My beloved ThinkPad died of USB-controller-induced vomiting last Thursday. One minute it was suspended, the next I tried to plug in a USB mouse and it went out like a light. It was four years old, though, so it has had a good life: coffee shops, courtrooms, the front porch . . .
The problem seems to be related to the Intel chipset, not the IBM/Lenovo hardware, so I fearlessly ordered a brand new ThinkPad T61. This time, I went with full-disk encryption so that my entire hard drive will be safe if I lose the computer.
Also, Lenovo offers Linux, so I bought a laptop with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. I’ll be throwing Ubuntu on there, as well, but I am looking forward to trying SUSE, as well. No more Windows for me!
Even though my old T43 was out of warranty, this seems to be related to a known defect, so I have some hope that Lenovo will replace the motherboard so I can squeeze some more life out of that laptop. In the past, I have experienced incredible customer service from Lenovo, so I have high hopes.
Sam Glover is a business and consumer rights lawyer and the creator of Lawyerist.
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