that there is some kind of error though, and I wish I knew how to systematically find out what it is....
regards,
Sol

[tom lightbody]

welcome to the forum

> high-pitched wail

does this sound like a rotary sort of wail? Could be an incipient HD
problem--have you tried running a live-CD such as Knoppix without the
hard drive installed?

> ethernet

you can use any PCMCIA net device: LAN or wireless. They work
independently of the LAN socket at the back. Try this: flip the
machine over, remove the left-hand cover, you find a "mini-PCI"
module--the modem is connected to a narrow electrical strip--is there
also an unconnected wide strip? That unconnected wide strip leads to
the LAN socket: fru 06P3809 "Intel pro/100 SP mobile combo adapter,"
or similar, will enable both modem and LAN.

point of etiquette: around here we prize the "obsolete 256 sodimm" and
love our "dim-witted knob" aka trackpoint aka "nose"

[solvn25]

Thank you Tom.

Your reply was very much appreciated. sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings by ridiculing the obnoxious design by IBM....

With regard to the sound: it is unpleasantly loud, and very high pitched, the sort of noise one would make in a prison setting to coerce a recalcitrant terrorist to confess.

I do not know if it is due to the hard drive, or the cdrom.

I finally succeeded, after many weeks of fruitless attempts, to install xp, service pack 2. YEAH!!!

With regard to the precious "nose", I noticed that there is software installed for this device, among the drivers listed for the xp operating system....By comparison with my standard desktop xp system, there is no ps-2 mouse driver on the thinkpad, is that why the ordinary, plain vanilla mouse is inoperable???? Why would there be a PS-2 socket for the mouse, adjacent to the female plug for the power supply, if this PS-2 socket is not operational, or, is it necessary for me to download a driver for it???

Following up on your suggestion, I did remove the cover on the "left hand side", which I guess is the side opposite the place where I had inserted, last week, with great difficulty, the two sticks of 256mb dimms. What I found was not too reassuring. The part is labelled 08k3338, apparently functioning as the modem.

So, now, when I order the new ethernet controller, the fru 06P3809, am I supposed to remove the existing card, 08k3338, and insert the 06p3819 in its place, instead of shoving the 06p3819 into the socket on the end of the device, adjacent to the cdrom drive?

What are those two empty sockets adjacent to the cdrom drive used for, then? Until reading your suggestion to remove the back cover, I had imagined that it would be necessary to shove the 06p3819 into one of those two empty sockets.

By the way, Tom, I have a yellow question mark adjacent to "other devices"--> "unknown device", when I click on "device manager". What is that device, or, more accurately, how can I find out what it is?

Thanks again for your earlier reply....
sol

[tom lightbody]

one nice thing about IBM laptops, lots of information available
online. Especially good is 23P0896.pdf the "hardware maintainance
manual" also "XP conversion" guide, "users' guide" should be helpful.
You can find them all at

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... eind=78390

the sockets adjacent the CD drive are for PCMCIA cards--the IBM
"hi-rate" wireless LAN fru 22P4592 is a good one--the mini-PCI
modem/LAN combo 06p3819 looks like your 08k3338 except in accepting 2
plugs, and replaces it. Be sure you have both the narrow plug that
goes into the 08k3338 modem, and also a much wider plug, currently
unconnected. That wider one plugs also into the 06p3819 connecting it
to the LAN port astern.

what are the last three characters 2628-xyz, e.g 2628-F2U

[schen]

Your reply was very much appreciated. sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings by ridiculing the obnoxious design by IBM....

With regard to the sound: it is unpleasantly loud, and very high pitched, the sort of noise one would make in a prison setting to coerce a recalcitrant terrorist to confess.

I do not know if it is due to the hard drive, or the cdrom.

With regard to the precious "nose", I noticed that there is software installed for this device, among the drivers listed for the xp operating system....By comparison with my standard desktop xp system, there is no ps-2 mouse driver on the thinkpad, is that why the ordinary, plain vanilla mouse is inoperable???? Why would there be a PS-2 socket for the mouse, adjacent to the female plug for the power supply, if this PS-2 socket is not operational, or, is it necessary for me to download a driver for it???

So, now, when I order the new ethernet controller, the fru 06P3809, am I supposed to remove the existing card, 08k3338, and insert the 06p3819 in its place, instead of shoving the 06p3819 into the socket on the end of the device, adjacent to the cdrom drive?

By the way, Tom, I have a yellow question mark adjacent to "other devices"--> "unknown device", when I click on "device manager". What is that device, or, more accurately, how can I find out what it is?

The "obnoxious" design by IBM is in actuality one of those things that keep many of us from jumping ship to other manufacturers. As Tom pointed out, it's called a Trackpoint and yes the learning curve is steep, however if you stay with it, eventually you'll find that it will be faster and more accurate than using a touchpad. One of the major pluses is that your finger never have to leave the home keys to use it and the extra button allows you to scroll very quickly. Although the machine may load "trackpoint" software, it isn't necessary and the operating system see it as a built-in mouse.

As far as the PS2 plug in the back is concerned, it should always be "live" unless it's damaged or has otherwise been disabled. Honestly I'm not aware of how you might even disable that, although I must say that its been some time since I've spent time working with an A2x series machine. I would suggest that you test the mouse in question on a "known good" machine and check in the BIOS to make sure that the port hasn't been disabled somehow. Maybe ajkula can weigh in on this since he's one of the resident experts on the A Series in general.

I wish I had seen your post on the modem/lan question before you ordered it, since I have a number of those MPCI (both 3Com and Intel versions) that are just sitting in a box and would have been happy to send you one! On that issue, I'm not aware that there were models that originally shipped w/o both modem and lan on board, so I'm a little suspicious that your machine may have been cobbled together.

Those slots that you referred to that Tom said are PCMCIA slots are really a legacy interface dating back to the days when most I/O functions were not built "on board" as integral parts of computers (both notebooks and desktops). All manner of devices were created for those slots ranging from lan, to modems to miniature HDDs as well as a dizzying array of adapters for such things as flash storage cards. Basically it gives the machine the ability to add an interface for something that came out after the manufacturer saw fit to include it on the machine. And now has largely been superseded by USB and the Express slot. Many of use "old-timers" have a bunch of those cards laying around in boxes that do all the things that the machines have built right in these days.

One of the trickiest ? in the devices manager to figure out (that is until you've seen it many times) is the PM or Power Management function, so you might try that little applet and see if it takes the last one out for you.

Ultimately, I believe you have come across one of the reasons why so many people are ThinkPad devotees and own far more of them than they can use. There is a well established community of users that are happy to help anyone work through their use of these machines whether novice or seasoned veterans. In my other hobby (photography), many Nikon users speak of NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome)....here it's ThinkPads!

[solvn25]

Thank you Tom and Schen, both great replies.

I am very impressed by the high quality of this forum. Thank you both for your many helpful suggestions.

1. I have not yet purchased any ethernet controller, so let me know how I can pay you for one of yours, that is fine with me.

2. "obnoxious" design, yes, IBM, not just for thinkpads, but in my four decades of experience working with them, for example, at GM tech center thirty years ago,... this is a company run by MARKETING experts, not engineers.
No one in their right mind would require that a battery backup power supply was operational in order to change the bios. This is a marketing gimmick, designed to make sure that people continue to waste money buying ibm components, (i.e. more battery packs!!!) long after the original purchase. It is utterly stupid, because the power supply is more than adequate to furnish the current needed to drive this dinosaur.

I inherited this thinkpad, and rescued it from the trash bin. As far as I am concerned, the design is terribly inferior to anything I have ever worked with, and I built my first computer forty years ago, from discrete components: the size of a laundry room!! haha.

I understand that some folks like old junk, but I am not one of them. I am trying to get this machine operational, but, I certainly balk at any suggestion that the computer's design is meritorious.

Why, for example, in the year 1999, when, I suppose, this model was introduced, did the engineers not include an ethernet controller? Bizarre. I have MANY desktop computers in my home and office, dating from that same era, i.e. PIII celeron and Pentium, speeds from 700-1400. NONE OF THEM lacks an ethernet controller.

Recently I "upgraded" one of my "old" computers, by adding in a PCI SATA controller, so that I could install a silent, modern, 160 gb hard drive. Cost for the controller plus hard drive, maybe 70$. What would a comparable drive cost for this apparatus, I shudder to imagine....

With regard to the mouse: Of course, I confirmed that the mouse itself was functional. I changed three of them, all three work fine on other computers, and none of them is reliable with this thinkpad. The current mouse is translucent, so when the power comes on, the mouse glows red. At the moment, it is dark.
Once in a while, the mouse comes to life. It is entirely unpredictable. I check it every time I reboot, but I achieve success, only about once every 20 reboots....

Thank you Schen, for suggesting the power management possibility for the last yellow warning sign. I will investigate that.....

(I used to have a Nikon SLR, very expensive, with some nice lenses, gave it all away, when I left Europe, to return to USA, a couple of decades ago...) Technology has changed so fast, I doubt that any film based camera is worth its weight in pennies, today.

I remain confused about how I should insert the ethernet controller "card", once Schen explains how I can procure one of his....Does it go into one of the two free slots, if so, then, how does it connect to the female ethernet connector on the rear of the chassis, or, does one remove the current modem, and put the ethernet controller in that place? Desk top computers are so simple, no wonder I am befuddled....

Thanks Tom, for the link, I will study it. The last three characters, as I understand it, are G1U. But, if those are not the three characters you have in mind, then I can investigate further. Just tell me, please, where to look!

Thanks again, folks, much appreciated. This is a terrific forum.
regards,
Sol

[schen]

Sol,

If you'll send me a PM with your address I'll get one of the combo MPCI cards out to you ASAP. I looked your machine up via the "Type"# that you listed 2628-G1U and indeed it shows a machine that originally shipped only with modem instead of a combination card that has both modem as well as ethernet on board. I'm fairly certain that if you'll look underneath the modem card that's there, you'll find not just the smaller/thinner modem cable, but a wider/thicker ethernet cable next to it. So all you'll need to do is to release the card (very similar operation to replacing RAM), unplug the little white connector and lift the card free. Put the new card in and install the corresponding driver from the list of software that you can access from the link below.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... country=us

The only oddity being that you have to not only download and run the driver package, but then find it under the Windows directory, Drivers folder and run the Setup from there. Once you get to that stage and you can connect the machine via Ethernet, then the world is your oyster! Tom recommended the IBM HiRate Wifi card, but most versions of those tend to be a little long in the tooth since they are mostly 802.11b. With all due respect, I'd recommend something a little faster running at the the "G" protocol. I've had success in the past running some of the DLink Atheros chipped PC Cards that, when matched with certain Atheros chipped access points yield the "Super G" 108mps speed.

As you've undoubtedly already seen, the limitations of working with a machine from that generation is quite often the RAM limit and the fact that larger memory modules are quite expensive when compared to the newer DDR and DDR2. Although, I must say that when loaded with the 512Mb max, these machines make adequate websurfers and emailers...especially if you are willing to forgo some of the ease of use which is part of XP and go with Windows 2000.

As far as hard disk drive space is concerned; although the older parallel interface used by these machines are of some limit, the continued availability of 320Gb as well as 250Gb/5400rpm drives in the sub-$100 range pretty much makes storage a non-issue. I will have to say though, that spending anywhere near $100 on a machine that's only worth about that total does give one pause. I'm a big believer in saving older functional equipment (thus the T22 project machine) and finding a use for them, but spending more than $30-50 on one to get it working makes me think long and hard.

[rkawakami]

To address the point you've made about requiring a battery when updating the BIOS...

It is IBM safeguarding your system when they require you to have a good, working battery installed during a BIOS update. Why? If, for any reason, your system loses AC power during the update process, your laptop can become an expensive "brick" because the BIOS update did not complete. It's basically an insurance policy against unforeseen accidents.

As far as your ethernet problem goes...

The A21m was offered in two different configurations when it came to network communications: either a modem only or a modem/ethernet combo card. This is installed in the MiniPCI bay behind the smaller cover on the bottom of the system. Your 2628-G1U came with just the modem option. Yes, there is an RJ45 jack on the back panel of the system even though it shipped without a controller. And there should already be a connector that is designed to fit into the modem/ethernet combo card inside that bay. Today you may expect to have an ethernet controller in every system since it costs maybe $5 to include one on the motherboard. But back then, some people may not have needed one so why pay for it?

(Sorry, got delayed in posting this so schen has already addressed some of the same things I did...)

[solvn25]

To address the point you've made about requiring a battery when updating the BIOS...

It is IBM safeguarding your system when they require you to have a good, working battery installed during a BIOS update. Why? If, for any reason, your system loses AC power during the update process, your laptop can become an expensive "brick" because the BIOS update did not complete. It's basically an insurance policy against unforeseen accidents.

Hi Ray!
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.

Umm, NO. Sorry, you err friend. When I update the bios on my dozen odd desktop computers, I employ zero battery backups, and if I should lose power during the process, yes, depending on the design, perhaps the motherboard would become a paperweight, as you have suggested. That possibility can arise, unless one employs an uninterruptable power supply to cover such emergencies.

The point here, is that it is dangerous to walk across the street, but one does not wear a helmet while doing so, even though wearing one may save a person's life, upon being struck by an SUV. We walk across the street, without a helmet, hoping not to be struck by a vehicle, don't we, Ray? Yes, I could lose power, while backing up bios, and thus ruin a perfectly wonderful motherboard, whether it lies in a desktop computer or in the thinkpad. I am willing to gamble, Ray, and take that chance. I dislike engineering solutions that require wearing a helmet to cross the street. Does the power to make change rest with the customer, or with the manufacturer? In my experience with IBM, the customer gets the short end of the stick, every time.

With regard to your other point, the cost of Realtek 8139 chip, in 1999, when ordered by IBM, in a quantity of 10,000, I don't know the answer. Yes, the PCI controller card for a desktop computer costs, today, 5$, but that would not have been the price for a whole gaggle of chips, not pci boards, ordered by the biggest computer company in the world. I guess that it would have cost , in 1999, about 1.50 per chip, in large quantities. Maybe I am wrong about that. But, Ray, if IBM were really cost conscious, why bother, then, to insert a female receptacle on the rear? Those jacks are not free, either. What, maybe $0.30, back then???? Point is, compared with the THOUSANDS, which IBM charged for these beasts, we are talking about saving pennies....

Thanks for your input, much appreciated, made me think....
Sol

[RealBlackStuff]

Don't know why you get so upset about having to use a battery when updating the BIOS!
Back then, these laptops cost probably well over $2,000.-.
If you send in a T23 to IBM/Lenovo/EZ-Serve, they will easily charge you hundreds of dollars to replace the mobo.
Buy a mobo from an official IBM Parts supplier, you are still charged a small fortune.
In a PC, the BIOS is a chip in a socket of some kind, that can be easily replaced, whereas the IBM BIOS is soldered onto the motherboard.

You mention a UPS for your PC, that's really what the battery does in an IBM laptop when the BIOS is updated.

Whether you like the IBM philosophy or not, once you get bitten by the Thinkpad bug, you can't let go anymore.
Welcome to the club!

[solvn25]

Thank you Schen, your advice is terrific. I downloaded the management software, 6hku07ww.exe, and now the yellow question mark is gone.

Hurrah.

Another problem solved.

What a great forum!!!!

I can't believe my good fortune: Now, I have win98, winxp, and Puppy Linux, all three working fine, no problems, (using XOSL as boot manager, and Ranish to partition the 18GB hard drive.)

Not only that: Santa has come early: MY MOUSE IS NOW operational, no idea why.
I have booted up three times, and each time, the wonderful ps/2 mouse works like a charm, both with xp and with linux....

I can't understand it....

But I am glad that it is now working, after four weeks of it not working. If I were a tiny bit more superstitious, I would imagine that Schen had somehow instructed my machine to commence cooperating with me!!!

I hope that I will soon be able to type such a message, using my thinkpad!!!

Hey, RealBlackStuff, thanks very much for your words of encouragement, much appreciated. You have a great group here. With regard to the battery: I guess my point didn't get across. Well, that's ok. I don't mind if no one else besides me, is annoyed by a requirement to wear a helmet when crossing the street. ? How many times does one update the bios, in the lifetime of any computer? Three times? Twice? Three of my PIII desktop computers, all eight-ten years old, have never had their bios updated. The thinkpad here, has not had an update to its bios since 2003. Yet, for me to install that ancient bios update, (required to run XP), I had to purchase a new battery pack. There is no comparable requirement for me to purchase an uninterruptable power supply, for my desktop computers. Hope that clarifies to a certain extent, at least, my objection to this requirement....

regards,
sol

[solvn25]

epiphany:

Holy cow. I just had a thought. These only come about once every two years, so maybe it is very important!!! ok, maybe not.....

Recently Tom Lightfoot asked me to remove the cover and fiddle with the two cables lying on top of the modem, which I did. Ever since then, my mouse has been working..... Did I somehow awaken the electrons?

I can't think of any other reason why the mouse should suddenly become operational.

regards,
sol

[RealBlackStuff]

One of these cables may have shorted somehow, or did something else weird and wonderful!
Call it interference of the Thinkpad Spirit that made it work!
If you insist, there are ways to update the BIOS without a battery, but you need to be in the know about software and/or batch program modifications...
In my area (rural NorthEast PA), we have lots of brownouts, so a battery is highly advisable in these circumstances.
I do BIOS updates almost on a weekly basis, having ca. 25 Thinkpads on average, some of which I sell and then replace with other ones.
Either way, you have a battery now, which is required to run your TP off the grid.

[solvn25]

Today you may expect to have an ethernet controller in every system since it costs maybe $5 to include one on the motherboard. But back then, some people may not have needed one so why pay for it?

Ray, what is the purpose of that infrared port, whose name I observe included among the list of devices installed when I check the System/Hardware/Device Manager on the Control Panel of XP? I have never used an infrared port, on any of my desktop systems, so I am ignorant of what its potential applications may be....

I wonder what it cost IBM to include this capability on my thinkpad--a feature which I don't even know about, and certainly have no current use for....That may change, once I learn why it is present, if you can enlighten me (no pun vis a vis infrared, intended). In my opinion, as one who knows little, and yet maintains a slightly inflated notion of his supposed knowledge of computers, the infrared port is far less significant, in the realm of computing capabilities, than the ethernet controller.....To be honest, Ray, I have never before encountered this capability: infrared controller, and I have absolutely no idea how it could be used....

ANALOGY, Ray: Imagine an American manufactured automobile from ten years ago, shipped with a lovely AM/FM stereo radio. However, the G1U model of this Ford or Chevy or Plymouth or whatever, had the knobs to switch from AM reception to FM reception, but the factory included ONLY the AM receiver, not the FM receiver, because they supposed that people who purchased the G1U model, mainly listened to talk radio, and therefore had no need for an FM tuner (FM = Fine Music). Anyway, the upgrade option was always there for those customers: The owner could simply disconnect the AM tuner, after removing the dashboard, and then insert his newly purchased AM/FM tuner into the exact same slot. No need for any kind of custom work. Very slick.....IBM = Infinitely Better Marketing, or, to my way of thinking, Insanely Bad Merchandise.

regards,
sol

[solvn25]

Either way, you have a battery now, which is required to run your TP off the grid.

More of a Bass Ale kind of guy, but anyway, I would ask your opinion on this decision:
Memory upgrade to half a gig, at 100MHz= $80
Battery Pack = $60
versus a brand new Acer Netbook for $280, i.e. double the cost.

Umm, let's see those specs on the netbook:
WEIGHT: aha, 2 pounds. How about that TP A21m folks? Mine is a svelte 7 pounds!!!
Memory: DDR-II 1 gigabyte @ 533 MHz. i.e. twice as much and five times as fast as TP.
cpu: 1.6 Ghz, versus my TP with 0.8 GHz.
Hard Drive SATA 160 Gbyte. Hmmm.

Yes, my TP screen is bigger, and my resolution is superior: 1024x768 versus the netbook's mediocre 1024 x 600.

I am gradually learning about this machine, and what I have learned thus far, is that it is going to be a formidable chess opponent, it has already defeated me three times, (Gnuchess), which may reflect more my lack of skill, than its capability, but still, it works very well, today, after some considerable assistance from the kindhearted folks on this forum. I will not be toting it anywhere, anytime soon--just too heavy for me, but I think I will be able to get alot of practical use from this machine, once I have come to learn more about it....

regards,
Sol

[RealBlackStuff]

Bass Ale, that's SO English...
As to TP improvements, look at it this way:
You learn a lot about technology, you didn't even know existed, before you got hooked on a TP.
You spend quality time on a quality forum with quality people...
That it cost you some important parts of your body (i.e. an arm and a leg) is really irrelevant, because you'll get SO much satisfaction out of all of this!
You'll want to upgrade to an A31 at least, if not a T23, or T30, or T4x or T6x or .... the list goes on.
Praise your lucky stars when you found this forum!
Slainte!

[gb_ibmguy]

I have to add my .02 here. I've been in this business for over 35 years. I started on IBM, left it and came back (with a vengeance). Once you understand, you get it. Yes, there are some seemingly strange design features, but, realize, this stuff is not designed for run of the mill, average consumers. All of IBM's original stuff was designed for the corporate world, real time support, no down time. There is a reason for the design. This is not throw away technology. All 4 of my laptops have been rebuilt and are working just fine, and will continue to do so well past my death. My desktops function 24/7 with no problems. As others here have said, enjoy the forum, and enjoy the TP experience, fair warning though, it's addictive!

[solvn25]

Thank you RealBlackStuff and gb_ibmguy, enjoyed reading your posts, and yes, you are correct, this forum is excellent, and addictive.

All I know is that I spent the whole month of November, working alone, trying to fix this bloody machine, and FAILED miserably, and after less than a week on this forum, I have succeeded in installing both XP and Linux, wonderful!!!!!

Thank you for all your help...

What is the upgrade to A31 all about? I am confused, as usual...

Is there a chart which shows the upgrade possibilities? With my ordinary desktop computers, I simply remove the old motherboard, and insert a new one, with new cpu and new memory, typical cost~$200, or,if adding a SATA drive and SATA dvd drive, add another $75. I have no idea how one would go about swapping out a motherboard on this creature from the deep dark lagoon...

cheers,

Sol

[ajkula66]

solvn25 wrote:

Insanely Bad Merchandise

Hmmm...how many fully functional Dells, HPs and Gateways do you see around that people actually use ten years later? I'm referring to laptops only.

As for the Ethernet controller which seems to be bugging you, you have to look at the other side of coin which is the availability of LAN connections a decade ago. Of course that desktops would have them-they were meant for business use, to be hooked into a router branching off of a T-1 and never moved around. DSL technology was still in diapers, and scarcely available. Cable modems were nowhere near as popular as they are today.

Could you afford a full-blown-or even a fractional-T-1 in your home in 1999? My guess would be "no".

Laptops were meant for field use. And back in those dim dead days, that meant dial-up. Most of the corporate VPNs were dial-up only even in 2004, let alone 1999. And, if one were hooking up to a corporate network, they simply pulled out a PCMCIA LAN card out of their IBM leather briefcase and were up and running.

Infrared connection-back in those days-was a "quick" way of transferring files without the need for the physical hook-up between the two machines.

Comparing a '99 A21m with any '09 netbook is fairly senseless in my book. You've got a T-model Ford on the left and Kia Spectra on the right. Yes, they both have four wheels and can carry four passengers from point A to point B, but that's about where the similarities end...

Laptops are not as upgradeable as desktops-none of them, not only ThinkPads. Your A21m will NEVER be able to take more than 512MB RAM, or a later-model motherboard. You will be limited to PATA/IDE hard drives and UltraBay 2000 media drives.

With that said, it will run W2K great and XP acceptably. Some Linux flavours will run well while others won't run at all.

As for A3x generation...that's a whole another ballgame...and a great one at that.

[rkawakami]

I have never used an infrared port, on any of my desktop systems, so I am ignorant of what its potential applications may be....

I've transferred files and pictures between my T23 and a Palm Zire 71, a Sony Ericsson W810i cell phone and other Thinkpads. It's a quick and dirty (albeit, slow) method of moving stuff around, especially when you don't have the correct flash card adapter ("curse you Sony for your Memory Stick format") or ethernet cable at hand or the peripheral doesn't have WiFi capability.

To be honest, Ray, I have never before encountered this capability: infrared controller, and I have absolutely no idea how it could be used....

I've heard of people trying to use the laptop's IR port as a TV remote control . The basic premise for IR communication back then was short range networking, something that Bluetooth now provides. I concede it's an obsolete technology in today's market, but then again, I like using obsolete electronic equipment

ANALOGY, Ray: Imagine an American.... <snip>

Here's a sorta related example...

Imagine a German manufactured automobile from nine years ago, shipped with an okay AM/FM/cassette stereo radio. This 323i version already has buttons to control an external CD changer right on the dashboard. Said CD changer that was offered by the factory as an extra-cost option was a six disc unit and moderately overpriced (hey, we're talking BMW parts so that goes with the territory). Some aftermarket "Pioneers" came up with an adapter which allow one to plug-and-play install a 12 disc changer into the existing wiring harness in the trunk, at a lower cost than what the factory unit cost. Having the ability to pick-and-choose what you want in a system and being able to upgrade it with better components in the future seems like a good deal to me.

[schen]

More of a Bass Ale kind of guy, but anyway, I would ask your opinion on this decision:
Memory upgrade to half a gig, at 100MHz= $80
Battery Pack = $60
versus a brand new Acer Netbook for $280, i.e. double the cost.

Is it a telling thing that (back when I drank), my beverage of choice was a "Black and Tan"! I still have a can of Guinness and bottle of Bass in my fridge.

Anyway, back to the philosophical discussion at hand. Without getting into the well documented reasons why we all have chosen ThinkPads as our addiction, may reasoning is generally tied to the "sweetspot" in the market at that time. Also this is tied to a general figure that is MY acceptable expenditure limit...and that would be the $200 area...give or take. For that approximate amount, I'm able to pick up something well-built/designed (and IMHO that would be a ThinkPad and that's relative to similar items of the SAME VINTAGE) and functional for everything I need to do in a mobile computing sense.

Typically, that price-point will allow me (if I'm patient) to pick up something that's new enough so that the designed technologies are current enough to be upgradeable for a reasonable amount. The current example would be the R52/T43/X41 generation. Those machines can all be had for the previously discussed $200 amount, and can be upgraded with off-the-shelf parts (exception being the X41 HDD) without spending an arm and a leg. They can all run modern operating systems and other software with an expectation that they'll do so efficiently. Two years ago, the amount was the same, but the machines were the A31/T30 generation.

So why keep track of all these variables and jump through those hoops? It's because, notebook computers simply are not like desktops. Due to the limitations posed by their form-factor, it's simply not feasible to have an industry-wide standardized chassis (eg ATX, mATX, etc.) so ripping out the old board and putting in "all new" isn't an option. I know, I just did this to my old (getting long-in-the-tooth) desktop that went from an Athlon XP2500 w/320Gb storage to a Core 2Duo w/1.5Tb storage for $300 in outlay. Back to the point.

At this stage of the game you might be asking yourself, then; what's so magic about $200? I can buy something cheaper that can get me on the internet....maybe like $100 for a T2x/A2x ThinkPad even! As you've found, even if you spend another $100 (or more) and max that thing out, you still have a PIII with 512Mb of RAM spinning an old 4200rpm smaller HDD. What you get for the other $100 up front is a 2 generation (or more) leap forward in technology that will also allow you to upgrade for a lot less money since it's parts are still current. However, even if you redouble your budget to $400, you simply don't get those same kind of gains. Sure, you'll get more advanced technology, but how much faster is an R60 to an R52 that cost half as much? I work on both on a daily basis and can say unequivicolly; NOT MUCH!

[pevers1972]

HI, Just read comments on the A21m, obtained mine from a car-boot sale, unfortunately I have spent a lot of money,512mb memory, 2-2631 Docking Stations,utrabay devices,still parts I do not knowe how to use( inside seems to be more like a computer, even a odd pc-slot) still I find I cannot part with it, I`m not an expert like you, are learning all the time, replaced org.hd 10gb with a 160gb,removed Windows 2000,now run XP Proff, fully upgraded, I have extra dvd drives,an ultrabay type battery,yet somehow I always manage to fix the problem wnen it happens-how many of the `new` laptops can u do this with? Don`t know what bios mine is on,HOw do you check. Thanks Dave

[tom lightbody]

> how to check BIOS version

when turning on, hold down "F1" key to enter
system BIOS--the version is printed there

suggest referring to the websites mentioned
early in this thread, for more info

[solvn25]

Don`t know what bios mine is on,HOw do you check.

In addition to Tom's excellent suggestion, may I offer a different approach:
Since you have xp professional installed, and presumably have an ethernet card to connect to the internet, then please try SiSoft Sandra. It will not only give you bios information, but also many other hardware details....

[solvn25]

Hahahaha
Hurrah
Whoopdidoo


schen!

Wow.

Here I am, typing on my thinkpad, on the forum, no power supply attached.

Holy Cow. ETHERNET, WORKS.

tada.

WONDERFUL
What a great forum you have!!!!
Unbelievable....

regards,
sol

[schen]

I believe that you can see that in normal use the the A21m isn't as antiquated it might seem. Those were very good machine in there day and the fact that an 8+? year old machine is performing as it does on a relatively modern operating system is testament of the design and build quality of the ThinkPad!

[solvn25]

...that an 8+? year old machine is performing as it does on a relatively modern operating system is testament of the design and build quality of the ThinkPad!

Yes, you are correct, and I think you are referring to XP.

However, my thinkpad has dual boot capability. XP and Puppy Linux, 4.3. For those wondering which distro makes the most sense, allow me to express my humble opinion, that Puppy Linux is almost as good as Bass Ale. This version dates from September 2009.

It is very satisfying, quite refreshing, and doesn't leave any bitter aftertaste.

Advantages: installs very easily, boots up quickly, connects via ethernet to internet effortlessly, after an initial configuration step, which is childs' play...
FREE, though I did contribute a few dollars to Barry Kauler, as a token of appreciation for all of his labor. I was unable to connect to the internet via dialup modem with Puppy Linux, (winmodem), and haven't tried to connect again, using the dialup modem in the new Intel pro-100 ethernet/modem card now installed....

There may be other distros out there which are also very good, but I recommend Puppy Linux for ThinkPad A21 users....It downloads to a bootable cdrom, so that one can try the operating system without having to install anything. The "live" cdrom allows one to connect to the internet, and type documents etc, without having anything installed on the hard drive. I prefer to install it, however, because the cdrom is much slower than the hard drive.

I set GRUB to boot only Linux, then use XOSL to manage the dual boot capability....My partitions look like this: C: ~1 gbyte FAT32, locus of XOSL, D: 9gbytes XP, 3: 1 gbyte linux Swap 4: 8gbytes, Linux ext4. Grub is mounted at the root of partition 4. I use Ranish partition manager to create the partitions, after first running killdisk, to copy zero's to every location on the 18 gbyte hard drive.

Works like a charm!
Thank you A21 forum, and SChen!!



Sol