IBM Thinkpad 760XL (IBM Thinkpad 760 XL)

Member Name: TheMusician

Product:	IBM Thinkpad 760 XL
Date:	02/03/05 (4198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Upgradable

Disadvantages: Big and Bulky

I am a full-time student and I only work part-time. So I can't afford one of the latest PC's or Laptops. Well anyway one day I was browsing in a computer shop and I stumbled across the IBM Thinpad 760XL.

My first impressions was that it was quite heavy and bulky. But after having a play with it, I discovered that I liked it! - It was everything I needed to aid me through my studies, and it was affordable too, so I decided to buy it!

When I first bought this Laptop, it had pretty basic specs. 2.1GB HDD and just 32MB RAM. But over time I upgraded, now I have a 5GB HDD and 80MB RAM.
Now okay, it may still be basic but with that I have been able to do some pretty amazing things with it. Here is a list of some of the stuff I have on it.

DirectX 9

Microsoft Windows 98SE
(Although this is fully upgradable, I have managed to put 2000 and XP on this device before).

Steinberg Cubasis Go! 3.0
(This might not mean anything to you, but to me it means alot to me... the soundcard does not support Full-duplex mode but any soundcard that can support a Cubase program is a fairly good one)!

All the latest Media Players
(Windows Media Player, Real Player, Quicktime)

Bear in mind that these are the most latest software and are installed on the latest PC's and the fact that they can work on a Laptop that is now about six years old... well that's pretty good.

As I have said, I have managed to install Microsoft Windows XP and 2000 on this device, and both have been fully functional, the only problem I have found is that my 56K Modem PCMCIA Card does not work properly. It installs and Windows knows when it is connected but it does not dial-up for some reason. I have tried to discover the reason for this but so far I have been unsuccessful.

As the IBM Thinkpad 760XL does not have any USB Ports, I cannot go broadband so I have to roll back to Windows 98SE (the only problem free Windows version that the 760XL works with).
Also while we're on the subject of USB, I have tried installing a USB PCMCIA Card but for some reason it does not work... if you know how to fix these problems let me know!

Another problem I have found in Microsoft Windows 98SE is a problem with MSGSRV32. It frquently fails to respond. Also the laptop can often lose connection with the soundcard and it fails to respond. Maybe a patch can fix these? I don't know...

As for the general performance of the laptop, well I have no real problems with it. It has always served me well, as I have already mentioned it supports a lot of the latest software and is extrememly reliable.

The screen displays colours extremely, the internal microphone records with good quality and the soundcard is fully compatible with software - the only thing you cannot do is connect a MIDI instrument to the device...

So this is my pretty basic review of the IBM Thinkpad 760XL. All I can say is that although it may be big and bulky, it is reliable and worth having. It see's me through my studies and has served me well so far.

If you have any comments, please feel free to e-mail me.

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