ThinPads' lifespan

As I'm planning to buy a T 61, I'd like to ask you if you know how long ThinkPads usually last. Perhaps some of you own a relatively old ThinkPad.

Thanks for your help.

 

i have one with win 98 on it, there really durable. i lift it from the screen and everything. the lap top cam with 95. so thats telling you how old it is

 

They last a long time! They are super durable.

 

My T41 is almost four years old, without a single hardware failure.

But the same goes for my non-Lenovo desktop. And a Sony FX370 (now six years old) that I gave to a friend when I bought the Thinkpad is still functioning with just one hardware failure/repair (a hard drive).

With care, computers can last a very long time.

 

People buy 3 year old thinkpads and use them as their main machine.

 

Oldest in my house is the 600E which my dad got in around early '99. Still runs fine with 2000, although the rubbery plastics on the palmrest are starting to peel off.

The 600X my dad got in 2000 is still used daily for email and web surfing and runs XP just fine. No cosmetic issues, everything functions like it's supposed to.

 

Every one of the systems in my sig line will boot and run, however some of them, after 10 years or so, have really outlived their usefulness. The 600x is the oldest one that I could use regularly and not feel hampered, and it's about 6 years old. Very sturdy build, and the keyboard is a dream.

Most of the time, I use the tablet or the T60p. Both of them are holding up well so far, but they're each less than a year old.

 

Yeah i have a thinkpad and i dropped it spilled fluid on it even dropped it on its screen a couple times and returned it to lenovo to replace the case and i still had all my data so lenovo thinkpad is a good choice but not everyone can afford it. its well worth the money.

 

Thanks for your answers. I'm asking this because I'll invest a lot of money (I live in Argentina, and they're much more expensive here). I've got a HP Pavilion, it's four and a half years old, but it has had quite a few problems and now it is almost dead. So I'm looking for a tough notebook.

 

i used my T42 for three years as my main computer without any problem before i ebayed it to someone else a lot of people praise keyboard but i also think their placement of touchpad (synaptics) was excellent as well.

 

Durability is the main strong suit of thinkpads. That's why I chose to buy my x40 two and half years ago.

If I were buying a new laptop today I'd also consider Dell Latitude D430 and D630. But I still like the design of the thinkpads better.

I'd also consider the dell xps m1330, I like the LED lit screen option, but I don't know how durable it would be.

 

If I may ask in this same thread: the one I'm planning to buy has 1 GB and brings Vista. Can I install XP? I ask a guy that sells them has told me that the new ThinkPads don't accept XP anymore, for they're designed for Vista. Is that true?

 

I've also used a Lenovo T60 and X61s. I consider them both very well built.

 

Uh, who ever said this doesn't know what he's talking about. You can still buy new thinkpads with XP installed or buy one with VISTA and get an XP install CD, but I have no idea how much that costs.

Here's a link to the XP downgrade option for the Lenovo US site
If the link doesn't work just go to the support page of the lenovo site
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=VSTA-DWNGRD

 

If you want XP though, it would be easiest to buy a thinkpad with XP installed on it from the beginning.

Changing Operating Systems on a notebook is not the simplest thing to do.

 

The problem is that the last T 61 I've found here only have the Vista installed on them. In any case, a guy told me that he's got a R 61 with Vista and 1 GB and that it works ok.

 

A little more info would be helpful in trying to understand what you are talking about.

If you are buying from Lenovo's US website, you can get the T61 with XP.

Well that's great that a guy told you that it works ok. Good luck with that.

 

I have my T61 that so farr has been great, I also have an A21 that still works (occasionally) even though it was mortally wounded.

 

There is no laptop on the market right now that is designed to limit the OS that u use. You can even install Linux on the thinkpad. As a matter of fact you can even install XP on the Mac.

Hardware don't control the OS that u use.

 

My T23 had been stepped on in a corn processing plant in Indiana. The LCD was still working afterwards. I bought it from a guy who bought it from another guy who worked at the processing plant.

I think that Thinkpads are made well.

 

I recently sold my 5 year old t40 pentium M for nearly $400 on ebay...i was soo surprised...i guess even the old ones are still in demand and it worked flawlessly..just some visible wear and tear on the touchpad over the years of use

 

Although ThinkPads can fail like any other notebook, I have only had positive experiences with them when it comes to durability. The longest I have had a ThinkPad for was 3 years, which obviously is not a very long time per se. But considering the amount of fairly tough physical handling it had to take, 3 years is quite impressive.

I would at least 2 times a day throw it in my messenger bag without a sleeve and take it out again. The messenger bag would contain books and small electronics which would rub against the notebook, while I was on my way home or to work which took me about 15 minute's walking.

It would be brought to at least 2 meetings every day, undocking and docking it every time. Since I was a frequent traveler it would be going on airplanes very often, getting knocked by the front passenger's backrest. When sitting in bed working I would just let it sit on the bedsheets which obviously is not always good when it comes to thermal issues.

Not tough "abuse" but nonetheless it had a very mobile life. Never had a problem with it.