After purchasing my Lenovo ThinkPad T420, I wanted to purchase an IBM ThinkPad to add to my collection. Well, it finally happened.
The ThinkPad line was originally introduced by IBM in 1992. The T42 was one of the last ThinkPad models made by IBM before the PC Division was sold to Lenovo. In fact, my T42 was made by Lenovo but still bears the IBM brand extensively. (It’s an IBM at heart.)
While the T42 originally shipped with Windows XP. The original seller had actually loaded Windows 7 on the machine before shipping it to me from Canada. Despite the low memory, Windows 7 actually runs fairly decently if you’re careful and only have one or two things open at a time.
This machine was originally intended to be a replacement for the XPavilion machine, which is suffering from bad electrolytic capacitors. However, the T42 isn’t quite a shoo-in for the position as it is running Windows 7, which is “too new” for some of the applications which the XPavilion gets used for.
Usage
The T42 is currently seen use in many fields, where it actually performs fairly decently. The machine is used to take notes in various classes, is used for light web browsing (some of the blog entries on my website have been made from the T42, including most of the Throwback Thursday entries), using telnet services, and playing music. The T42 does a fairly decent job of being a 4 pound music player – as it is reliably able to play music.
Plans for this machine: upgrade the memory (from 512MB to the maximum 2GB)
| IBM THINKPAD T42 SPECIFICATIONS (code T42) | |
| Processor | Intel Pentium M “Dothan” @ 1.8 GHz |
| Hard Drive (Storage) | 25GB Hard Drive |
| Memory (RAM) | 512MB DDR1 |
| Displays | Built-in LCD, VGA |
| Optical Drive | None |
| USB Ports | 2 USB 2.0 (???) ports |
| Other Ports | Docking Port (IBM), AC power, ethernet, onboard modem, audio in/out (microphone/headphones) |
| Internet Connectivity | WiFi (wireless), Cat5e ethernet, onboard modem |
| Other Special Features | TrackPoint, “Access IBM”, Infrared |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Ultimate |
| Usage | class notes, Telnet, light web browsing, music |