IBM and Lenovo Thinkpad laptops are specifically designed for corporate use i.e. for business users and therefore they are very reliable and well-built.

 

 

Anyone who is considering buying a used laptop would do well to look carefully at the Thinkpad range.

 

If all you are looking to do is surf the net, a bit of emailing and maybe some work on Microsoft Office or Open Office then you will probably find that a T40 or T41 is an inexpensive yet reasonable buy.

 

If you would prefer something with a bit more speed that will last for a few years then a T60 is a good choice.

 

For ultimate reliability and value for money you should look at one of the newer models i.e. a T61 or T400 series machine.

 

All Thinkpads, whether IBM or Lenovo, can be upgraded fairly easily. The simplest upgrades that will have the most effect are upgrades to memory and also to the hard disk drive. Check out the links to the right to see more details about which parts you need to order for which machine.

 

Apart from those simple upgrades, there is little else to improve. The battery on a 6 year old T41 is unlikely to be particularly brilliant but these laptops can function perfectly well when constantly plugged into the mains.

 

If you do need to work "on the road" then replacement batteries can be picked up on eBay.

 

Lenovo provide several programs which allow you to test the condition of your Thinkpad. You can download the "PC Doctor" program and then burn it to a CD - this diagnostic CD will then run on your laptop and report any issues it finds.

 

This and other drivers, BIOS updates and utilities for all models of Thinkpad can be found on Lenovo.com.

 

eBay makes for a great hunting ground for used Thinkpad notebooks and the various spares. Use the links on the right or below to find specific machines.

 

Tip: Ask the seller for the serial number of the laptop as it will tell you when it was made.

 

As an example of this, S/N 99-WDDWT 04/02 on a T41 means the laptop was made in February 2004 (04/02).