Manuals · specifications · brochures

Document library

55 original IBM documents as PDFs: the hardware maintenance manuals the machine references are transcribed from, specification books, user guides, brochures and advertisements.

Each title opens the PDF, which your browser may show or download. Check a manual’s edition and the models it covers before you follow a procedure.

All documents are listed below. Use the category links above or your browser’s Find command to jump to one.

Hardware maintenance manuals (18)

IBM’s hardware maintenance manuals (HMMs): checkout and diagnostic procedures, symptom-to-FRU (field-replaceable unit) indexes, removal steps and parts lists. The machine references are transcribed from these.

Specifications (PSREF) (2)

Personal Systems Reference (PSREF) books: model-by-model specifications, prices, and announcement and withdrawal dates.

  • IBM ThinkPad Notebooks 1992 to 2001: Withdrawn Models (PSREF) PDF

    IBM Personal Systems Reference, January 2001 (version 214). Specifications, model numbers, prices, and announcement and withdrawal dates for every ThinkPad withdrawn by then, from the 1992 300 and 700 onwards.

    87 pages 1.1 MB twbook.pdf

  • Intel PC Processors: Withdrawn (PSREF) PDF

    Lenovo Personal Systems Reference, December 2008 (version 349). Specifications of Intel PC processors from the 486 family to the Core Duo, Xeon and Itanium.

    47 pages 401 KB tecwbook.pdf

Reference and user guides (2)

A model-to-manual cross-reference and an owner’s guide.

  • ThinkPad On-Line Reference (1997) PDF

    IBM HelpCenter reference from June 1997: which Hardware Maintenance Manual volume and page covers each ThinkPad model, specification sheets for current and withdrawn models, and accessory suppliers.

    77 pages 872 KB Thinkpad_Online_Reference.pdf

  • ThinkPad 770X User’s Reference PDF

    The owner’s guide, first edition, August 1998: features, options, security, recovery and problem solving, with full specifications.

    Machine reference: ThinkPad 770

    201 pages 2.6 MB ibm-service-manual-770x.pdf

ThinkPad brochures and advertisements (18)

How IBM presented these machines at the time: brochures, specification sheets and print advertisements.

Earlier IBM portables (8)

Brochures for the portables that came before the ThinkPad, from the 1984 Portable PC to the PS/2 laptops.

IBM history (7)

Background on IBM itself: company chronologies, the 1987 PS/2 launch and older publications.

  • IBM Highlights, 1970–1984 PDF

    IBM’s year-by-year company chronology: business results, organisation and products (March 2003).

    20 pages 121 KB 1970-1984.pdf

  • IBM Highlights, 1985–1989 PDF

    IBM’s year-by-year company chronology, including the 1987 launch of the PS/2 (February 2003).

    30 pages 149 KB 1985-1989.pdf

  • IBM Highlights, 1990–1995 PDF

    IBM’s year-by-year company chronology for the years of the first ThinkPads (December 2001).

    31 pages 152 KB 1990-1995.pdf

  • IBM Highlights, 1996–1999 PDF

    IBM’s year-by-year company chronology to the end of the decade (November 2004).

    26 pages 145 KB 1996-1999.pdf

  • Introducing the IBM Personal System/2 (1987) PDF

    Launch brochure for the PS/2 Models 30, 50, 60 and 80, the desktop family the PS/2 laptops later joined.

    24 pages 10.4 MB 1987_06_ibm_ps2_presentation.pdf

  • Suddenly, Tomorrow Came… PDF

    IBM booklet (G505-0023) on the science of space flight, from Newton and Kepler to the computing behind the Apollo Moon missions.

    40 pages 10.3 MB ibmsuddenlytomorrowcame.pdf

  • IBM Australia advertisements (c. 1960) PDF

    Six vintage advertisements: precision-built equipment, the 1401 and 1620 data processing systems, time recorders and the electric typewriter.

    6 pages 1.5 MB ibm-precisionmanufacture.pdf

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