[ltp] Second handed T43 issues (already bought): advises for tons of doubts and questions, please

[linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
> 
> Questions and Technical information (for those who are (still)
> interested here (if any...) --------------->
> 
> A) What explanation could be in order to someone erased the serial
> number of the laptop?, e.g. why? 
> Maybe it belonged to a set of gadgets confiscated by the police over
> there, that then went out to the market or something similar, umm?
> Would be there any way to know still that info?

The systemboard was replaced. The person replacing the board did not have the IBM Hardware Maintenance Diskette (available only to IBM FE's, and VAR's) to set the product id, serial number, or the UID. 

 
> 
> B) The battery is dead for sure, isn't it? The seller cheated me.

Yup pretty much toast. But LI-ion batteries are only good for about 3 years unless you really pamper them.
 
> C) The screen: Anybody knows whether it could have anytime a better
> quality? Can be possible such a difference between screens (in quality
> terms) into Thinkpads from IBM?

You're going to have a tough time upgrading the screen. Maybe someone can chime in. I only fix them. 
 
> D) The graphics card. I don't know really what I have there, regarding
> to RAM memory. The seller told me about 256 MB. He showed me photos he
> took, etc... but this is what tells the system, with lspci -vv:
> 
> 
> The latest values make me to think that there are 64 MB of graphic RAM.
> BTW, these values are exactly the same I get with the older T42 (where I
> know it has 64 MB RAM in its video card).
> The model of card is here identified too, as Radeon X600. 

The T4x series only came maxed out with 64MB of video memory. 

> 
> E) Sound. Doing another CLI typing lspci -vv (no pipe to "grep audio",
> sorry..:-)
> 
> 
> So the on-board pci sound card is there, although maybe not working. 
> The sound modules that are on:
> 
> 
> According with all the above, here I don't understand why there is no
> sound :-(

Probably the systemboard is bad. Did you check the CMOS to see if the device is enabled, and that the keyboard volume control is turned up?
 
> F) The noisy fan. There are values about fan speed and some sensors of
> temperature:
> 
> ----------------
> What to do, please?
> 

Could be the fan is defective, poor CPU to heatsink contact, or the systemboard is defective putting the fan into high speed mode. I own as well as work on Thinkpads (from the 701 to present), the T43 fan can get loud, but if it's very loud (screaming) that means something is wrong. 
 
> G) Another bad things: 
> * "System Rescue CD (Aida)" tells "modem not found" in the T43, while
> the same in the T42, yes. 
> * Similar thing for the Motherboard ID: 
> 	a) T43: Unknown
> 	b) T42: <DMI> / Motherboard name: IBM 2373JXG (the model of laptop).
> * In the Aida's summary, the item belonging to the System Memory, where
> should be 1024 MB, it says 957 MB (in the T43), which is some kind
> strange. Why 67 MB lost?

Reserved for video memory?

> * I don't think this T43 have bluetooth, could I check it?
> * Does the fingerprint work in Linux. How I could just to check it?
> (I've never tried such a thing).

You could see in the BIOS if you have the setting for disable/enable bluetooth. I use Fedora, and I am not knowledgeable with Ubuntu.

> H) At least, some good thing:
> 
> * A test to the hard disk, with smartmontools. It's OK.
> 

T43's use a special hard drive since the T43's use a SATA to IDE bridge. The hard drives use propriety firmware. Installing a regular hard drives will cause you to get firmware upgrade messages on POST. Not that it means much since you can still use the drive, but you get these boot messages with possible data loss though I have been running that way for 3 years on mine without data loss. To upgrade to a 100GB drive with the correct firmware from Lenovo would cost you almost $500US. 

Greg