i've just bought a 2nd hand IBM thinkpad - my first laptop - it seems to get very warm underneath when it hasn't been running for that long.
it works fine but i just wondered if it was normal for them to get this warm.

Your older laptops do get warm. Always keep a close eye on your fans. You can buy a mat that goes under the laptop to keep it cooler.

Compgeeks (http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=mpc2000) sells a couple of different laptop pads including one that has fans built into it. Depending on the laptop, it may not even have a fan in it...

ok thanks for that. is it easy to replace a fan if you need to?

Replacing anything in a laptop can be a little tricky because they are so tightly packed and I wouldn't try it if the laptop is still under warranty, but a fan is one of the easiest things to replace in a computer. Not quite as easy as RAM, but less likely to stop working or be incompatible.:)