Unlocking the ThinkPad T61 with Middleton's BIOS

EDIT: Turns out the Middleton’s BIOS is not needed to use 8 GB of RAM. Whoops!
Hello everyone! Today we're back with another ThinkPad video, this time I'm using the Middleton's BIOS to unlock my FrankenPad T601 - and upgrade it to be much more powerful! Middleton's BIOS is a special patched BIOS that unlocks some additional features in older ThinkPads, and in this video you can see how to install it on your ThinkPad! This works on the following models:
T61/T61p
X61/X61s/X61 Tablet
R61/R61i/R61e
X300
Here's some useful links to help you on your way:
Middleton's BIOS: www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Middleton%27s_BIOS
T61 maintenance manual:
14.1" standard: support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-67979
14.1" widescreen: support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-67760
15.4" widescreen: support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-67980
7-Zip: www.7-zip.org/
PowerISO: www.poweriso.com/
As always I hope you guys enjoy the video! Thanks for watching!

[@mos6581com]

One thing to note, that RAM limitation in the original BIOS was to stop memory address conflicts with GPU's inserted into the advanced dock. With 8gig of memory you won't be able to use the PCIe slot in the dock for a graphics card.

[@SebisRandomTech]

I guess I’ll find out once I mess with the Advanced Dock a little more. It’s interesting that you noted this because I haven’t seen anything online about that. In the coming weeks (or months) I’m sure I’ll find out. I wonder if this also affects the ExpressCard slot....

[@henryatkinson1479]

Im able to use it fine. Middlton's BIOS patches the issue. Its similar to the X230 16gb + egpu errors, its all software-side. I got a number of GPUs (up to a GTX 970) working with my T61p + 8gb + 2506 dock.

[@theglowcloud2215]

@@henryatkinson1479 out of curiosity, why would anyone use an eGPU with a T61p? You'd be CPU limited in any recent game, and using a modern eGPU for games that are 10+ years old seems pointless.

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

I've seen quite a few T61's with badly seated ram, especially the upper socket. It is very easy to mi-sinstall the RAM. It needs to go in at a good angle well in before pivoting down. That's very fiddly at times with that top socket. I've opened them up and found the RAM floating free in the socket. When it's right it feels good - if your not sure it probably isn't ...

[@SebisRandomTech]

@@theglowcloud2215 I tested out an external GPU with my T60 about a year ago, and even a fairly weak low-profile card vastly outperformed the T60's graphics. Some games are less CPU heavy than others, and graphics are generally the aspect of computers that becomes outdated the fastest, so it makes sense for people to want to use an eGPU to squeeze a few more years out of their old system.

[@klwthe3rd]

Wow this video just illustrates how far Sebi and this channel have come since it's inception. I love how he puts all the links/information in the "show more" part of the video so we don't have to go searching around for it on the web. This video makes me want to go out and buy an T60/T61 and do the middletons bios on my unit. Thanks Sebi for providing these videos and having the dedication to help others with their love of these older Thinkpad laptops.

[@karl-erikkald8876]

Man thet T60 is still a gorgeous machine...

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

You are so right there. I have two of them plus a T61 and a T410. There is a noticeable drop in all aspects of the machine except raw horsepower as you move down the lineage. The T60 is an almost, if not a perfect design. It is very satisfying to own one of these things, and the cases last a lot longer than the T410 and more modern variants. The way they open and service is great. The T60 has both a PCMCIA and an Express Card slot, making them a bridge between the old world of ThinPads and the new. And you would be surprised how well they run on their original OS (probably Windows XP Pro) or on a suitable lightweight Linux derivative. For example, with a 32-bit bottom of the line Core Duo CPU and only 1GB RAM you can do most things except video editing and running lots of heavy programs at once. The best upgrade for these T60's is 3GB RAM (add a single 2GB DDR2 ram module on top of the 1GB for around a fiver. Then pop in the T7200 Core 2 Duo, which is a 64-bit CPU and a 64-bit OS. I picked up two of these recently for £7 including postage from China. They arrived brand new, well packaged and within four weeks of order. Can't complain about that. These CPU's cost $295 when new. No BIOS mod required for this upgrade. I have a T61 but I checked out the CPU prices for a X9000 and at £60-80 that's what I paid for a very good T410 with an I5 just needing a hard drive and install. I'm going to wait a few years before I do mine. That being said, it is the RIGHT upgrade to go beyond the T7200. No other upgrade is really worth it, and the performance shown here on the video demonstrates that. You only need as much RAM as you are using, and if you keep your eye on things, 4GB is normally enough, though 8 is of course, nice to have. I have a couple of machines I run on 3GB which is a sweet spot on Linux for normal. If you are doing any squashfs work, try an I5 or preferably a quad core and better. Great channel, keep up the good work Sebi ...

[@Jay-tn6xp]

I still use my T60 for any researching

[@mariobranco123]

How to fix youtube playback problem: Step one: Install chrome plugin h264ify Step two: Don't forget step one

[@beedslolkuntus2070]

Why is my KZbin videos slowing down too much? I have 260Mbit and I have no idea why it’s slowing down it never did this before...!

[@rmsmajestic9411]

I just found one of the best plugin in 10 years, after privacy badger and facebook container...... Quick question: is there a universal plug in that do the same for all other video sites?

[@maytizevb]

@@rmsmajestic9411 not but some players are based on h264

[@Gienek_CPU]

I think the same, but you first :) I use h264ify on r61i c2d 1,83 ghz 3gb ram 160gb hdd, windows 10 32 bit Edge browser, and 720p is super smooth with around 40-50% cpu usage. Step three: block 60fps videos.

[@oliverdixon9924]

Thanks Sebi. I'm writing this on a R400 I've been upgrading but I've got a T61 arriving next week I was planning on doing this to. So glad you've made a video about it

[@leosmithonbass]

thank you, great video. Been dragging my feet on putting that Middleton BIOS on my T61. Feeling better about doing it after watching this. Also, love what you've done in making the Franken-Pad!

[@k.b.tidwell]

Heh, great video even three years later. The algorithm just brought this up. I've watched several of yours over the last couple years, and you may remember me from way back talking about an older coworker who grew up in Pittsburgh riding the trolleys all over. To the point: a few months ago I bought 3 T430 units in a lot, they're my first Thinkpads after years of wanting one, and they've been very fun to experiment with. The direction Windows is going moved me to Linux back during the pandemic, and it's been a great experience. I'm running LMDE6 on the one I'm typing this on. By the way, every time I see your laptops posing on the train tracks it makes me irrationally nervous. 😆

[@thetechconspiracy2]

You don't actually need to use PowerISO to burn images on Windows 10, it can mount and burn them with no additional software

[@SimbaSeven.]

@MyName Here Just use imgburn.

[@squee666]

@MyName Here except it does work for OS boot images, worked fine since windows 7 when it first launched. Unless you trying dos images or something

[@geoffholling4773]

Great video, sat here watching on my T60 with modded BIOS, wieless AC, SSD etc. Like you I have many more much faster machines, but there's just something about the T60 that makes me wanna get it switched on and use it, and love the old IBM logo for that extra splash of nostalgia. I was a tech back in the day and used to fix many laptops, never minded fixing the IBMs or Lenovos, much better built than most :-)

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

Same here ... did you watch the IBM Scotland Factory documentary? - gives a good feel for IBM and it's place in history, that many younger people will not really understand that the IBM ThinkPad is like the Karl Zeiss Lens, except it's the Computer Industry ... best in the World ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX60iGdue65-h7c

[@comicsans1689]

I recently bought a T61 off Ebay for $25 that was listed for parts (it just needs hard drive, caddy, and battery; it powers on with no problem). This video is a God-send!

[@dark-california]

Great video Did the Middleton BIOS upgrade beginning of the week and installed a 256GB Samsung 860 Evo Runs awesome And definitely it's snappier Now up to the next speed improvement 😉

[@capability-snob]

So the ideal laptop in 2020 is no longer an old thinkpad, but it's two, smooshed together! Nice work.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Love the glamour shots!

[@aaroncheah2088]

I recently acquired an old X61 Tablet. Will try this bios on it once the battery arrives.

[@MegaManNeo]

I have a X60t, so nothing can really be done here. But it's nice to see I am not the only person who still enjoys typing on that old thing with its 4:3 screen.

[@kacperw587]

What about libreboot?

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

@@kacperw587 That would make you grit your teeth trying to install that ...

[@CryptoDefender]

Love both my X60T and X61T...and my X32, X41, X220 and T420. The first four running Antix Linux. The other two running Arch.

[@GrahamAtDesk]

I love this Sebi. I've been intrigued by the FrankenPad for a while. A couple of years ago I bought a job lot of four T60's on eBay for £40. They had no drives, no power, and no batteries, but I hoped that one of them might be the 15" model with a 1600x1200 display. I got a 50% hit rate (!) but both screens are fairly badly yellowed. Then I came across the correct model of T61 to act as a donor. The seller had upgraded everything (he'd already done the Middleton BIOS), 8GB of RAM and had gone as far as putting a Samsung EVO 850 SSD in it. He'd got the 8300 CPU for it too. But when I tried using the T61, I was a bit underwhelmed by the performance. Replacement IPS displays for this T60 aren't cheap, and I wasn't sure if it would really be worth it. I've already got a collection of X, T and W ThinkPads from the 30 series (which are all more than 3 times faster than the T61). So I never took the plunge. The X9000 CPU is interesting though. I'm tempted again, but I just might have to accept if I do it that it's a hobby, not a sensible general purpose computing decision! Also, hat tip to your Dell Optiplex. I got a small form factor 9010 a month or two ago and love it. I assumed it'd be faster than my previous "desktop" (a docked W530, hooked up to two monitors), but when I recently ran Geekbench on all of them I got a bit of a shock! Results are here: browser.geekbench.com/user/graz My W530 cost me £250 a couple of years ago and it was in extremely good condition. It runs a lot quieter than my T430 too. It's an absolute trooper. :-) What's even more amazing to me is that the UltraBase 3 dock (dual DVI out, dual DisplayPort, USB3) only cost me £10. And it had clearly never been used. But I'm getting off topic...

[@nauju1998]

I want to see the video on installing a core 2 quad

[@JohnWilson-hb5qc]

12:30 🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Loved that! Great video as always!

[@LloydLynx]

Having 2 extra threads really makes a difference, I recommend the Core 2 Quad. The x9000 has slightly better dual core performance than my 2c/4t i3, but the i3 destroys it in quad core performance.

[@annafan83]

Quality content! Thanks Sebi :-)

[@batatereluelimusic]

the T61 is such a legendary machine.

[@HaisteComputerRepair]

Thank you! Used on a T61.

[@michaelwright2986]

Thank you for this. I just bought an X61 for lunch money, and your video reassures me about isntalling Middleton's BIOS. One thing that will stop me maxing out the RAM is the difference in price between 2GB and 4GB sticks of RAM in DDR2. It's something like USD $12 for a 2GB, and USD$100 for 4GB. Evidently, they didn't make many 4GB SODIMMs.

[@ronaldddoooo]

Your intro is soooooo.... SATISFYING.

[@iamcalebrichards]

Loved the video! You earned a new subscriber :)

[@frusso1938]

Nice video and timing is right for me. I came across my old T61 That I haven't used in sometime and tried to boot it up and received a cooling fan error. I remembered it needed replacement and also recalled how good this system was back in it's day. After seeing your video updates and all I started thinking about possibly doing some of this to mine and keep it as a backup system. Could you provide me with the part numbers used on the processor, memory, W500 cooling assembly and WiFi upgrade you were considering? Thanks, Frank

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

Just found the chanell, and youre awesome!

[@Twintania]

im planning on doing the middleton bios mod for my moms laptop its a celeron 500 (or something like that) with a ssd and 4gb of ram but its still terribly slow. As soon as shops open back up i plan on throwing a cheap dual core in there and hopefully this will be enough for her to do whatever she likes if not then im replacing it and not sure what to do with this thing

[@adrn25m]

I was wondering if there were any updated firmware that adds extra functionality and any upgrades that can be done to the old Lenovo x201?

[@xMandalorex]

I have a Thinkpad T61 with REDHAT ENTERPRISE LINUX 8.0 installed on it. SSD 8GB RAM And yes with *Middleton’ BIOS* Good machine rock solid

[@user-vv1ft5jd4m]

Yo tengo el IBM thinkpad t61 y la verdad es muy bueno ese portátil y lo mejor es su valor histórico en la informática. Saludos.

[@J43rv1]

Sebi this is huge. Really great content as always. Have you corebooted or librebooted any of your thinkpads? I don’t want to scare you about intel ME but I’m wondering if that’s a topic you’d be interested in making content on now that you’ve had a little experience flashing the bios.

[@SebisRandomTech]

First I’m going to tackle 1vyrain on my T430. Then maybe sometime after that I can look more into coreboot/libreboot...

[@ruisantos4520]

Dear Sebi... Question. After the upgrades what happen when you run "System update" from IBM ? I am curious ...

[@pjoter6817]

Oh i'm going to the basement to find my t61 and im installing this thing.

[@pjoter6817]

Update: i didin't find it

[@claritoresdiano1021]

crap

[@tedarmavan]

just buy on amazon/ebay, there's still a lot..

[@luisfernando55]

@@pjoter6817 ebay or amazon, or facebook marketplace

[@pjoter6817]

@@luisfernando55 I'm not American and in my country they get to absurd levels of pricing like 150£ for a base t61

[@atilamotila8907]

Yea i have the x9000 as well i oced it to 3.2 and it seems to be a healthy overclock. Is that not possible with the t60? Is the vrm the problem? On my precision m4300 i can hop it to 3.4 but i get some shutdown/restart bugs. Not sure what the thermal headroom is on the t60 but a +400 mhz boost does show a good boost in daily tasks

[@nikelquint]

Really impressive results, i would love to see a core 2 quad in it

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

Is that possible? sounds nice ...

[@baotran-huynh678]

Hope that will soon be released. I got an Hp 8530w with a motherboard diagram sheet for 4 core c2d support, but I dont know how to make it work.

[@timothyli758]

I put Middleton BIOS on my X61 to have SATA2 speed for my SSD. I wonder if I can put in the wifi card that I wrapped out from my X220 and put it in the X61 to get better wifi performance. I replaced the wifi card on my X220 with an 802.11ac card by following one of your videos and now I have a spare wifi card.

[@tswrench]

Good work! I'm not planning on doing the X9000 upgrade. Most of the performance improvements come by way of the 8GB of RAM and the SATA II support, yes?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Absolutely.

[@eppietimisela7118]

Hi Seb, Just today I was able to get my hand on a Thinkpad T61 (14.1 inch). There are many upgrades on my actionlist and 1 question for you. Is an upgrade to a SSD for this machine able? Many thanks in advance :-)

[@SebisRandomTech]

Any laptop with a SATA port can use an SSD.

[@o0Hotiron0o]

Any suggestions on Wireless Cards for the T61? Excellent video Sebi. I own an R and T 61 and lovem both ;)

[@SebisRandomTech]

I don't have a solid recommendation, wireless cards aren't really my area of expertise! After performing the Middleton's BIOS upgrade the sky's the limit!

[@MotoeMete]

Thanks for sharing, I didn't know I could get to 8Gb of ram, now my t61 wide is much faster, I'll probably update the t7500 with a faster one but I think I'll stay away from Extreme Edition for power and temperature issues. The network adapter with the right drivers does not cause problems, the same for adi soundmax

[@Jerkwad152]

I had a T61 some years ago. Unfortunately, the Quadro NVS140M bit the dust, and it was way out of warranty.

[@zer0L0]

Thanks for this. It worked for me after I went the “reinstall 32 bit Windows 7” route just to use the BIOS flash software. I’m looking forward to faster data transfer over SATA II. Good to know it can take up to 8GB RAM but that would require a pair of 4GB DDR2 sticks, and those, being scarce, are too expensive to play around with.

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

It's nice to know it's SATA 2 yet I believe that this laptop is not limited by the SATA 1 channel at 150MBps. Unlikely to get anywhere near there on a T61 even with an SSD. My practical testing has convinced me to stay on SATA 1, yet I am open to correction on that and would be interested to know if you could detect any significant difference doing a copy to backup over it. Here's the spec: SATA I (revision 1.x) interface, formally known as SATA 1.5Gb/s, is the first generation SATA interface running at 1.5 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 150MB/s. SATA II (revision 2.x) interface, formally known as SATA 3Gb/s, is a second generation SATA interface running at 3.0 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 300MB/s. SATA III (revision 3.x) interface, formally known as SATA 6Gb/s, is a third generation SATA interface running at 6.0Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 600MB/s. This interface is backwards compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

[@springer-qb4dv]

Yes, 8GB DDR2 kit is too expensive, and doesn't make much sense if all you use T61 is for some light tasks/ coding and watching video. I just bought a used T500 with 6GB of ram for less than cost of single 4GB DDR2 stick!

[@MrOoh50]

I never own a Thinkpad, but as i can see these models still rocking today and still recive a lot of love from community. Thanks for the video, i was kinda entertain about. Just a tip: if you plan to use chrome use it with h264ify extension, is useful since force h264 instead VP9 and also you can force 30fps. I wonder if someone made a bios mod for my Pavilion dv6-1270el , im fine with core 2 duo T9600 but i wonder if some try to put a Core 2 Quad into it, however the Q series on socket P are rare to find at good price.

[@atilamotila8907]

Ive seen a bunch of listings for the more middle ground quads and it dosent seem to be that expensive

[@MrOoh50]

@@atilamotila8907 I often looking in my local Craigslist, but in Italy where I live the used market isn't much a thing, often prices are ridiculous for an old CPU or the shipping from UK or USA is kinda expensive.

[@atilamotila8907]

@@MrOoh50 oh ow i see. Then its a hard pass in that case

[@N2RI1]

is there a better bios like this for W500 also? page linked dont show one

[@SimbaSeven.]

Why not use IMGBURN to burn discs?

[@springer-qb4dv]

Thanks for nice video about upgrading t60/61. New cpu, middleton bios all good. But upgrading to 8GB DDR2 seems like stretch for most people unless they have money to burn. 8GB DDR2 kit is so pricey it makes lot more sense to buy used T400/T500/410/T420 etc from ebay than to invest in 8GB of DDR2. For typing some document or coding + watching some videos, 4GB of memory will do fine.

[@HK-dt2gf]

Thanks, you are awesome!!!! it inspired me to upgrade my old dude) and to give it second live

[@SpottyReception]

Are you located in Vancouver by chance? I saw the BC page you had open, cool to know there’s other thinkpad enthusiasts around here

[@SebisRandomTech]

Actually I’m from Pittsburgh, someone in the ThinkPad community posted a link to that page because they had some good deals on retired ThinkPads. I would love to visit Vancouver some time though!

[@djpirtu2]

I have T61p with modded Middleton (undervolted GPU) and 1920x1200 panel. Only 4Gb memory however. It's like new, looking unused. Repasted it and swapped 250Gb Samsung SSD. It has Win10 and WinXP dual-boot.

[@MacEctomy]

On the cooling assembly did you find a specific manufacturer you liked or did you find an OEM W500 Thinkpad assembly? I found a couple of 3rd party ones on Amazon but mixed reviews. - Thanks

[@SebisRandomTech]

Found a system pull from eBay.

[@zgagacz]

Thanks Sebi, great video! In next one you could show how much can you squeeze out of it overclocking CPU and GPU in ThrottleStop. I read NVS140M reacts good to overclocking and can reach almost level of performance of nerfed 128Mb FX570M from T61

[@SebisRandomTech]

We’ll see about that. The NVS-140M is quite prone to failure, and while I do have one of the “revised” versions of it that shouldn’t fail, I don’t really want to take any chances.

[@nhansgoofyvideos7581]

@@SebisRandomTech Just do it! I mean for daily use, it probably isn't worth the extra power and heat, but you can show us its full potential in a few benchmark.

[@zgagacz]

@@nhansgoofyvideos7581 , I'll test on mine when it arrives. Waiting for the parts now.

[@Megabobster]

You mentioned upgrading the cooling assembly. Is there an online resource where I can read up on the cooling assemblies and their compatibility for various Thinkpads? I've got a T420 that I'd like to pamper a little.

[@SebisRandomTech]

I can’t say there’s a place devoted entirely to cooling assemblies, but you can find some threads on the thinkpads.com forum that give people’s recommendations for cooling.

[@lloritoovidexequield.8609]

I have a question, is there an IPS, LED-backlighted laptop screen/display for the T61? Kinda like the one you installed in your Frankenpad (I remember you mentioned you got that part cheaper because it had a dead pixel), but sized for 4:3 aspect ratio (square), 14.0-inch screens?

[@SebisRandomTech]

The only ones available are a 4:3 15” LED backlit display. They never made a 14” IPS panel for these machines until the T440p.

[@MacEctomy]

Great video and information. I happen to have an old T61 which at the moment I'm running RHEL but not much use for it these days. So now it's going down the Hackintosh route. As it's an old system, bought new way, way back then. I've been wanting to update the bios for a while. Just curious, would the 550. motherboard work in this thing or is your only option the T60?

[@SebisRandomTech]

I'm not sure what you're asking. If you have a T61 already then there's little reason to change out the motherboard.

[@MacEctomy]

@@SebisRandomTech Thanks for the response. Turns out I misinterpreted your video when I posted the question. Which became clear once I went back and watched it again. I was able to install the Middleton BIOS update to the T61. Next will be the memory, Crucial doesn't seem to carry it anymore so that might be a Newegg or eBay thing, (it was eons when I originally built this system). I was originally using T61 as a RHEL 7.x system however, if recall beyond RH 7.4 the wireless card wasn't supported and hence the need for the Middleton BIOS. With the BIOS upgrade I was able to change the card get past the whitelist wireless card block. I liked your tip about upgrading the processor Intel Core2 X9000 and will probably be going that route as well. Just curious would the Core2 Extreme 9100 work as well? I was able to find the W500 Cooling assembly you mention. As I mentioned in my original question, my goal for this system is to convert it into a Hackintosh System. Once again, great video and thanks for the fast response.

[@JeremyWorkGoogle]

I got here trying to flash a T60p's whitelist from my 64-bit operating system- and now I'm glad I kept a T61 around despite its very apparently lower quality screen! 3GB really is getting to be too small to work comfortably in a web browser... One day I'll get lucky and find one of lcdfans' T70 boards out in the wild. Imagine your T60 with an i7-7820HQ!

[@domenvalentinuzzi]

Does this bios also exist for lenovo SL500 ?

[@DmitryKaminski]

Thanks for the video Could you tell is that possible to replace a T61 memory socket? Memory retention clips became loose so it can't lock the memory sticks reliably

[@SebisRandomTech]

I'm sure it's possible, but it's not something I've attempted before.

[@techgeek2994]

can you put this processor in lenovo r61i ?

[@michaellk2254]

Awesome!

[@semenyodokpo9855]

nice video! can you tell me if it's possible to apply this patch to thinkpad Z61 which is the same as the t61? i will be glad, if you consider my question

[@SebisRandomTech]

It is not the same as the T61, in fact the internals are more similar to that of a T60. So it’s unfortunately not possible.

[@poepflater]

I did mine today, I remember the old drive it had in before I installed the SSD with win 10 64-bit had a 32-bit windows installation on it. SO I just quickly had to swap out drives and was able to run the win 32 update application rather than flashing from CD... in 64 bit. Afterwards I just put the win 10 drive back. KZbin plays smoothly at 1080p on Bing.... not quite smooth yet on Chrome but also much improved still.

[@speedsrj]

It really got my R61 faster thanks!!!

[@zband9016]

I would love to see a video on hardware mod-ing this laptop for a quad core CPU. I have one of these that I want to install Linux to. I was shying away from doing so because I wanted to upgrade it. Thanks for the video discussing how to do these things. I just need to find a few bits of hardware now. If you put Windows 10 Home instead of Pro on this laptop it will probably run faster. MS puts a lot of unneeded progz in the system.

[@SnakeOilDev]

I dont't known why but my x61 does not have problem with youtube playback as your.

[@BillyG869]

I still have several T60p’s, T61p’s and they run so well...All on Win 7 Ultimate....Flex View screens are still one of the best...I also have X1 Carbon’s. W500’s and a w700 bomber...I’m a Lenovo guy all the way...Thanks, I’m already looking for stuff..

[@stvpls]

i hope you wont upgrade them to crappy w10

[@IsaacCallison]

Great video. My BIOS is 2.30. I installed a 32-bit version of vista and tried to run the .exe, but that always caused winphlash to crash. So I created a bootable CD, but it always hung at the installing phase. Fortunately I did not brick it.

[@N2RI1]

OS also determines things like how much RAM is recognized. winXP and 32bit only see 3gb. 64bit win7 see 4gb. so not sure how you can use 8gb with these OS

[@petertan8815]

Can a Frankenpad T601 be created with a 14" T60p (4:3) and a 14" T61 (4:3) ?

[@reo101]

Can you somehow do it on Linux? Trying to boot from either ISO just sends me to my normal Grub boot, i.e. as if I hadn't selected the drive with the ISO from the boot menu.

[@Jcvlasmesas]

After watching this vid I'm thinking on buying a T61 to replace my Presario C700 to run XP/Vista. What GPU does the T61 have? How well does it perform?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Mine has an NVS-140M. It’s nothing special but considering it worked fine in Windows 10 I imagine it wouldn’t have issues with XP and Vista.

[@K3NnY_G]

Ahhh I'd kill for the IBM thinkpad with modern hardware.

[@Lovesthaduckie]

Are you going to do a followup with core2quad cpu upgrade?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Maybe.

[@randallsmith2521]

I would be all about picking up a T61 to do this on just to play... Though the RAM upgrade is really prohibitively expensive. I had an old Dell XPS M1330 (wonderful machine) that I sold. Before I sold it I pulled the 8GB of RAM out and sold the RAM on Ebay for what I bought it for new...

[@Lilithe]

I found a T440P in the ewaste bin and fished it out. I gave it a 1080p display ($70 CAD on ebay), some DDR3 I had kicking around and a SSD. Great little machine. But I want to coreboot it just for funsies. I don't want to lose any functionality, though and that seems to be something you can suffer with coreboot on a less supported system. Should I do it? It's not my daily driver really. I just use it when I want to do some coding on the couch.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Entirely your decision. I haven’t done it because I don’t have a need to, but your needs may differ.

[@seanholmes8290]

I have the docking station external graphics won't work with more than 3 gigabytes of memory something about using up all the internal bandwidth.

[@MrWillypanda88]

Hi, would you mind making video about T430 upgrade/modding and bios modding? Always love your videos

[@SebisRandomTech]

Working on that.

[@MrWillypanda88]

@@SebisRandomTech Thank you very much. Can't wait to see it

[@kztech1319]

Wait a T61 cant do 8gb of ram or X9000 or Sata2 with the latest official bios? Damn I never knew that! I have a Dell D630 and D830 and both can do that with A17 bios, but dont think quad core mods exist for those machines

[@projectnext5020]

I'm a father supplying computers throughout the family, Aka "TECH DAD"! and a Thinkpad addict also....I built two I5 T440p's with SSD's ,IPS screens and 8gig ram. 1 for my daughter and 1 for my mom..those got a flowery skin cover. I built up a X1 Carbon w/touch screen 1st gen for my wife...that got red carbon skin. I maxed out my T440p (yep three T440p's)with 1tb ssd , ISP screen 16 gig ram ,i7 4702MQ Quad core. I edit some video with this! I recently saved a E530 from the trash and doubled the ram to 8gig and put a cheap 128gig m.2 ssd in it, And after all this I think Id like to mess with a x220 or x230.

[@luisfernando55]

That's great ! where are you from? do you buy the machines from ebay? i always try to buy something that's fixable, for my next project I'm looking for a thinkpad x230

[@projectnext5020]

@@luisfernando55 I'm just outside of Dallas Texas. I get all of them except the E530 from Ebay. I look for ones with parts missing because I always upgrade.. a nice key board... back lit is nice too , no broken housings and cheap! A cheap skin will not only hide some case rash but also personalize it! The X230 seems like it would be very gratifying at the end of the build to me also.

[@adamofbremen-krubally4951]

Try a 240x - now that's some nice hardware - no whitelist for the internal Mini-PCI - might take an internal PCI-USB in it ... I am hoping to try it soon ... get into some Retro MS Access 97 on W95 ;) (in 192MB RAM)

[@rarinth]

you must try oled panels, more colorful and more responsive

[@Riccardo_Mori]

I've always meant to ask you this but I kept forgetting… Months ago, after hibernating because the battery was very low, my T61 stopped displaying an image on the internal display. I can use it only with an external display. In Device Manager, the GPU driver is showing an error. That means the GPU is fried, right? Thanks in advance.

[@SebisRandomTech]

If the GPU was completely fried it would probably not drive any displays. Try messing with the display settings or reinstalling the graphics drivers to see what happens. I would also try booting a live distro of Linux on a flash drive to see if it works with the internal display.

[@eageus7844]

i need a bit of help. im trying to do this to my own t61. i have the cd burnt and ready to go but wen in the laptop it gives me a return code =14 or =8 wen i try to boot off the cd drive. but it boots into a hdd just fine. and i cant seem to find any info on this online

[@KylesDigitalLab]

What's the best CPU for the T61 that isn't like $100? If I'm going to spend $139 on a proper T61 mobo I'm not going to spend another $100 on an X9000. What's a good CPU for it that's like $20?

[@dirkaushamm6819]

I have the T9300 (2,5GHz) installt. Very good CPU 🙂 Not expensive ! (Dirk from Germany)

[@thatoneguy20245]

I had the same “USB-BIOS” compatibility issue when trying to install Middleton and eventually windows. What solved it was to use an older USB generation (between USB 1.1 and 2.0) but not 3.0 for some reason.

[@doom-and-gloom]

would you like to make a video about librebooting thinkpad, older and newer (like T60 and X200)

[@victorlockheed7213]

daniel For lots of fame, the video should be about Librebooting X200s.

[@SebisRandomTech]

From what I’ve seen that process looks a tad more complicated than what I am comfortable doing, but it’s something I’ve considered doing at some point. Have some other video ideas I want to finish first.

[@tommyjiang9556]

Reminds me of the good old days of having the T61 with QX9300 and external GPU HD 7750 in 2503 ultrabase.....

[@squee666]

Gonna point out you can push more speed with that cpu with throttlestop due to unlocked multiplier. You can easily hit 3.2 GHZ for daily use people have gone up to 4ghz but thats warrm

[@ciaspo]

👍Thank you! 😊

[@kwinciolrozrubq]

why x9100 cpu not working? I was able to update the bios correctly. SSD works. RAM works too. on the new cpu it doesn't turn on anymore.

[@gauravsrao8887]

Hey Sebi, great video, but I need some help. My R61 is a Type 7737, and somehow has a firewire port in its front, even though the lists at 2:15 and www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Middleton%27s_BIOS have the 7737 listed under "R61 (14.1" widescreen without IEEE 1394): 7732, 7733, 7734, 7735, 7736, 7737, 7738" . Which BIOS should I flash? The one for the models with firewire or the one for the 7737? Interestingly some of the models like the 7732, 7733, 7734, 7735 are listed as both with IEEE1394 and without IEEE1394.

[@SebisRandomTech]

That’s an excellent question...I’ve never used an R61 of any kind so I don’t want to give an answer that would be incorrect. I suggest consulting the ThinkPads.com forum or r/thinkpad to see if someone there knows.

[@gauravsrao8887]

@@SebisRandomTech So I ended up installing the firmware for the models with Firewire, and it works. I installed the one for models with Firewire, even though 7737 was not listed there, because if you go to Lenovo's downloads for the R61, for the 14.1 inch models (which the 7737 is) there is no specific download for any specific model or models, its just either for models with Firewire, and without it, hence I came to the conclusion that the Firmware for the ones with Firewire should work.

[@divootiroll7409]

Sebi, is your T601 Frankenpad for sale? I'm having a hard time sourcing parts for my own machine.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Sadly it is not. Still have a few more things I want to do with this before I would even consider selling. What parts are you having trouble finding?

[@divootiroll7409]

@@SebisRandomTech Every part of it. There's no 4:3 T61's where I live, all widescreen models. Same goes for the T60, no UXGA screen units. XD Anyway, thanks for letting me know. =)

[@RPGexclusive]

Please make a video on hardware modifications for core 2 quad support!

[@SebisRandomTech]

Considering it. May wait until I have an extra T61 to do it on, I don’t want to risk breaking my FrankenPad!

[@vovastudios]

Pls give me link to files update bios !!!!

[@milak111234]

This bios unlock sata2 for HDD,and support for 2x4gb ddr2/800 mGHz and support for the biggest cpuCore 2 duo X9000.I had Had experience from My T61P which I gave to my cousin!!

[@SonicZR1]

Speaking of installing Core 2 Quads - would it be an adequate idea to install a 45W CPU into a laptop that originally came with CPUs that ran at 35W tops? Would it be possible to somehow knock down its TDP through software like Intel XTU, or are they too old for tricks like these to work? I don't really care if it would run slower as a result of decreasing TDP/undervolting/weak cooling system/whatever - I only really need that CPU for the benefit of having four cores. (hardware mods are out of question, I'm afraid, unless it's installing a premade beefier cooling system, which I don't think exists for a less popular budget model)

[@kosztaz87]

On forum.thinkpads you can read about that mod. By undervolting the cpu you don't actually hinder the performance of it, it has only benefits due to the lower power consumption. I don't think the quad-core mod has much benefit in real world, as it has weaker single core performance compared to the X9000. So apart from a few programs that are heavily multi-threaded, there won't be any performance increase doing most tasks.

[@nhansgoofyvideos7581]

@@kosztaz87 Most program are multi thread already, but from what i found on these older Core 2 lineup, the GHz makes it feels snappy, not the quad core most of the time. Still, a quad core mod is still beneficial for a daily Windows 10 machine.

[@claritoresdiano1021]

last time i'am replaced old HP laptop (Screen was broken, accidentally someone smashed by chair) Dual core 45W TDP AMD A4-3330MX 2.3GHz base, 2.6GHz turbo to based cpu model quad core 45W TDP AMD A8-3500M 1.5GHz base, 2.4GHz turbo. iddle and full load temperature are similiar but adaptor power consumption increased 2 cores < 4 cores. it's un-optimized cpu oem just leave us the factory voltage then i decided to overclock then undervolted it for reducing power consumption. just finding stable frequency with proper voltage. 1.5 GHz Base 1.0500v to 2.0 GHz 1.0250v 2.4 Ghz Turbo 1.3250v to 2.7 GHz 1.0875v 900 MHz iddle 0.925v to 800Mhz 0.785v iGPU HD6620G 444MHz 0.9825v to 500MHz 1.000v that's stable no freeze or bluescreen. It possible to reach more highest overclocking but no reason to increasing temperature, voltage and power load. as display i'am use hdmi 1080p tv so more headroom to my 65W hp power adaptor. windows 10 pro 64 bit enough for casual work. yes swapped dual core to quadcore give you more benefit even if not overcloking. undervolting is make a sense in this case to reduce consumption and same performance.

[@Tom_Wang]

Hi, I’ve got an r61i and I am going to upgrade to ssd. But i don’t know the exact specs (I.e whether it’s widescreen or not, amongst other things) so I don’t know which link to download on the thinkwiki page :( Any way I can find out what my laptop’s exact specs are? Thanks!

[@SebisRandomTech]

Look up the Type-number/serial number on the bottom cover.

[@fyretnt]

I have a t61 and how am I supposed to install extra ram 4gb sticks of ddr2 are super hard to find and expensive

[@adiabriganjarutama6144]

nice vids as always, would you mind to share from where you buy the Crucial 8GB KIT? thanks :)

[@SebisRandomTech]

I actually purchased that from someone on Reddit, who bought it for his FrankenPad project but ultimately never used. I would suggest checking eBay for DDR2 laptop RAM and finding 2x4 GB sticks. A heads up - they are expensive.

[@klwthe3rd]

@@SebisRandomTech Why are older styles of RAM so expensive? Seems DDR2 RAM is more expensive than DDR3? You would think that it would be cheaper because most people don't want to save their older computers but sell them off for parts.

[@SebisRandomTech]

4 GB sticks (and thus 8 GB kits) are rather hard to find because they weren’t really popular. At the time DDR2 was still relevant most computers maxed out at 4 GB and many didn’t even have that much, so by the time 4 GB sticks started being made most laptops had moved to DDR3.

[@W1ldTangent]

@@SebisRandomTech precisely... not much stock made it out before those production lines changed over to DDR3 production. So whatever is in the wild is all there will ever be, and people know it's rare so they're going to charge accordingly.

[@nowaeratv]

TX all working

[@dolfinmicro]

Being a huge fan of thinkpads overall and having just bought a brand new X1 Yoga, got me wondering about your thoughts on newer thinkpads. While I love the older thinkpads, I need the performance and reliability of newer models and actually prefer the new smile keyboards compared with the older models. Plus I get a fingerprint reader, a touch screen, on device encryption and other modern features. I know I'm in the minority among Thinkpad enthusiasts on the keyboard. Getting to my actual question, what are you general feelings about modern thinkpads? and are there any specific reasons why you don't seem to own one or is it just that the old ones work for what you need and don't cost as much?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Fingerprint readers and touch screens were available on ThinkPads since the mid 2000’s (fingerprints came on the T42, and the X41 Tablet came out in 2005), so you wouldn’t be missing much by going old-school. ;) I am working on a video about the T480 as I recently acquired a new one at a good discount. That would probably be a solid laptop for me to compare to older machines. To answer your question, cost is part of the reason I haven’t gotten too many newer machines, as I can buy and fully upgrade an older one (with a few exceptions) for a fraction of the cost of buying a newer one. I don’t mind the newer ones up through the xx80 generation, but with the T490 and newer Lenovo has just made too many poor design choices, and they haven’t reversed any of those changes with the newly announced T14. The older ones work fine for my needs and when I need to do something more demanding, I have a desktop to handle that.

[@dolfinmicro]

@@SebisRandomTech by poor design choices on the t490 and newer are you talking about the removal of the power bridge battery? Because it infuriates me that they did that. I've always been a fan of the thin and lights but I liked having the option of going with a thicker laptop that could get 32 hours of battery life. Bought those for work all the time since I'm an IT admin.

[@SebisRandomTech]

The battery is one of the biggest changes I disagree with. I also don’t like the move to soldered RAM or partially soldered RAM on everything other than the P series and X1 Extreme, and the replacement of the full sized SD card slot with a MicroSD slot seemed pointless (these things *definitely* still have enough space for a full sized slot) other than because everyone else in the business laptop world was doing it. The only real advantage of the T490 and newer is the low power FHD display, but many have already successfully transplanted that panel into T480’s and other older ThinkPads so there goes the one thing the T490 had going for it. I also am annoyed with Lenovo deliberately omitting features and premium upgrades from the AMD versions of the T series.

[@dolfinmicro]

@@SebisRandomTech I would love to have a T480 with a low power display and 10th Gen intel CPUs! I totally agree with your assessment of the T490's shortcomings as a business laptop. Looking forward to your video on the T480 since I'm a really big fan of that model.

[@AG-pm3tc]

Do the quad core thing my dude