IBM ThinkPad 755C Laptop from 1994

[@TheFlyingScotsman]

Great to see another Scottish KZbinr making videos on retro computers. I too am a ThinkPad convert, and have a number of older ones. I used to know someone who worked at the plant in Greenock back in I think 1997. She may or may not have built my 380ED based upon when she was there. Well done on getting that machine though. It can be very, very difficult to get a 486 of any sort over here.

[@camerongray1515]

+Videos Sans Frontier Thanks, glad to see you here! I've watched your videos for quite some time!

[@NijiDash]

Thanks for showing this! A few years ago, I got an IBM ThinkPad 365XD which looks exactly like this. It came with the laptop bag, CD, floppy expansions and some more goodies for just €10. It has 8MB of RAM and an Intel Pentium processor and came with Windows 95. Needless to say, 8MB is insufficient for that OS, but finding RAM for it would be an utter nightmare too (and I don't want to erase the existing OS either). Other than that, it still runs like a champ in DOS and it's still a great machine for retro gaming, and its keyboard and TrackPoint are a joy to use. It really adds to the experience, to the point that no other modern machine running DOSbox can replace it for me.

[@80sCompaqPC]

I wish the new Lenovos had a keyboard like that!

[@jemodeu]

me too

[@nutzeeer]

some ideapads have glued in keyboards that you need to break if you want to open the machine...

[@JessicaFEREM]

I like the power button placement, that means you could turn it on with the screen closed and you don't have to open the laptop if you want to use it like a "desktop"

[@notyoung]

I still have a working 755C. I replaced the hard drive along the way, as it's a 2GB drive which has two 1GB partitions (Win 95 doesn't handle 2GB well). I had it out earlier today to check on the CMOS battery, for which I have 3 separate cells to replace the original 3 cell package - my solution is 1/3 the price of the packaged backup battery pack. I need to check the D-Link D-660 network card - the 755C recognized that there was a network but it couldn't connect (network doesn't need a password for a wired connection at 10MB). I have a wireless network card (802.11b) somewhere... The sole reason for keeping the ancient relic is that it was my "fits in the backpack" laptop when I got my IS degree in 2002. It still has a working copy of mysql and an Excel spreadsheet that can talk to the mysql database - our group project in one course was a multi-user inventory system for a bicycle shop At that point in time, the 755C was (barely) adequate for the courses I took but not worth the effort to steal it when there were so many newer and faster laptops available. That the unit still works says a lot about the quality of its construction. I'm considering opening the primary battery pack and replacing the original Ni cells with lithiums and a balance board. $65US for a replacement battery for a shelf decoration is a bit much...

[@estevaop.7855]

Hi! My display leaked... Do you know where I find a new display or adaptation? :/

[@notyoung]

@@estevaop.7855 Try Ebay or just search for replacement 755c display I may yet get the lithium battery - got some non-working Ryobi 40 volt power tool batteries and should be able to build my own pack from those. Low current balance boards (under 5 amps) are cheap.

[@trevorkinzer7918]

That thing is awesome. I scored a 755CD at a thrift store complete with the original bag, cords, manuals and software for $20. It has WIN95 installed. I'm pretty sure the battery is dead too. It takes me back because in about 1999 I had one of these that I got from a guy at work. I traded it for something. I don't remember what I traded him for but it was just an old laptop at the time. I gave it to my niece to use for school. I wished I would have kept it but then I found another one and I'm keeping it.

[@TheBoredEditor]

Viewing this on my T420. Absolute gem of a laptop!

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

My first laptop ever (although an LTE 5400 was technically first, but not really mine). Kinda get nostalgic hundreds of computers later, but can't say I want one again.

[@iulianispas8634]

They do have amazing designs thinkpad, I also collect Vaio laptops ultra portable, very happy with my C1 and P series

[@coondogtheman]

Came here from searching the laptop used by Judge Lance Ito from back in the 90s during the OJ simpson murder case. His laptop was a little better than my first computer which had a 33mhz 486SX processor 12MB RAM and about 700 MB of disc space on two drives and running windows for workgroups v3.11. And yes I had Doom on it.

[@Kerring]

Nice! Had one of these in my childhood, which already was aged back then. It actually ran at 75 MHz but lacked something more important, the sound card :(

[@yakovkhalip9714]

I have one like that in my collection)

[@32bitrant]

That's a nice laptop! My uncle used to work in that IBM factory in Greenock

[@logan56]

This is one of the ones you can take the back cover off for projectors, so the screen is see through

[@petroidau]

The 755CV and 755CDV were the ones with that feature, pretty cool

[@DonAlderOfficial]

I have a 755 CDV for sale with all its accessories good condition mine is the one with the removeable back so you can use it with an opaque projector

[@yakovkhalip9714]

Great Video ! A have a notebook like that - but DX4-100. Saddly mine is without the memmory expansion - so only 8 megs of RAM(

[@trevorkinzer7918]

Oh and one more thing. I'm typing this on an E570 ThinkPad right now. The wife has a T410. Great machines.

[@ethanzerafa930]

That hard power off beep is the same as the Lenovo ThinkPad L420 hard power off sound @Cameron Gray

[@hakemon]

Oh man I have a Thinkpad 560X, that I really want to put an old distribution of Linux on, but sadly without any CD-ROM interface, I have no idea how to even install it, even with a parallel port CD-ROM drive.

[@treahblade]

You can install Debian 2.2 on it as it comes on a bunch of floppy disks. however I recommend finding a way for it to talk to network as it would make installing much easier.

[@AntonioBarba_TheKaneB]

my R51 and my two T430 approve your obsession for thinkpads :D

[@colombianguy8194]

I have the 765XL, It has the same desing features, but with more modern hardware: pentium MMX at 166, 2.1 GB hard disk and 16 MB of onboard Ram i think, expanded to 80 MB. It is my most beloved piece of old tech that i have. Unfortunately the LCD is going to die soon, it has a lot of dead pixels forming black smudges. That 755C has the LCD in very good shape. TFT panels back in the day were very expensive, so that model was the top of the line.

[@kosztaz87]

I have just bought a dead one like this (only difference I can see is mine has two sliders on the right side of the screen which would indicate that it uses older screen technology) but it hasn't arrived yet. Do you think it's possible to mod this laptop with a low profile micro itx board in it, as it's pretty thick under the keyboard? Or maybe a nano itx? If nothing else I will end up using a raspberry pi sometimes in the future, but it would be really amazing if I could fit a mini itx board in it, then I could use it as a proper computer (I am aware that I will still need to sort out a screen and somehow I have to find a way to use the keyboard).

[@luxembourger]

And? I am very curious how you built your computer :)

[@johnsonmay3181]

zoltan87 Update?

[@kbhasi]

Yes, you're correct, the two sliders indicates it has a DSTN LCD, not a TFT like the one in this video is. Also, it's possible it could have died because the battery leaked, as the Ni-Cd backup batteries could corrode through the wires onto the system board.

[@louisgreenleaf235]

I think the flap missing is to cover the screw to remove the floppy drive

[@gentuxable]

8:46 PCs of that time wouldn't go further than 2029. Impressive the BIOS looks as it could handle beyond

[@swrzesinski]

Thinkpads are the best, i own T43 and T400 both with dedicated graphics. Awesome machines.

[@JohnNNJ]

I miss the eraserhead pointers, I was so frustrated when they went away; sometimes change is difficult.

[@Grimhood]

The Business Thinkpads (T-Models) still have them. www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_/9/f/csm_DSC_0007_27e6ff8dec.jpg

[@NuevoVR]

/g/ converted me to thinkpads and linux and i havent looked back for 5 years

[@TVperson1]

I love that it had sound in 1994, it would have been quite expensive at the time.

[@trevorkinzer7918]

The 755CD was like $8000!

[@laptopcommando]

Alas! Some of your viewers (like me) are ancient enough to remember when 28.8k dial-up modems actually were the state of the art!

[@Lachlant1984]

Just so that I'm clear, is the hard drive locking lever accessible from underneath the computer when it's fully closed up?

[@camerongray1515]

+Lachlant1984 The lever to slide it out is on the bottom of the machine, the idea is that you slide the lever and put a lock around the piece that slides out, this will prevent you from sliding the lever back in and therefore keeps the drive in place and the machine locked shut.

[@lispmachine9687]

I approve this video from a T40.

[@jenniferbaker8268]

I have a ThinkPad 355Cs (Model 2619-K25). In working condition. Do you know how I determine it's current value?

[@estevaop.7855]

Hi guys! My display leaked... Do you know where I find a new display or adaptation? :/

[@kirishima638]

I wish Apple made laptops of this quality back in the day...

[@Buy-n-large]

The power switch is like the one on the ds lite

[@mikey-ci2ud]

my childhood but i had a reinstall of 3.1 without the oem goodies

[@Edward3DFX]

Sweet machine

[@ethanzerafa930]

I wish it was that easy to find my cmos in my thinkpad l420

[@gustavoflores4971]

Judging by your first shot, it looks like 755C is about the same size of those modern thinkpads. Are they 14"? I thought 755C was one of the smaller classic thinkpad models, but images are very deceiving. You mind telling me how you feel about it's size? Is he small like a netbook or more like a big notebook? Thanks

[@camerongray1515]

Footprint wise the machine is much smaller than the 14" T440s and T400, it's closer to a modern 12" machine. In the first shot I imagine it looks bigger due to it being closer to the camera. Of course, the 755C is much thicker than virtually any current laptop!

[@gustavoflores4971]

Cameron Gray Thanks for your answer :) that was exactly what I wanted to know. I already have a Thinkpad 390, and model 755 or 760 will be my next purchase.

[@Edward3DFX]

Please install NeXT on this machine BTW this machine was an absolutely masterpiece MCAD assembly- The mechanical assembly guys at IBM ware masterful probably using some very limited software at the time to design the machine...

[@camerongray1515]

Difficulty is that this machine is still running its original OS install so I wouldn't want to wipe this out. I'd therefore need to get a second (proprietary) hard drive for it. I'd also have to figure out how to get a CD-ROM drive, would probably have to be a parallel port/PCMCIA one as the machine doesn't have SCSI and then no idea if the NeXT boot floppies would be able to see it. Definitely would be cool to see though!

[@Edward3DFX]

Cameron Gray Hi there, thanks for considering the idea, yes it would be a shame to wipe the drive, it also would be a pain to source the optical drive....I think there was a way to make it dual boot- If I remember correctly the IBM 760xl was the last machine supported with full driver support I ask because the NeXT boot floppies do recognize this and another older IBM laptops - when the decision was made to make the NeXT operating system available to other machines Avié Tavenian was tasked by Steve to make it work in IBM laptops, he personally loved the IBM thinkpad designs... Upon returning as CEO to Apple he would bring in his personal IBM laptop as design reference, and it is said that the design team who was in charge of Titanium PowerBook had many IBM thinkpads in the design shop as reference There are pictures of Steve using the IBM 755c running NeXT as his personal daily rig while working at Pixar....he loved the keyboards...

[@roryfitzpatric]

I have one exactly like this, or similar to it. I was wondering if there is a Linux distro with GUI that would work on it. I believe mine has 8MB RAM

[@hobbified]

I ran Slackware 4.0 on one in ~1999. Worked reasonably well. You would need a distro of roughly that vintage - XFree86 3.3.6 supports its Western Digital graphics chip, but version 4.0 doesn't (nor does Xorg). I ran mine with fvwm2, but Blackbox would probably also play nice.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Hi. Do you have the first Thinkpad laptop? The 700 series back in 1992. God bless, Proverbs 31

[@andrewdupuis1151]

nice for dos games

[@BCProgramming]

Making me miss my 755CDV!

[@80sCompaqPC]

Wow you had the over head projector model with the removable backlight? Those are very rare!

[@BCProgramming]

Yep, Pentium 75 Model. I also had what I think was a Thinkdock I (Big bulky thing with rounded speaker "wings" on the sides). I had no idea it (or the Thinkpad itself) was particularly rare until long after I no longer had it. It was given to me in high school by my IT teacher, it was his old personal laptop. Unfortunately I left the Main Battery installed even though it did nothing at all, and after about 6 years it ended up leaking onto the system board and causing all sorts of issues. (even a clean PC-DOS boot diskette gave a "divide error" rather than a prompt). I was even able to find a second 755CDV on eBay at the time for something like 12 bucks for parts/repair thinking I could use it's mainboard, but I wasn't able to get it working. Eventually due to other circumstances I didn't have the space to keep them (or the dock) and ended up getting rid of them along with a lot of other older PC components (including a rather sizable box of various ISA/PCI/AGP/etc expansion cards).

[@80sCompaqPC]

I actually have that exact dock that i use for my 755CD and 760XL. Yeah thats what was wrong with my 755CD when I got it. It wouldn't boot from any of my perfectly good floppy disks. I thought it was the backup battery that had leaked but it turns out it was the main battery. I couldn't tell at first because mine was missing the main battery. Apparently someone removed it because it was leaking. It corroded the motherboard pretty badly. But I actually got a brand new replacement board off of eBay which got it going again. Im pretty sure the 755CD is exactly like the 755CDV just without the removable backlight.

[@keys3008]

I just picked up a 755c for really cheap. The hard drive is wiped clean tho, how do I install windows on it if i dont have the floppy discs? Any help, from anyone would be great! thanks

[@ArthLud]

Not quite sure if I remember well but you need just one floppy to install MS-DOS (that boots has essential files like sys.com and format.com), three or four floppies to install full MS-DOS . Once MS-DOS is installed on your hard drive you remove your hard drive from the laptop and connect it into a modern computer - you need a special ide-usb cable (costs around 5$); once you connected your hard drive you can copy windows 95 installation files to a folder - i.e to W95INST (and you can copy drivers and your desired other programs into different directories). Do it, disconnect your hard drive, put it back to your thinkpad. Then just boot up go to C:\W95INST and type "setup". Voila!

[@ArthLud]

greeting from Alloa

[@sburton015]

I guess they still make Thinkpads, but they are not from IBM anymore, now Lenovo took its place.

[@kbbbb7]

IBM sold its PC division to Lenovo

[@UnitedPebbles]

Eh so can you run Linux like Red Hat or Sun on these IBM?

[@JohnNNJ]

Presumably you can load Damn Small Linux on something like this.

[@SimonQuigley]

I have one of these and installed Debian on it

[@ArthLud]

You can surely run some of the very early versions of Linux on it!

[@elitedavid8705]

hi my quest im good remember this laptop the dx4 100mhz cpu same inside? i don,t have this type my coolection my coolection the ibm 755cd laptop have diference for optical drive cd rom inside cpu dx4 100mhz 20mb memory 1.2gb hdd and interesting for floppy drive im know put inside the 755cd laptop?

[@dsg_one3234]

How much is he worth now? and I want to sell it.

[@laurensnieuwland4657]

Ya should install os/2

[@Hrothgar98]

Why does he keep saying "aim" ?

[@这是傻逼]

I got a great condition 755C for free from an estate sale

[@TheJunky228]

lucky fricken man!

[@IanC14]

50mhz internally on a 25mhz bus

[@damianisel3598]

Word perfec

[@naturedetectiveminecraft6362]

Does IBM on Lenovo because Lenovo makes think pads and so did IBM Own Lenovo

[@little_fluffy_clouds]

IBM sold their ThinkPad business to Lenovo some years ago

[@JessicaFEREM]

Funny that the thinkpad was more or less the reason that computers in businesses can be black, they wanted the plastic to be white so it blends in with the surroundings, but now it's out the window

[@edloki3057]

jesus!! I think you're speaking English, but I barely understood a word. Good video though.

[@leonpoldie1371]

I have an ibm thinkpad 560z

[@fragglet]

13:50 - 1.4 inch floppy? 🤔

[@simontay4851]

1.4MB floppy

[@imthedrivingcrooner]

can it play minecraft

[@fifaworldcup1994]

No

[@simontay4851]

It can play minesweeper though.

[@alexale8540]

Why do you love so much IBM? Who really made such advanced computer company that Steve Jobs hate it so much? Is IBM was made it's computers portfolio from research of military scientific institutions?