old laptop

[Jeff R]

I may have access to a partially complete laptop I thought someone might be able to use for building a Linux machine.

What I know about it as follows:
* Lenovo - Thinkpad
* circa 2005
* Intel processor
*originally designed for / running Win-XP
*CPU fan is dead
* Hard drive has been removed

Is this laptop worth building up to a working state?

I should be able to find out more specs. if required.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

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[Joseph Caputo]

Missing hard drive is a non-issue... you can boot Knoppix or another live distro from a USB key -- it even gives you an option to create a persistent home directory on the USB stick. Probably better on battery life than having a hard drive, too. Otherwise, a new hard drive will probably run < $50. Heck, if it takes SATA drives, you could do a solid-state drive for about $60.

A quick look shows replacement Lenovo laptop CPU fans running $35 - $50; if you're handy with a screwdriver, I'm sure there are simple instructions to be found for replacing it.

Seems worth it, as long as everything else works -- laptops can be repaired reasonably cheaply if you're handy, but obviously the more parts you need to replace, the higher the cost -- at some point the ROI is too low to bother for a 6-year-old laptop.

-Joe

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[Brian Green]

I might have a few Dell laptop fans laying around if you think it will fit lenovo; I'm not sure if those fans are standard?

Brian C. Green

"Knowledge is knowledge. Once we accept that some of it is too important for ordinary people to have, we are no longer at Orwell's doorstep but sitting in the parlor discussing proper placement of the furniture."
  - Robert B. Laughlin (The Crime of Reason)

[Jeff R]

Pretty sure SATA is a non-issue for that machine!

I haven't seen the machine so I don't know how involved the attachment of the fan is to the CPU; or if it's similar to Dell's.

I do have an new empty 100 GB PATA laptop hard drive which might feel at home in an old laptop.

I'll post more specs. when I get them.  We'll know more after I get the Lenovo model #.

Thanks for the ideas...I'll probably need some help implementing them!

Jeff

 

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From: Brian Green <brian...@gmail.com>
To: ch...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, September 14, 2011 8:28:08 AM
Subject: Re: [CHLUG] old laptop