Lessons learnt: Memory upgrade on T43

I upgraded to 2GB ram today and posting this just in case it proves helpful to some folks. I used 2 Crucial 1GB/533/4200 SODIMMs.

Remember the IBM helptext instructs to disconnect all cables and take out the battery before memory installation. I followed the instructions verbatim.

The memory slot at the bottom of T43 was easy to install in to. When pushed down, only one side would click into place, the other side had to be pushed down a little more -- I suspect everyone may not face the same problem. Before closing the cover down, make sure the safety latches are perfectly parallel to each other and not under stress. The sides of the memory card should fit neatly into grooves on the safety latch.

The one under the keyboards was a little more toil. Note that the Access IBM animation shows 4 screws for removing the keyboard, on the T43 there are only 3. A small keyboard icon is next to each screw. All are of the same size.

After taking out the screws, the keyboard will not come loose on its own. I used a thin flathead screwdriver very gently to raise the edge near the touchpad.After the edge is out you can slide it out by pulling towards itself. Disconnecting the keyboard connector cord was easy. This memory just snapped into place.

It took some trial and error to fit the keyboard back in. The edge near the screen needs to be inserted first at almost a right angle wrt the keyboard bed, then lay it flat gently and check all sides to make sure there is no gap.

while putting the screws back in, I needed to lightly press the keyboard down so all screws could find their threadings. Make sure all screws are straight, you should not feel any resistance while tightening. Do not overtighten, just stop when the head stops turning.

Before doing all this clean the keyboards and whole notebook with blasts of canned air.

Hope this helps,

Note: Please pardon my sloppy English, not my first language ...

 

To tell you the truth, just for the sake of cleaning it's worth it to upgrade the RAM once in a while...

 

Just so you know, starting with the Z60 series Lenovo is moving towards a "less screws easier to access components" design so it should be easier to replace/upgrade memory on future notebooks if they borrow that trick from the Z60 design.

Thanks for the post and insight here, I'm sure some will benefit from this!

 

BestBuy charges $25-$35 to install ram. If you're going to use canned air, you may as well wear rubber gloves.

I used to buy desktops until by Dell broke and they taught me how to fix it over the phone. I still buy laptops for obvious reasons.

I'm convinced either special olympians or one of Jerry's kids could tackle laptop ram installation. At least the ram module on the bottom of the case.

 

Thanks for posting this. I was having one hell of a time determining where the 2nd slot for RAM was.

 

Thanks for the tip, wouldn't have figured out on my own that the second slot needs to be accessed from the top i.e. underneath the keyboard. There's a little notch in the front of the keyboard, right by the touchpad, if you put in a thin screwdriver and push the keyboard slightly forward it pops out rather easily. Thanks again.

 

This thread is from 2005! AHHHHHH!

 

Your tips and instructions were right on target. When I first got my 2 one GB memory sticks, I opened up the memory panel on the bottom of the computer expecting to find 2 memory slots. There was only ONE slot there! I had to go online to figure out that the keyboard had to be removed in order to access the second slot!

Your post helped me immensly, right down to the fact that there are only 3 screws holding the keyboard in place.

Also, the keyboard comes out easily by inserting a flat head screwdriver into the small notch or space just below the ALT key and gently pressing forward towards the screen. The keyboard will then lift out, and all you need to do is disconnect the ribbon connector plug that runs from the keyboard to the plug in point (just gently pull it up) to access the slot for your memory upgrade.

Be sure to press your new memory stick in very firmly in order to assure good contact. My first go round, I did not seat one of the memory chips firmly enough, and my computer would not boot up. I went back and repeated the entire installation process for both chips, making sure they were firmly seated with only a little bit of gold showing (less than the edge of a dime). Then, no problemo!

 

BUMP!

Ah man, just wait till you try to install a bluetooth module in a Dell D600. You have take whole bugger apart just to get to the slot!

 

when u receive the orignal laptop with 512mb of ram
is that 1 or 2 sticks?
and if it is 1 stick, is the free one NOT under the keyboard?

 

Yes, the 512mb is 1 stick and yes, the free slot is not under the keyboard.