IBM Lenovo ThinkPad T42 15.1" 1.7 GHz Laptop PC

+=Processing: Excellent Speed, good enough to process my development code with Java EE
+=Sound: Crisp, Powerful Quality Sound
+=Weight: Light enough and does not get excessively hot after use
Battery Life: up to Max 4 Hours depending on use
+=Graphics: Great enough to do my website graphic work with photoshop and flash and movies do not stick
+=Bluetooth & Fingerprint Bioscan Technology on-board - WiFi Internet On-board
Very hard to get model 2374 XP Pro - Feature packed - with system-wide intelligent sensors - Intelligent Lenovo software working with sensors for:
Roll cage for hard drive shake damage prevention - sensors for life of battery - Rescue and recovery system software is easily navigable
Parts are easily accessible/plentiful on ebay for upgrades
+Excellent enough Security on Bootup and to BIOS with no simple CMOS Battery reset or software hack

The T42 has the legendary ThinkPad build quality and (in my opinion) good looks.

The 14" 1024 x 768 model is light enough and a good size, although the resolution is poor by today's standards. A higher resolution is available and I would recommend it. The main problem is the video performance which is very poor by today's standards, handling video quite poorly. It is probably better to go for a T43 or T60 in this regard, although the T43 is perhaps the one ThinkPad to suffer from build quality problems.

All the peripherals for the T42, such as optical drive and power supply, are common to many previous models and so fairly easy to get hold of. Even the most humble model will handle Windows 7 quite happily, except as already noted in the video area. There's no support for aero, but this is a cosmetic feature, and the lack of support actually improves battery life!

So if you're looking for a portable office (word processing etc.) work-horse with an impeccable keyboard and fast response, and only occasionally watch a BBC news video, and no DVDs at all, then the T42 will fit the bill very well.

Look for an undamaged screen, and be prepared to shell out for a new battery, as the originals will be practically dead by now.

IBM TP42 - very tough machine, decant processor spec, and excellent price. I have stuck with Thinkpads until they started being manufactured by Lenovo. The older Thinkpads are still solid performers and have a variety of uses - they run Windows 2000 or XP perfectly, especially with 1Gb RAM. At the price this Thinkpad was being offered, it would have been silly to not use the Buy It Now feature, and it looks brand new! I'm certainly very pleased. It has replaced an aging Thinkpad A21e.

this is an ibm product. you will get what you payed for. for laptop this age is normally that battery is flat or holds up power for last 30 minutes. replacements batteries are cheap. condition of laptop is very good,only wifi losts signal everytime,so mine is faulty,needs usb wifi - its cheaper than go to service or open it and change mini wifi card. plastics are good,only crack near touchpad what is normal in these series. screen is bright and keyboard is good. cdrom drive is reading everything. normally comes with windows xp original with label. for price around 100pounds its good value for money.

IBM Lenovo ThinkPad T42 Laptop PC

The IBM TP 42 is a powerful machine and if you need something robust that will get the job done - I highly recommend it.

Parts are easy to get and fixing the machines are very simple indeed.