HELP ! WiFi Adapter Card for Thinkpad T42 ?

[lescottr]

Hey thanks Zilla, this is exactly the information I was hoping to get. There seems to be a ton of stuff out there, so I would rather buy something that is tried and true from I fellow owner. thanks again ... Scott

[lescottr]

Got my laptop about an hour ago. Here is the Model # as it appears ont he sticker ... TYPE : 2373-4TU.

How do I know if it has a WiFi Adapter card ?

And which one do I buy if not ?

I appreciate your help

[ortegaluis]

The Lenovo configuration page states that it is wireless upgradeable. Meaning that it did not come with a wireless card from the factory. The good thing is that it most likely has the wireless antenna already installed [hence "wireless upgradeable"].

I would recommend that you power on the computer and take a look in the Device Manager. Make sure that all hardware drivers were installd and that no comonents have an "!" or an "x" next to them. The wireless card will be in the Network Adapters section if installed.

If you are comfortable with some disassembly, you can have a look to get a definite answer. The HMM is available here. There is a section for removing and replacing the wireless card.

Here are the FRUs in case you need to buy one....

91P7267 - Intel 2100 3B

93P3483 - Intel 2200BG

93P3485 - Intel 2200BG

91P7301 - ThinkPad a/b/g Wireless

93P4262 - ThinkPad a/b/g Wireless PCI II

93P4235 - Intel 2915 ABG

Message Edited by ortegaluis on 03-16-2009 06:02 PM

[zilla]

Here is the starting page for all info about your T42. I see it says "Wireless upgradeable (MPCI)". I read that to mean that the antenna assembly in the LCD cover is in place, you just need to install the card.

The Intel Wifi 2200BG card is from what I see on the Intel web site still current, and it seems to retail around $30. Just make sure before you buy an internal card that you have read the hardware maintenance manual and feel comfortable with the installation of the card as described there. If you don't you have two choices -- either have Lenovo or a Lenovo service partner install it for you or buy an external card.

Message Edited by zilla on 2009-03-17 02:25 AM

[lescottr]

ortegaluis & zilla thanks for your help !

I did some checking and found

1) in control panel page I have icons for a) wireless link  b)  wireless Network Set-up Wizard

2) in device manager under Other Devices all the list has BIG yellow ?'s but no X's

3) the list is a)  Ethernet Controller  b) PCI Modem  c) USB Controller  d) Unknown device  e) Video Controller

4) no Network Adapers tab but I have PCMIA adapters a & b)  Texas Instruments PCI-4520 CardBus Controller ( dont know why is 2 times)

5) my FRU is 91P8927

[lescottr]

Also noticed I can listen to CD's but I got an error message when trying to watch a DVD that said

" cannot play DVD because a compatable DVD decoder is not installed" 

[lead_org]

You get that message regarding the DVD codec, is because you don't have a DVD codec that can decode the DVD movie with, you need to get a copy from somewhere. i.e. WinDVD etc.

[ortegaluis]

If you have access to wired internet, I suggest you download ThinkVantage System Update [.NET Framework 2.0 is required] to get all the drivers and updates instaled for your T42. If not, you will have to download and manually install all the drivers and software packages from the drivers page..

[zilla]

One way to proceed is to do a restore to factory settings. If the separate recovery partition is still on the hard disk you reach it by pushing the access ibm button during startup. Once in Rescue and Recovery you then choose the restore factory settings from the menu on the left. If the partition is no longer on your hard disk you can get recovery disks from Lenovo support but they will charge I believe about $40 for them.

The System Update utility didnt exist at the time the T42 shipped so once you have restored factory settings you need to download it from here . It will then upgrade your system with all current drivers. You then also need to run Windows Update but run the Lenovo/IBM system update first so you get the Lenovo/IBM version of those drivers that also Windows Update supplies. From other forum threads I see that it is best to upgrade all IBM drivers before applying XP SP3.

ps If you decide on going the restore factory settings route you might want to consider getting a larger hard disk first. Here is a thread describing what to do.

[lescottr]

ortegaluis : unfortuately I have tried but I cannot access the internet from my T42. From what you are saying it looks like I need to install the driver for the Enternet Controller first.

You do mean the drivers for those components with the BIG yellow !'s ....  right ? not all 142 listed on Lenova's site.