Hmm. No joy. I am using another ThinkPad with the EEPROM signal lines (SDA, SCL and GND) connected to its serial port to read the EEPROM. It is possible that the laptop serial port is not grunty enough to drive the EEPROM lines. I could try it on a desktop machine. If I had one.
So, in the increasingly likely scenario that I cannot make it go, can anyone recommend a good cheap Linux compatible laptop available locally for my Mum. ThinkPads are great, but the popular (and cheap) 600 series is getting a bit scarce. A
