The big problem it seems like is Windows Vista dropped legacy support drivers and 16-bit support fifteen years ago, and Windows 10 dropped even more legacy supp

The big problem it seems like is Windows Vista dropped legacy support drivers and 16-bit support fifteen years ago, and Windows 10 dropped even more legacy support drivers. So they keep the ThinkPads around because they can't find the drivers for some things anymore. I've run into that a few times, where old drivers were made specifically for DOS 7/8 or even DOS 6 to interface with custom fabricated CNC machines or injection mould machines. In the end the company that originally created those few hundred units no longer exists, and nobody has the floppies that held the original drivers or software. So you keep cloning the drives for when they fail and hoping there's enough near-spec hardware spares to hold out until a total system replacement.