Newbie Qs - re: battery, install disk, etc.

Do older Thinkpad notebooks/laptops (for example, 600 series or A21p) require batteries to work, or can they work as well by plugging in?

And is the power cord just a regular type of plug similar to desktops - and pluggable into surge protector strip?

And can a new fluorescent tube be put into the LCD if need be? (via a laptop repair place of course)

And if there's no software included, can the Dell XP install disk be used to install Windows on the 600 or A21p?
If it comes with DVD drive, can the Dell XP intall disk be installed via that medium (not just via CD-ROM drive)?

Also: which Thinkpads have both:
2 PS2 ports for keyboard/mouse
and
2 USB ports?

I hope I have the luck that someone can help me w/these questions - thanks!

 

I think by the time you buy all the parts for it, you are better off just getting a used one. Laptop parts are expensive and reuqire some degree of knowledge to replace. I don't know if they came with two PS/2 ports. It is likely they did not. I believe the T23 was the first with 2 usb ports.

 

I still have a 600E. The power brick does not use a common power cord, it is a 3-lobed design going into the brick. The other end will be for whatever region the unit was sold in, mine has a USA 3-prong. It works fine without a battery. I doubt a Dell recovery CD can be used, they are usually encoded to prevent that. It has 1 PS/2 port and 1 USB 1.1 port.

 

It's a standard type of plug for laptops, but it's different from the desktop plug. There are surge protectors for laptops, though, with compatible plugs.

About PS/2 ports: many laptops have one PS/2 port that can support both a mouse and keyboard using an appropriate Y-adapter. My old Compaq Evo has that. However, as I found out, not ALL laptops support that. My friend's very very old laptop could only accept one PS/2 device at a time.

 

Thanks to you all for the info re: the T23 having 2 USBs, and re: Dell's restrictive recovery disk, and re: 600e having 1 of each port, and re: Y-Adaptor.

BTW, even as I type this, it's difficult for me because my LCD makes me ill.

Which is why I'm shopping for a laptop, and it's much more difficult for me to shop due to my sensitivity and also because it's next to impossible to find out lumen (nits) specs for any laptop. Apparently Lenovo provides no listing for this...

So... Strikeback (or anyone):
Would you happen to know how many lumens/nits the 600e has? Or would you know which thinkpads are the most "naturally" dim? (by that I mean that even when at their brightest setting, they're still not ultra bright? Are the 600 series very bright compared to others?

Also:
If need be, are Y-Adaptors, compatible cords, etc. affordable?

 

Y-adapters are very cheap. Power cords should also be.

 

Thanks again!

 

so you are saying that most laptops are too bright for you? My 600E is on the dimmer side of average I would say, compared to modern laptops. there is an adjustment slider on the bottom of the screen. It is a lot more dim than the LCD for my desktop.

 

Strikeback, thanks for the info! (btw, on the contrary, I'm seeking laptop because I'm thinking that laptops may be more tolerable than desktop LCDs!

Thing is, I'm confused because the other day I did happen to find info on NITS vis-a-vis some older laptops (though not the A,X or T).

Anyway, the 600E was listed as 150 nits.

So it confuses me that you say it's dim, because I've had a stand-alone Scanport LCD also listed at 150 nits but it made me very ill.

so, maybe it's just related to the fact that stand-alone's have a minimum of 2 fluresent tubes (regardless of the nits rating) - and laptops have only one tube?
Could the amount of tubes be the culprit, rather than the brightness rating?
Or maybe non-outgassed toxic chemicals?

They never answer these questions! It's so frustrating - I've been trying to find out this info for years already - yet getting nowhere.

 

suppose 150 for the 600E screen is possible, it is definitely dimmer than my Flexview T43, which Tabook lists as 200 nits. The Z60t has gotten a reputation for a dim screen, though Tabook lists that screen as 200 nits as well. check this thread, the non-maxbright Z60m is listed in Tabook as 200 nits as well, but is obviously brighter than the supposed 200 nit Z60t. could be due to the backlights I suppose.

 

In response to yours, you're on target, because in this thread which I'm currently in midst of:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1245199#post1245199
vkyr posted that the T43 has in actuality 122 cd/m² and that vendor advertised values are often inaccurate.

btw, yes, just before I'd already checked out that other post by vkyr re: Z60. That guy sure has done his homework!