What model do I have? [ Edited ]

[TerryCan]

I'm helping a less-technical friend with an issue on her older Thinkpad, which she was given by a boss.  Before I ask any specific questions though, I obviously need to know which model she has so that I can post to the right category. I'm not very familiar with Thinkpads myself so forgive my questions. (I have looked in the FAQ but didn't see what I need there.)

I asked her the model number and she found this on the computer:

Type 2373 - 7CU S/N [deleted for privacy]

I googled a bit but Type 2373 does not appear to be a model number because I've found T40, T41 and T42 (at least) that all indicate Type 2373. T40, T41 and T42 are model numbers, right? How do I get the model number from the information I've provided? Or do I need more information, like a serial number? I'll be seeing her tomorrow and can gather anything I need at that point. She says the laptop has an IBM logo, not a Lenovo logo, so I assume this is a fairly old model, dating back before IBM sold off its PC hardware business.

Also, may I suggest that determining what model you have should be added to the FAQ? It seems like a very fundamental thing that you absolutely have to know to get any further information.

Also, may I request that this post NOT be moved to a more appropriate place (if there is one) until I've had a chance to read the answer to my question, otherwise I may not find it. I'll acknowledge the answer when I see it so you know it's safe to move it to the proper place.

[billbolton Community Moderator]

The Lenovo Support website indicates this was the factory configuration for the system:

ThinkPad T40 (2373-7CU)

P M 1.5GHz, 256MB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 16x10x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD(slim), Modem(CDC), Ethernet(LOM), Wireless upgradeable, Secure Chip(TCPA), UltraNav, 6 cell battery, WinXP Pro

Cheers,

Bill

[PoPSiCLe]

On every Thinkpad I've seen, the model number is printed on the screen bezel, lower right corner, on the inside of the hinge. I just checked on Google Images, and it seems the T40-series used this same design, so are you sure it doesn't say that right there?

[TerryCan]

It's possible that you're right PoPSICLe, I don't have the laptop in front of me. I'm helping a friend who is less technical than I am and she lives a couple of kilometers away. Also, she is legally blind -she has some sight but not that much - and it may not have occurred to her to look at the area you describe. (I didn't know the model number could be found there so I didn't suggest it myself.)  I'll be seeing her in about an hour so I'll look for it then.

I just wanted to ask a question about the laptop before I saw her.

[TerryCan]

Thanks very much for that Bill!

Do you have any idea what "wireless upgradeable" means? I'm not sure if it means that it has wireless already which can be upgraded to be better wireless somehow (maybe going from "B" class to "G" class?) or whether it means that it can be upgraded to support wireless.

[TerryCan]

I'm helping a sight-impaired less-technical friend who owns a Thinkpad  T40 (2373-7CU) with an issue.

She has inherited this computer from her office and has been told it doesn't have wireless capability. I'm not clear whether it never had wireless capability or if it once had wireless and the card was removed (or has failed). I understand that this laptop was "wireless upgradeable" when it was new but I don't know if that means that it was capabie of being upgraded so that it had a wireless card or if it had wireless which could be upgraded to make it better (perhaps upgrade it from "B" class to "G" class wireless?).

Can anyone tell me if this machine should already have wireless capability or not? If it doesn't, what needs to be done to make it wireless? I did some googling and found an article describing the technique for installing a wireless card and antenna but it sounded very daunting, requiring major disassembly of the computer into over 50 parts. Am I really looking at something like that if the wireless card and antenna is missing from the unit? If not, is there an easy way to get an internal wireless card into this machine? Or am I better to go with an external wireless card?

Obviously, the internal card is more convenient but I don't want to break her laptop. I have put internal cards in desktops before and found it pretty straightforward but have never mucked around in a laptop so I'm not particularily confident of my abilities to successfully install an internal card in a laptop if it involves major disaassembly.

[Maliha Community Moderator]

Hi Terry,

"Wireless upgradeable" means the machine doesn't come with a wireless card, though antennas are placed in there for you to upgrade to one in future. Also, ThinkPads only accept lenovo approved cards, you can find them on eBay or can also be bought from IBM Maintenance parts. Installation instructions cane found in the HMM.

T40 supports following cards:- 

ThinkPad Dual-Band 11a/b Wi-Fi Wireless Mini PCI Adapter

Cisco Aironet Wireless 802.11b

Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini

Hope this helps. 

[TerryCan]

That helps a great deal, Maliha! Thank you!

Do you have any thoughts on whether I'd be better to track down one of the three cards you've identified or simply use an external wireless card, like one of those that just go into the USB port?"

I'm guessing that those three internal cards may be difficult to find and/or expensive and/or tricky to install - I haven't looked at your links yet although I will - so maybe an external card will be less hassle overall....

If my friend goes for the external card, are there any limitations she should know about, such as an external card would be slower than an internal card?

[Maliha Community Moderator]

I've used external and internal cards on a notebook, to be honest I haven't found any difference. But external cards have slight advantage on old notebooks i.e. you can buy the latest N wireless adapter to go with your N router, the wireless speed is to be amazing this way, something you can't do with an internal card on T40. 

The internal card for T40 is easily available on eBay, though.

[TerryCan]

Exactly! I helped her buy a modem/router combination today and it has wireless N. If she gets a good external card that also has wireless N, she should get great speeds.

The only thing I'm not sure about is what level of USB she has and whether that would affect the situation. If her T40 is old enough to only have USB 1.0 or 1.1, that's going to slow the wireless card down significantly, right? Or would a wireless N card still work just fine with USB 1.x?