IBM Thinkpad 770

[Medessec]

I recently got an IBM Thinkpad 770, just a 770, not a 770X or 770Z.

So it's got the 233 MHz Pentium Processor, but it's got 160 MB RAM and the Trident Cyber 9397 graphics hardware. I've installed Windows 2000 on it and it runs perfectly.

Are there any ideas of what I can do to improve this Thinkpad? There are a few issues as well... the battery can't hold a charge, and I can't find a battery anywhere for under $30. Also if it's been unplugged for awhile, upon startup it displays several errors, I think... 161, 163 and 173, then asks me for the date and time. It restarts, then the errors are absent, but then it displays O > I flashing the characters in the direction of the "I". I hit the power, then again, which starts it up, again. Then it proceeds to boot the Hard Drive or CD-ROM.

I suspect a bad BIOS battery. But I don't know exactly where it is in the laptop, and I'm not looking forward to taking it apart just to replace the battery. Is it like the 600 where it's poking out right where the RAM cover is?

One idea I have for improving it is maybe replacing 2000 with a stripped down version of XP, and installing a DVD-ROM drive. Also, is 160 MB the most amount of RAM it'll allow installed?

Any replies would be fantastic. Thanks!

[tom lightbody]

> 770 backup battery

under RAM cover, in its own socket, a naked cr2025

> max RAM

twbook.pdf says 256, i.e. 2 128meg modules

great machines

[Unknown_K]

I have a 770 also with 233MHZ P1 and 128MB RAM (2x64) and DVD ROM. The battery bay is empty (came that way from the recycler but for $5 I can't complain). My CMOS battery was dead so I installed a CR2025 in it for $1 shipped on ebay.

You can probably stick a mobile P2 processor to upgrade it, I would stick to Win2k or Win98se since XP on a P233 will be too slow. Get a PCMCIA ethernet or wireless card.

[Bookworm]

> You can probably stick a mobile P2 processor to upgrade it

Up to 400 Mhz. search eBay for MMC-1 (not MMC-2).

[Medessec]

I've found the BIOS battery, but it doesn't appear to have a node that touches the positive side... is the positive node obvious, or hidden so the battery is more easily removable? I'll shop for those certain batteries soon so I can replace it.

i'll also consider the processor upgrade so I can install XP.

[Unknown_K]

I've found the BIOS battery, but it doesn't appear to have a node that touches the positive side... is the positive node obvious, or hidden so the battery is more easily removable? I'll shop for those certain batteries soon so I can replace it.

i'll also consider the processor upgrade so I can install XP.

On coin cells the holder bottom is one node and the metal clip on the side is the other. The coin battery itself is + on one side and - on the other.

[Medessec]

Ok cool, so that's fine. I saw some batteries just like it at a local drug store so i'll head over there and see if I can find one that'll work. I'll have to remember that: CR2025.

I have updated it, but it can't run any newer than IE6 SP1... are there any good browsers for 2000?

Also any good lightweight media library software?

I might have found a good battery for $15! Craigslist!

[pianowizard]

Have you considered replacing this 770 with a 770Z? I would look for one with 1280x1024 resolution and then upgrade the CPU to 850MHz PIII (I think), the RAM to 512MB, and the HDD to 120GB (or larger?). Windows XP would definitely run well, and perhaps you can even try Windows 7.

[Bookworm]

> ... are there any good browsers for 2000?

The latest version of Firefox works with 2000.

> Have you considered replacing this 770 with a 770Z?

Tha's probably not necessary. If you spend all your time upgrading, you won't have time or money to really use what you have, and you'd be surprised what even older hardware than this can do. But if you must upgrade...

> I would look for one with 1280x1024 resolution

These are hard to find and next time one is available, I saw it first.

> and then upgrade the CPU to 850MHz PIII (I think),

Read the 770 upgrade thread for details. The 770 series doesn't have speedstep, so it will only run at 700 Mhz, but you can disable or fake speedstep. If you disable it, the ThinkPad might not run on batteries. There are other complications too. Read and reread that thread.

IMO the hassle will be worth the effort, if you know what you're doing.

> the RAM to 512MB,

Is the 770 really limited to 256Mb? I thought it was a 440BX too. I sure wish someone would fix that @&$* BIOS bug.

> and the HDD to 120GB (or larger?).

Much larger. There are lots of 320 Gig drives on eBay for under $100.

[pianowizard]

If you spend all your time upgrading, you won't have time or money to really use what you have

Having wasted so much time and money on upgrades since 2002 (e.g. I went through >40 Thinkpads), I agree with your above statement wholeheartedly. That is why I think it would be better to give up on this 770 and go for a 770Z (specifically, one with SXGA) instead. It's a lot of work to fully upgrade this 770 just to make it barely run WinXP, and after all these upgrades, the 1024x768 res will remain a major limitation. So, if I were the OP, I would not waste any more time or money on this 770. I would sell it, and start looking for a nice 770Z on eBay and here right away.

Much larger. There are lots of 320 Gig drives on eBay for under $100.

Are you sure the 770Z doesn't have the 137GB limit?

[Medessec]

Today I found a CR2025 at Walgreens for $4, and put that in, no more issues with the 161 & 163 errors.

> Have you considered replacing this 770 with a 770Z?

I would if I had the money, 770Zs always go for $100+ in one piece on ebay and even craigslist. This 770 was beat up a bit and super slow(easily solved by reinstalling 2000) and I had the hopes of upgrading it with the lowest budget possible.

I don't look forward to buying a Hard Drive for over $50. Perhaps I will get another Hard Drive, a bigger one like a 40GB or 80GB depending on how much it costs. I also plan to go with the 128+128 MB RAM to give the laptop ~280 MB RAM.

After I've improved it to the best of my ability and kept a low budget, I do plan to resell it as it is very usable.

[Unknown_K]

If you realy wanted XP then a fast P3 or better laptop is a better choice then any 770 model, or maybe just a cheap netbook. By the time you get all the parts to make the 770 "usable" it will be expensive. For example batteries seem to cost 2x (on ebay) what batteries for newer models cost, worse for RAM and HDs.

Some people (like me) enjoy using the old Thinkpads for simple tasks with old OS and apps. Unless you realy need to be mobile (most people seem to buy a laptop and just use it at a desk) find a cheap or free P4/Athlon 64 or newer at a local recycler or freecycle. I use desktops for any real work, and the old laptops for some wireless computing while lounging around in the back yard on a nice summer day (which is why I have good working batteries for most of the laptop models I own).

[paul*robertson]

re Browsers i use IE6 with win 2k and its fine.

[Medessec]

I have installed IE6 on the Thinkpad. It works, but i'd like a quicker browser.

I don't plan to use the 770 regularly, I have a laptop for that(it's not in my sig because it's not a Thinkpad) I want to use the 770 for testing my applications and a friend of mine's for legacy computers. The battery and bigger hard drive is a luxury, I don't need it, but it would be great to find one cheap and sell it installed so the laptop's value is significantly increased.

The CMOS battery issue is completely solved, now the laptop boots with no issue at all upon startup.

I've found a 2GB HD from a 760ED I recently gave away that fits in the caddy, and I tried seeing if I could install 98 to it or formatting it with one of my Linux Gparted disks, but it didn't work... I'll try again tonight, maybe I'll use my Puppy Linux CD.

I'll look for local recycling facilities that have these pieced P4 laptops; but I know of a surplus store that sells many laptop parts for real cheap. I'll go back to the store this weekend to see if I can find parts for the 770.

[Neil]

...i'd like a quicker browser.

The quickest browser for Windows is "OffByOne". I use it on an old Win95 box. It's not very pretty, but it is quick.

[Bruce Guttman]

I have a 770Z with 192MB and I run XP. For a browser, look at Firefox. Works well.

My problem is the 5 MB drive I have in it; Windoze XP loaded it up with patches and now it won't browse well. If I had a larger drive I might be able to work it better. But this puppy is going to retire. I don't use it any more except for an emergency (when my T23 went belly up for a fan problem). Now the T23 is becoming the backup with an R40 as the main.

[paul*robertson]

I have installed IE6 on the Thinkpad. It works, but i'd like a quicker browser.

I never really thought of IE as a slow browser. Is it recognised as slow.

[pkiff]

re Browsers i use IE6 with win 2k and its fine.

I would recommend against using IE6 for any regular browsing unless you are required to use it in order to access some kind of intranet service associated with your workplace. IE6 is buggy, insecure, AND slow compared to Opera, Firefox, or IE 8+. And over the next year or two, you will gradually run into more and more sites that do not load properly in IE6.

To increase browsing speed on an old 770, I would recommend browsing with Flash disabled, and potenially also with JavaScript selectively disabled. These two items will affect your browsing speed much more than which browser or which version of which browser you choose to use.

On IE6 it is difficult to selectively disable these things. By contrast, in Opera, it is possible to disable each of these things on the fly using two keystrokes (F12 + key). Also, in Opera it is possible to customize individual sites so that they automatically run with Flash and/or JavaScript enabled. Back when I was struggling with my 770E in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I made use of these functions extensively when browsing, and it made Opera a much better choice than any of the other browsers available at the time. Nowadays, you might choose Firefox instead and then find the right set of plugins that allow you to easily enable/disable Flash and JavaScript.

At some point or other, I've run Opera, Firefox, Netscape and IE in various versions on almost every laptop listed in my signature. I understand that many people are happy with IE6, but that's my 2 cents on the subject.

I never really thought of IE as a slow browser. Is it recognised as slow.

I'm pretty sure that IE6 was recognized as slower than Opera 6 and Firefox 1.5 or so. IE7 was definitely slower than Opera 8+ and Firefox 2+. IE8 is better than the previous versions of IE, though I would not be surprised to learn that it is still marginally slower than the latest versions of Firefox and Opera. But I'm not sure how well IE 8 will run on a 770 running Windows 2000.

Phil.

[uniter]

IE8 needs about half the time of Firefox 3.5 to start on an TP 600E.

The fox got slow. Unfortunately there is no safe, fast (on old machines) and complete browser out there.

[Medessec]

Aha! Thanks. I'll whip it out and see what I can get on the computer.

So far it seems IE6 isn't great at all compared to the other browsers that can run on the computer , so I'll try Firefox first and see what happens.

[TTA]

Not sure if it's been mentioned here but a 233MHz Pentium 770 (or a 380XD) will NOT run a PII chip without a BIOS MOD (unlike a 233Mhz 600, that just needed a newer BIOS, the 770 was locked down like the low end T20's) and if you want to reboot the machine without powering it down there is a small two wire MOD that needs to be applied to the motherboard too (I'm sure have the OLD PDF telling how to do it somewhere if I were to look) it's marked IBM confidential so I'm sure I can't post it here.

BTW, just an FYI. 770's are a PITA to take apart.

[Medessec]

Oh. Well then. Scratch the processor upgrade...

I don't feel like going that far to upgrading it... but was 160MB the standard amount of RAM it was shipped with?

[Neil]

I don't see where you posted you machine's type number. You can tell from that how much RAM it shipped with. But almost all 770 models shipped with 32MB as the standard configuration.

[Medessec]

Isn't 32 MB the amount that comes embedded in the system?

160 is enough for now... I went to that surplus store and they didn't have any 770 batteries... gotta keep looking.

I found an external Floppy Drive that works for it; for free. The floppy drive is slanted inward in the bottom; is it built for a 600?

[Neil]

Yes, 32MB RAM is what is in the hidden socket. And, apparently that is all that most machines shipped with back them. If you want to see for yourself, enter your type number in the blank on this page. That will show what your type number shipped with.

[Unknown_K]

Can you install a larger stick of RAM in the hidden socket?

[Bruce Guttman]

Can you install a larger stick of RAM in the hidden socket?

[Old thread but nobody answered]

I replaced the hidden RAM with a 64MB PC-66 stick so my 770Z has 192MB RAM.

[TTA]

if you want the BIOS upgrade to make a PII CPU work I have it, I just can't find the ECA PDF so the machine needs to be powered down then turned back on and not just rebooted or you will get an error. Small inconvenience but I wanted to make you aware of it.
Any questions feel free to PM me.