Thinkpad T40 Questions

[Seleur]

Hey guys. I got a Thinkpad T40 a few weeks ago, and am still kind of getting used to it. I have a few questions for regular T40 users.

First of all, I've noticed that my ethernet port is a bit snug. I have to wrestle a bit with the ethernet cable to get it to fit into the port. Has anyone else noticed this, and is something ot worry about? I am always hesitant to give it much force out of fear of breaking the port, but with a little bit of manipulation it clicks in and works.

Also, there seems to be a little black switch right near my CD/DVD rom drive, which is in the left position. I can't find any documentation on it, I was wondering if anyone knew what it was.

Also, I have noticed that my hard disk seems to randomly access every few minutes, especially when I'm just reading a webpage or such. Is this a normal feature on the computer?

And lastly, regarding changing the battery/power management settings, there seems to be the Battery MaxiMiser, the Power Management under Display Properties, and then the THinkPad Configuration Control Panel, all of which offer battery tweaking options to change performance. Can I just mess with the maximiser and leave the others alone? Or should I configure all of them?

Sorry for the lengthy post and numerous questions, I appreciate the help!
(1.6 Ghz Pentium-M, Windows XP Pro, 32 MB ATI RAdeon 9000, 512 mb ram, 80 gig hard disk)

Thanks

 

[OldSpooky]

I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge:

Ethernet port - I haven't had any problems with this. It could be that your ethernet port was made a bit too small, or your cable plug is a bit too big. Hard to say though. Have you tried other ethernet cables?

Black switch - this switch releases the optical drive from the bay. If you move this switch from left to right, a tab should pop out from under the drive and you can pull this tab to eject the drive.

Hard disk access - I beleive that Windows XP likes to run system restore backups and defragmenting in the background. I notice this only during periods of low usage.

Battery Maximizer - I beleive that you can use this software for all your power management needs. I think most people would tend to agree that it is confusing that there are so many ways to control power management on this computer.

Hope this helps

 

[Schlocemus]

Originally posted by: OldSpooky
I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge:

Hard disk access - I beleive that Windows XP likes to run system restore backups and defragmenting in the background. I notice this only during periods of low usage.

Might it also be the Indexing Service of XP? (not sure if it's enabled by default)

Also, Seleur, it's better to have a tight ethernet connection than a loose one where the cable constantly falls out

 

[Namael]

I always thought the hardrive noise was it turning off or something. It seems to only make the noise when im doing nothing.