instructables
Fix Up an Old Laptop!
by AdventuresInJunkLand
Hey! Today I will be showing y’all how to fix up an old
laptop.
Why would you want to do this? Well computers
really have not gotten that much better(at least CPU
wise) in the last decade so old laptops can be
surprisingly useful. Also sometimes you just need a
really cheap laptop. Or one that you don’t have to
worry about getting broken or stolen. Plus it's good for
the Earth to get the maximum use out of a thing
before discarding it.
In this guide I’ll be fixing up an old Lenovo T500. In
Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 1
each step I’ll talk in general about the repair
process(in italics) and then go into detail about how it
applies to this particular laptop.
My goal in this project is to get a reasonably
functional computer running for as little money as
possible. I got this T500 and it's power adapter from a
thrift store for 20$. I bought a hard drive and RAM off
ebay for 5$ each. I got a SATA DVD HD adapter for
8$. So lets see how to repair this laptop and what a
38$ laptop from 2008 is capable of!
Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 2
Step 1: Evaluate the Laptops Capabilities.
If you've found a laptop you think is a good candidate
for repair you should think about it's potential
capabilities. Assuming it is repairable what will it be
able to do when repaired? What do we want to use it
for? Which software applications do we want to run?
You can usually find a laptops specs by doing an
online search for the particular model you have. You
can sometimes find information about the laptops
CPU and GPU in the laptops BIOS utility. Think
about what operating system you want on it and how
much if anything that will cost. What are the upgrade
options for this particular laptop? Online research is
incredibly useful for this part of the process. Old
forum posts, product reviews and manufacturer spec
sheets are all useful. I always look the laptops specs
up before committing to repairing it.
Looking at the sticker on the bottom of the laptop I
determined that this T500 is marked as a "Type 2055
- 45U". I then did an internet search for "T500 type
2055 - 45U". I then clicked on Lenovo's website titled
"Detailed Specifications". This site gave me
information on what RAM(DDR 3 1067MHz, 8
Gigabytes maximum) and operating systems are
Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 3
supported(Windows Vista and Windows 7 officially)
by this computer. Lenovo's spec sheet also states
what CPUs might be in this one. Looking at the
Lenovo specification sheet I see that this laptop
meets my basic requirements for this project of
having a 64bit dual core CPU and being able to use
DDR3 RAM.
I noticed a Windows Vista key sticker on the bottom
that has been destroyed which means I will not be
able to use this key to install Windows.
Cross referencing this model number on some other
web sites reveals that this T500 might have an ATI
3650 video card which would be cool.
This laptops capabilities are more than enough for
what I want to use it for. I want it to be able to do
some light web browsing, some word processing and
maybe some light gaming.
Now lets see if we think it is repairable!
Step 2: Evaluate the Laptops Physical Condition.

So you have determined that the laptops specs meet
your needs. Next you should try to make sure the
laptop is not broken beyond reasonable repair. If the
case has major damage, the screen or screen hinge
is broken, the power jack is loose/missing or the
keyboard is missing critical keys I would probably not
try to fix it. Somethings are too expensive or too much
trouble to repair. If in doubt look up how much a
particular part costs on ebay before committing to
repairing it. Also look up the process to replace a
particular part. Some parts are quite difficult to
replace. This is also a good time to see what parts
are missing.
If you have a power adapter that works with the
laptop, plug it in. Often a led will light up somewhere
on the laptop showing it is receiving power. This is a
good sign. If the laptop still has a stick of RAM in it,
try booting to BIOS to see some more detailed
information on the laptop. Booting to BIOS is also a
good opportunity to see if the screen is fully
functional.
This T500 seems to be in good shape. The screen,
keyboard and case are in pretty good condition. No
signs of liquid damage. It is missing the case screws
that hold the palm rest on. The RAM slots on this
computer are under the palm rest. Looking under the
palm rest we see that there is no RAM in the slots.
Checking the right side of the computer we see that
there is no hard drive or optical drive. The hard drive
caddy is also missing. It has some minor damage to
the case and CPU radiator as can be seen in the last
photo. I don't think this damage is a problem in this
particular case.
I don't have RAM yet for this laptop so I can't boot to
the BIOS(on this laptop you get to the BIOS by
pressing the "thinkvantage" button when it is starting
up).
Upon plugging it in the little green power LED came
on though so that is a good sign!
Everything looks good and we are getting a general
idea of what parts we might need, so lets move onto
the next step!

1. The palm rest that covers the RAM slots is already loose.
2. This is the slot for the optical drive which is also missing. This also has a SATA connection.

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1. The track pad is connected to the mother board with this ribbon cable. If 1. When plugged into a power source this LED came on. This shows the
you pull on the white tab the cable will disconnect fairly easily. laptops power jack and power supply are at least functioning. Also it
shows the system recognizes it is receiving power. All good signs!

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 5

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1. I did notice this damage to the case and CPU radiator. It doesn't look too
severe so I ignored it.
2. This is the power jack for the system. Note that Lenovo helpfully labeled it
as 20 volts, and which part of the jack should be positive and which should
be negative. Handy information if you are cobbling together a power supply
for this computer.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 6

Step 3: Get the Tools and Parts You Need.

So now that you have decided to fix your laptop, you need to find the tools and parts to do it.

For this project I used the following tools:

small Philips head screwdriver

32GB USB flash drive
Some tape
an additional computer to make a bootable USB flash drive with

And also the following parts:

broken laptop(T500)
power adapter for broken laptop
two 1GB sticks of 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM
160GB hard drive
optical drive to hard drive adapter

Where to find parts? I usually order used ones off ebay. It is pretty cheap and I have mostly had good luck with it.
You can also find parts in other dead laptops sometimes. Often these laptops will have RAM and hard drives that
are salvageable.

For power adapters I would recommend sticking with the manufacturers brand name adapters. Another possible
option is a generic power adapter that has interchangeable tips. These work with many different brands of laptops.
Whichever adapter you go with you want to make sure it has the right voltage and enough wattage for your laptop.
I lucked out and found a Lenovo branded 90 watt power adapter at the same thrift store I got the laptop from.

To find out what kind of RAM is compatible with your laptop you should check the specification sheet for the
laptop. Used RAM is OK. I ended up getting two used sticks of 1GB RAM at a speed of 1333MHz. 2 Gigabytes is
not much RAM by today's standards but should be OK since I'm planning on using Linux for the operating system,
and am not going to do anything too crazy with it.

For storage solid state drives(SSD) are preferable to hard drives(HDD). SSDs are faster and much more resistant
to damage. They are also more expensive. Another thing to look at is if you laptop still has a hard drive caddy. This
is a little bracket or harness your hard drive fits in before getting mounted in the laptop. This T500 is missing it's
hard drive caddy and optical drive, which gave me an idea. I had seen optical drive to hard drive adapters online
before. They let you use a hard drive in your optical drive slot as long as your optical drive uses a SATA
connection. This T500 does have a SATA connection in the optical drive bay, so I used one of these adapters.
This way I have a generic hard drive caddy I can use in other laptops.

I could have put 8 Gigabytes of RAM and a SSD in this laptop but that would have increased costs significantly.
The laptop would have been MUCH faster with the more expensive parts. You have to find the point of price vs
performance you are comfortable with.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 7

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1. Here are most of the tools and parts used in this project. Not shown 1. Close up of the hard drive and the DVD to hard drive adapter I used.
here are the laptop we are fixing, and the additional computer we need to
make our bootable flash drive.

1
1

1. Here is the RAM I bought for 1. Close up of the 32GB flash drive I used for my bootable linux installer. I think you could get away with using a
this project. 2 sticks of DDR 3 16GB drive. This is just what I happened to have.
1333 MHz RAM.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 8

Step 4: Put the Parts in the Laptop.
Next we need to clean the laptop up. If it's dusty, use
canned air to blow the dust out. Put the new parts in
it. Fix anything that needs fixing. Most laptops you
would have to remove the bottom of the case or a
small plastic cover to get access to the RAM and
hard drive. This one is a bit different in that the RAM
is under the palm rest.
So for this T500 we have to first install the RAM and
then install the HDD.
To install RAM we have to remove the palm rest.
There are a number of screws that go through the
bottom of the computers case and up into the palm
rest, holding it in place. Lenovo conveniently marked
the screws that you need to remove with a little chip
icon(see the third photo). After removing the screws
you can pry the palm rest off. Mine was already loose
but if it is hard to remove start at the back by the
arrow keys and work your way forward. There is a
ribbon cable that connects the track-pad to the
motherboard, so be careful when removing the palm
rest(you can see the ribbon cable in the 4th photo).
After removing the palm rest insert the new RAM
1. We have to remove this palm rest to get access to the RAM slots.
Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 9
chips. RAM is static sensitive so try to discharge any
static you might have by touching a bare metal
surface before handling the RAM. Make sure to put
the chips in the right way, they have little notches in
them that you need to line up with the notches in the
RAM slots. The RAM is inserted at a 45 degree angle
and once it is fully in the slot pushed down flat. If in
doubt, watch a you tube video on it.
So next up is the hard drive. This computer was
missing both it's hard drive caddy and it's optical drive
so I decided to use a optical drive to hard drive
adapter. To use this adapter you put the hard drive in
it, minding that the SATA connections are lined up
right. You then push the drive onto the connector and
screw the 4 screws on the adapter into the hard drive
to secure it. Then just slide it into the optical drive
slot.
That's all the parts this T500 needs for basic
functionality. On to operating system installation!
1. We have to remove 4 screws in order to free the palm rest and access
the RAM slots. They have a symbol of a chip with pins on one side next to
them(see next photo).
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1

1. This symbol indicates the screws we need to remove to get access to 1. Once the palm rest is loose, pull up on this white tab to release the
the RAM slots. The other two symbols indicate the screws to remove to trackpad ribbon cable.
get access or remove the CPU and or Keyboard.

1
1

1. Empty RAM slots. Note the notch you need to line up with on the RAM 1. To install a RAM stick insert it at an angle like this. When it's fully
chips. seated in the slot push it flat(shown in next photo).

1. RAM stick fully seated and pushed flat. It should kind of click in place 1. Same thing for the second RAM stick.
when pushing it flat.

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1. Both RAM sticks installed. 1. Hard drive and optical drive to hard drive adapter ready to be
combined.

1. When putting the hard drive in make sure the connectors are lined up right. 1. Push the hard drive down until
it is fully seated on the connector
in the adapter. Now that the hard
drive is seated in the adapter we
need to tighten the 4 screws show
in the next two photos.

1. Tighten these screws until they are not sticking out anymore. This 1. Then tighten these two as well until they are engaged with the hard
adapter was kind of cheaply made so it took me a couple tries to get the drives screw holes.
screws to cooperate.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 11

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1. Adapter and hard drive ready to 1. Insert the adapter until it's fully seated in the optical drive slot.
be installed in the optical drive
slot on the laptop.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 12

Step 5: Install the Operating System.

So we got the parts in the laptop. Now we need to Finally I ran the program UNetbootin. I clicked on the
install an operating system to make the computer "diskimage" option, then selected the Ubuntu Studio
usable. I personally like Linux for these kind of disk image. They have instructions on how to do this
projects. I know it’s not for everyone though. If your on their website if you need further help.
laptop has a windows key sticker on the bottom you
might be able to use that to install Windows Vista or Now we have our bootable USB flash drive set up!
Windows 7. Newer laptops that shipped with Let's install Ubuntu Studio!
Windows 8 or 10 store the key on the motherboard
and windows 8 or 10 should automatically detect it On this particular T500 I ran into the problem of it not
when installing. being able to boot into the Ubuntu installer. After
doing some internet searches I decided the problem
I chose to install Ubuntu Studio 18.04 on this laptop. I was with the switchable graphics in this computer. To
chose this Linux distribution because it includes a lot fix this problem I had to go into the BIOS. I did this by
of useful software out of the box(and it's free!). It also hitting the "thinkvantage" button then F1 during
has a less resource intensive desktop environment startup. Then I selected "config", then "display". I
than the standard version of Ubuntu(and way less changed the display adapter to always be the discrete
resource intensive than Windows!). We are going to graphics card. And I switched OS detection of
use a bootable USB flash drive to install the operating switchable graphics to "disabled" so the operating
system since this system no longer has an optical system can only see the discrete graphics card. I then
drive. exited the BIOS saving changes. After that it did not
have a problem booting into the Ubuntu installer.
To make a bootable Ubuntu Studio USB flash drive I
did the following things: When you are installing from the USB drive you have
to tell the computer to boot from USB. On the T500
First I downloaded a Ubuntu Studio 18.04 DVD disk this is done by pressing the "thinkvantage" button
image from the Ubuntu Studio website. I downloaded during startup then the F12 key. Then selecting the
the 64 bit version because the T500 has a 64 bit USB drive.
processor.
Follow the onscreen prompts and it will install Ubuntu
Next I formatted the flash drive using Windows. Studio for you!

Then I downloaded the program UNetbootin from

their web site.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 13

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1. Using windows to format the 1. Using UNetbootin to create a bootable USB flash drive.
USB flash drive.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 14

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1. This is when you want to press the "thinkvantage" button to interrupt 1. Then press F12 to select the USB flash drive.
startup.

1. This is what I changed the display settings in the BIOS to in order to get 1. If everything went well this is what should show up when you turn the
the installer to boot. computer on with the flash drive in it, and you tell it to boot from USB.
Select Install Ubuntu Studio to install!

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1. Follow the prompts to complete the instalation! 1. Success!

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Step 6: Lets See What It Can Do!
Now that the laptop is up and running lets see what it
can do! Ubuntu Studio comes with a bunch of Useful
programs; It has Libre Office for word processing and
spread sheets, Firefox for browsing the web, GIMP
for editing photos, Audacity for recording audio and a
bunch of other programs!
In order to browse the internet with only 2 GB of RAM
I installed a Firefox add-on called Ghostery. Ghostery
is an ad/tracker blocker. I also try to only have 1 or 2
tabs open at a time.
So internet browsing and word processing work fine.
Lets install Steam and try a couple games.
In order to install Steam I did the following:
I opened the terminal emulator from the main menu.
I ran "sudo apt-get update" in the terminal window to
update the software repositories.
Then I ran "sudo apt-get install steam" in the terminal
window and followed the prompts.
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Now if you look in the games tab of the main menu
there should be a shortcut for Steam.
I installed a few light weight games to test the system
out. I tried Heavy Bullets, Factorio and Nuclear
Throne. All of these games ran just fine. Keep in mind
that this system has a discrete graphics card(the ATI
3650) so similar systems from the same era with
integrated graphics might perform worse.
I also installed Minetest and The Urquan Masters
from the terminal emulator.
I installed Minetest with the command "sudo apt-get
install minetest"
and Urquan Masters with the command "sudo apt-get
install uqm"
They both ran fine.
Well that's about it. I'm very pleased with how this
laptop turned out. Thanks for reading! Good luck with
your laptop repairs!
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1. Trying out Factorio. 1. Playing 3d rogue like Heavy Bullets. Had to set the graphics to low.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 18

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1. Another rogue like Nuclear Throne. Also runs fine. 1. Trying out Minetest for the first time. Not bad for an open source clone
of Minecraft! ran at 40-60fps.

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 19

1

1. Also tried this open source port 1. What Linux Thinkpad would be complete without a custom Ubuntu sticker?
of Star Control 2, it's called The
Urqan Masters. It's quite old so no
surprise that it ran fine.

Great info! And very nicely done on your first instructable too! :)

Fix Up an Old Laptop!: Page 20