You are bidding on one used ThinkPad model R400, type 7440-A93. Manufacture date is December 2008.
There is a valid and legible CoA for Windows Vista Business on the machine. The install of Win Vista can, and has been, activated. An OS can be installed on this laptop from the optical drive with no problems. I put a loaner HDD in the laptop and installed Windows Vista from the optical drive. I then updated the install and activated it. An OS is NOT included with this laptop. The Windows Vista screen shot is to demonstrate that an OS can be installed on the laptop and that the screen is functional.
What is included is an install disks for Windows Vista. All you have to do is put a HDD in this machine, put the install disk in the optical drive and turn the machine on. Follow the on-screen instructions. In a couple of hours you will have a complete new and clean install of Windows Vista Business.
This laptop has an Intel core duo P8600 CPU running at 2.40GHz. The 4GB of memory is on two sticks, it is PC3-8500 speed. You can install up to 8GB of memory, and use it if you install a 64 bit OS. With a little bit more work you can also install a faster CPU, up to 3.1GHz.
I updated the BIOS from V. 1.19 (7UET49WW) to V. 3.24 (7UET94WW) 2012-10-17. This is the latest version of the BIOS for this machine.
The optical drive is P/N 42T2521, 42T2520. This drive reads the following formats: CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL. It writes the following formats: CD-R, CD-RW, CD-RW HIGH SPEED.
The screen is 14.1 inch diagonal with a resolution of 1280 x 800. There is 1.26GB of video memory. The screen is free of scuffs (from the keys, usually) and scratches (from aggressive cleaning). There are no always on or dead pixels on the display. I checked this by displaying a solid red, green, blue, white and black screen. The tension on the lid hinges is good, the display stays open and where you put it. The ThinkLight works.
The battery is FRU P/N 42T4653, ASM P/N 42T4549. The power manager says that the design capacity of this battery was 56.16Wh and that it now holds 52.08Wh. The battery manufacture date is 2008-11-05, it was first used 2009-01, and has a cycle count of 104. These are the numbers that the Lenovo Power Manager gave me. Use these figures to make your own assessment as to the condition and serviceability of the main battery. I make no guarantee what so ever about the condition of this used main battery. You might be able to limp along with this battery for years, or it might fail completely this evening because it is a full moon. I don’t know and can not tell how this battery will behave into the future. That is how used main batteries behave. This machine will run on battery power alone (that is, with no AC adapter), and it will charge a battery. The CMOS battery is good, the date-time is maintained while the machine is off.
This laptop does NOT have a HDD. A HDD tray, two rubber rails and four HDD mounting screws are included. There is a cover on the HDD slot and a retaining screw for the HDD cover. This laptop does NOT come with a charger, aka AC adapter.
Cosmetically this laptop is in excellent used condition. There are normal very light wear scuffs on the top lid. The bottom is pristine, this laptop was used all of its life in a docking station, thus it was not carried around and banged up. The finish on the corners of the case is a bit worn. This laptop is very clean. There is no dust, debris or detritus under the keys. The keyboard is in good condition. There is some shine on the keys and touchpad. There are no sticking or finicky keys. There is no accumulated finger crud around the edge of the touchpad. There are no deep scratches or dings on the outside or the inside. All the rubber feet are present, well attached and do their job. Cooling fan runs quiet.
Everything that I used on this machine to install the OS works. The sound output works, Windows dings and chirps. I have not tested the microphone input. The USB ports work, I used a USB mouse and a USB flash drive. The touch pad and the red dot work. The ethernet connection works, I got all the updates for the OS off the internet that way. The WiFi works, it sees my wireless router and several others in the neighborhood. I used the WiFi connection to get some of the OS updates from the internet. Has Bluetooth. This laptop works when it is attached to a docking station.
I ran a complete hardware diagnostic scan using Lenovo’s ThinkVantage Toolbox, a.k.a. PC Doctor. Everything came up as working OK.
This laptop has some good security built into it. First off, there is a fingerprint reader. There can be up to three separate passwords set, supervisor, power-on, and hard disk. Passwords, or more correctly, pass phrases, can be up to 64 characters in length. Currently there are no passwords set. There is a Computrace Module in this laptop. (This is now called “LoJack for Laptops”.) With the purchase of a subscription from LoJack for Laptops, this feature can locate a stolen laptop. You can then disable it and/or delete files. There are currently no passwords set at any level on this machine. If you want to use hardware passwords, you will have to turn on that capability in the BIOS settings.
The photos are of the actual item you will receive. Look at the photos carefully because what you see in the photos is what you will get. Additional high resolution photographs are available upon request. I will answer all questions about this item quickly, accurately and honestly. Sold as is. DD
The feedback on the last couple of laptops that I sold:
“Great computer, professional seller, accurate description, fast shipping. 10/10" lain_steinmetz Mar-15-2017
“Great product, bulletproof packaging & fast shipping! Top notch seller.” kearsarge Feb-07-2017
“well packed -- fast delivery” alton1935 Dec-24-2016
“Better than described, packaged very well, great seller. Thanks” gfcisco Oct-27-2016
“Outstanding Seller!! Excellent Condition!! Amazing Packaging!! FAST Shipping!!” 70_uu_30 Oct-23-2016
“A Grade!! Super clean. Second purchase from this seller. No better ebay sellers!” otisfiend Aug-13-2016
In closing, I would like to revisit the “used battery issue”. For the technologically challenged dweebs, please be aware that laptop main batteries are consumable items. That is, they wear out and eventually fail. Batteries have to be periodically replaced, they do not last forever. All the other hardware in a laptop will out last and continue to perform long after a main battery slowly deteriorates, and eventually fails, during normal usage.
The readings on the main battery of this laptop are what I got a week or two before I put this laptop up for bid. Just because the readings say the battery holds a certain percentage of the full design charge, that does not mean the battery will continue to hold that certain charge forever into the future. Remember, a Lithium ion battery is on a downhill slide to failure the moment it starts to be used in a laptop. Even a brand new battery will fail. It is not a question of if, but just a matter of when.
While the readings that I got when I ran Lenovo’s Power Manager might look good here in the description, please be aware that the battery is used. It might provide power in a degraded state for years, or it might fail the second time you try to run the laptop on battery power alone. I can make no guarantees about a used battery. All I can do is report the numbers that Power Manager provides about the battery.
I go on here at some length so as to impress any potential bidders that the main battery you receive in this laptop probably will NOT be powering the laptop when you pass the laptop on to your grandchildren. Think about bidding on this laptop this way, and say to yourself: “I am bidding on hardware. The battery is just an extra doodad that probably will power the laptop for awhile, but it also might crap out the first time I try to run the laptop on battery power alone.” Repeat out loud several times. In any case, at some time in the future you WILL have to buy a new main battery for this laptop. Keep that in mind and you will be very happy when you receive this magnificent machine.
Why do I go on and on about the dumb stupid battery? Because some dweebs out there have bought ThinkPads from me and then complained that the main battery wasn’t holding a full charge, and they want a full refund. eBay is then only all to happy to trip all over themselves to make a buyer happy, and give the complaining buyer a full refund, no questions asked. eBay NEVER asks questions or does any investigation, and the buyer is ALWAYS right. I then have to foot the bill for the round trip shipping of the laptop. That shipping cost starts approaching the buyers purchase price, and for sure exceeds my profit margin.