T43 Ram Cover Replacement

[oddheadred]

new poster here, so excuse me if i get anything wrong
I bought a T43 about 3 days ago. got it pretty cheap and i wanna fix it up.
its missing a lot of parts, but its missing a lot of the covers too. specifically the RAM cover and HDD cover.
I was wondering if there's a model of these online i could find to print? that, or a cheap place to buy them online (in Ireland so shipping can be a hurdle)
also if anyone knows any decent cheap drives i could get OR decent optical disk drives or could point me somewhere, that'd be nice.

feel free to PM me or anything!!

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

First thing to do: get the illustrated T43 or T43/p Manual from the HMM link above.

Next thing to do: check this link about T43.

Next thing to do: put on a proper TTAV134 BIOS on it, with Slic2.1 plus errors 1802/2010 gone.
Go here and download the correct one, depending on your T43 TYPE (starting with 26xx or 18xx).

Always specify if you have a 14.1" or 15" model when looking for parts.

I have the following:
IDE/ATA Hard drives, 2.5in., 9.5mm high

Qty-GB - RPM - Brand/Model
1x 100-4200 - Fujitsu MHU2100AT
1x 40 - 5400 - Fujitsu MHV2040AH
1x 40 - 4200 - Hitachi Travelstar IC25N040ATMR04-0
1x 80 - 5400 - Hitachi HTS541680JAT00
1x 30 - 4200 - IBM Travelstar IC25N030ATCS04
2x 40 - 5400 - Seagate Momentus 5400-2
All tested, working, and priced at €5.00 each + shipping.

They weigh a little over 100g each.
Since I'm in Ireland too, check https://www.anpost.com for Small packet shipping prices.

T43 can only take up to 2 x 1GB RAM PC2-4200.
If you buy a HDD and need some RAM, I have some 512MB spares which I can throw in for free.

[dr_st]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't have much to add to RBS's excellent suggestions. Investing in a new drive for such an old machine is not going to be cost-efficient.

[oddheadred]

hi, thanks for replying so indepth. im very busy atm so it'll probably be the end of the week before i can look into buying any drives, but i have my eye on the 100GB Fujitsu MHU2100AT.

Next thing to do: put on a proper TTAV134 BIOS on it, with Slic2.1 plus errors 1802/2010 gone.
Go here and download the correct one, depending on your T43 TYPE (starting with 26xx or 18xx).

I went ahead and got the files, but i'm honestly lost. how do I upgrade the BIOS? do i have to do it on the thinkpad via windows? because if so, then i'll need to buy an out-of-the-box working drive instead. again, massive newbie here, so i'd really appreciate some guidance.

ps: i checked, and i have a 14.1 inch, type 2668.

[RealBlackStuff]

To install that BIOS, you need a CD-burner, either the one in your T43, or any external USB CD-burner.
If your laptop doesn't have one, buy/borrow an external CD-burner such as https://www.ebay.ie/itm/395248053667.
Don't just copy the ISO file onto the CD, but use a burner-program such as https://www.imgburn.com/
Put that CD in your CD-drive, then cold-boot and immediately press F12 to select the ATAPI CD (laptop drive) or USB CD (external drive).
That will install the new BIOS.

[oddheadred]

To install that BIOS, you need a CD-burner, either the one in your T43, or any external USB CD-burner.

excuse me if this is a stupid question, but cant i just use a USB? the t43 can boot from USB, and because an external drive would be plugged in via USB i just kinda assumed id be able to flash the image onto a USB
also, theres no ISO file in the download from the wiki, but i'm assuming you're talking about the ROM file "T43-SLIC2.1_7U_no_1802_no_2010.ROM" ? just making sure cause i dont wanna flash the wrong file.

[RealBlackStuff]

The downloaded zip-file contains an .iso file, to be burned on a CD.
T43 is not advanced enough to do this from a USB-stick.

[oddheadred]

The downloaded zip-file contains an .iso file, to be burned on a CD.

i went here and downloaded the zip from the first download link listed, but there isn't a .iso in the zip file. am i missing something or did i click on the wrong link?

[RealBlackStuff]

That version apparently contains a Windows version (which I never used).
You can find the .iso here, ThinkPad T43, T43p (2668,....

[oddheadred]

thanks for the download link!! i managed to burn it onto a disc with an external drive and plugged that into the t43 but now its just hanging on the "Preparing Boot List" screen. after trying again a few times it asked me to reconfigure my time and date settings (which it does every time I try boot to something) and then once i saved my bios settings with f10 and tried again it just hung on the "Preparing Boot List" screen again. is something wrong or does this process just take an extraordinarily long amount of time?

[oddheadred]

update: eventually it did get past that screen but it booted to a blue MS-DOS terminal, saying it couldn't open the CD drive and that I was missing the tpcd00 driver and maybe some other piece of software? I'll check again and update this later but I just thought I'd post what I could remember and see if anyone could get anywhere

[RealBlackStuff]

I assume that USB CD-drive is OK and works on other machines.
It sounds like the T43 CMOS battery is dead, replace it with e.g. this.
If there is a hard disk in it, remove it before you go any further, it may be faulty.
If there is a CD-drive or a HDD-caddy in the CD-bay, remove that as well.
Plug the USB CD-drive in the T43.
Cold-boot and press F1 immediately to go into BIOS.
If necessary enter date and time, then go to Config/USB and check that USB-BIOS-support is Enabled.
Next go to Startup/Boot and move USB-CD to position 1.
Then go to Restart and press Exit Saving Changes.
The T43 should now reboot and go straight to the USB-CD to run the BIOS-update.
Before I forget, is there a working main battery in it?

[oddheadred]

no, there's no working battery. I've been running it off of a charger

[RealBlackStuff]

Early bird, eh?
I usually get up around 5:00am.

I'm not sure if that BIOS update can run without a battery.
I think I still have a working battery from a T23.
It won't fit but can 'work' in your T43 with a small 'extension cord', which I also have.
Won't be able to check until the afternoon.
If it is still there, and you need it, you can have it for €20 shipped and I'll throw in a CMOS battery for free.

Try my suggestions anyway.

[oddheadred]

I tried your suggestions and i'm in the same place. i was wondering about the extention lead for the battery. how does it fit into the t43? does it just hang out?

[RealBlackStuff]

look here: viewtopic.php?p=680106#p680106

[oddheadred]

alright i thought about it and i would like to order the battery and cmos and adapter. is there somewhere to talk about this or should i just PM you?

[RealBlackStuff]

PM will do fine, it is enabled now.
Oh, and the T23 battery is working!

[oddheadred]

great to hear the battery works! and the PM is sent

[Glaurung-quena]

new poster here, so excuse me if i get anything wrong
I bought a T43 about 3 days ago. got it pretty cheap and i wanna fix it up.
its missing a lot of parts, but its missing a lot of the covers too. specifically the RAM cover and HDD cover.
I was wondering if there's a model of these online i could find to print? that, or a cheap place to buy them online (in Ireland so shipping can be a hurdle)
also if anyone knows any decent cheap drives i could get OR decent optical disk drives or could point me somewhere, that'd be nice.

feel free to PM me or anything!!

Your first go-to for spare parts should be Ebay. There are dozens of parts sellers in China who carry used drive bay and RAM bay covers (as well as other common parts) for various vintage thinkpads - although they'll often falsely claim the parts are new. They sell to Europe as well as North America. Check their prices for delivery to your country, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Also check Aliexpress for the parts you need - for parts that are very expensive on Ebay, I can fairly often find them much more affordably there.

Some parts (case bottoms, LCDs, sometimes keyboards) are unobtainable or extremely expensive for these vintage thinkpads, and your only hope is to find another laptop of the same model being sold "untested" or "not working,for parts" for a price you can afford. Prepare yourself to discover that more often than not, the "not working" laptop is in fact completely functional.