My friend gave me a Thinkpad 600. Type: 2645350 S/N:55132RW

Configuration:
CPU Pentium II 233 MHz
RAM 288 MB (Internal 32 MB + 128 MB + 128 MB in expansion slots)
HDD bay: 5 GB IBM HDD
Ultraslimbay: FDD


When I switched on the Thinkpad first time I got error codes 161, 192 and 163. According to manual I should check the CMOS backup battery and I found out that CMOS backup battery was bad, when I measured the voltage it showed 0 V. So
I changed the CMOS backup battery, now the battery shows 3 V.

Now when I switch on the Thinkpad with the new CMOS battery, I get error codes 163 and 173. The window with error codes 163 and 173 pops up, I press OK, window with time and date settings pops up. I set the time and date, I have to change the time and date from default values (2000-01-01; 00:00:00) to actual values and I confirm it by pressing OK button.

I hear double beep and restart is performed. After restart no error code appears and MS-DOS from HDD 1 is loaded.

I switch off the Thinkpad.


Now when I switch on the Thinkpad second time, again the error codes 163 and 173 appears even though I set the time and date before, window with error codes 163 and 173 pops up, I press OK, window with time and date settings pops up. I just confirm the time and date because the actual time and date remain and I confirm it by pressing OK button.

I hear double beep and restart is performed. After restart no error code appears and MS-DOS from HDD 1 is loaded.

I switch off the Thinkpad.


When I go to Easy setup and then Test window and I perform test with all components (System board, Memory, Display, HDD1, FDD1, Parallel, Serial, DSP, Infrared, etc) I get test result OK for each component. When I press CTRL + A the window with connected FRU parts appears showing that all parts are connected instead Docking Unit.


Does anybody know how to solve this problem with error codes 163 and 173 which are displayed every time when I switch on my Thinkpad?


thanks in advance

Milan

Hi Milan, welcome to the forum.

Not sure if this will help, but you might try running the "initialize" routine in the BIOS. It appears the 600 doesn't realize that you have already set the time.

Hi Neil,

thank you for advice but I have already tried to do Initialize several times in Easy setup but this action does not solve my problem. The behaviour is same.

I tried also to boot the Thinkpad without main battery, also CMOS battery was disconnected so all data was deleted from BIOS.

best regards
Milan

Since you have verified that the new battery is providing 3V, I would double-check the battery connector to make sure the polarity is correct. Here's a photo of what the 600 series CMOS battery connector looks like:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/02k65 ... 2k6715.jpg

With the connector positioned as shown (metal pins in the connector facing up), the red wire should be on the right and the black wire on the left.

Also, did you replace the battery with an "official" version? By that I mean one which already had the leads attached and is wrapped in plastic. Or did you use an off-the-shelf CR2025 coin battery and tape the wires to it?

Thank you for advice.

About the backup battery, I do not have available original backup battery FRU 02K6502 at the moment.

So I used standard 3V lithium battery type 2025 from Duracell.

Red wire is soldered to " + " side of coin battery
Black wire is soldered to " - " side of coin battery


The battery is wrapped by insulated tape.
I compared my battery with the one on the picture, metal pins in the connector is facing up, red wire on the right and black one on the left.

Do you think that the official backup battery 02K6502 wrapped in yellow plastic has some difference which could couse this behaviour?

The really weird thing about this is according to the HMM code 163 means "time and date were not set", but they are set. And code 173 means "Configuration data was lost", but again, in this case it was not lost, but has been retained.

The manual indicates the possible culprit for the code is either the backup battery or the system board. So with a new battery installed, it may well be a system board fault that you are seeing.

Hi Neil,

I guess, if the motherboard would be defective, then the test in Easy Setup -> Test ....will show me some some error.
I remember, when original backup battery was empty, I got a error code 192 - Fan problem and in this case the motherboard test showed me some error code like

SystemBoard
DEV xxx
ERR xxx
FRU xxx

but now when I go to Easy setup and then Test window and I perform test with all components (System board, Memory, Display, HDD1, FDD1, Parallel, Serial, DSP, Infrared, etc) I get test result OK for each component.

About the CMOS backup battery, I use 3V lithium coin cell battery type 2025 from DURACELL, not oficial with yellow wrapped plastic.
The pollarity should be correct:
red wire is connected to " + " side of battery
black wire is connected to " - " side of battery

I do not have another available motherboard to test it.

best regards
Milan

The official battery is really no different than the Duracell CR2025. The factory welds the tabs onto the surface of the battery and then wraps it in plastic so that the terminals do not come in contact with anything else. You have the correct polarity on the battery; red is +, black is -. About the only thing I can think of to exclude the battery from being the problem is that your soldering was not 100% effective. When you measured the voltage on the battery, was it after you soldered on the wires and was it directly from the tiny contacts of the connector? If you didn't measure from the end of the connector, there is still a chance that the wires are not making good electrical contact to the battery. The laptop seems to think that the CMOS battery is not connected. If 3V is measured at the tip of the connector and it's wired with the correct polarity, then that appears to say that the motherboard has a problem.

Also, it is generally not recommended to solder wires directly to lithium coin batteries. There is / was a chance of applying too much heat and having the battery explode .

I measured the backup battery voltage before as well as after I soldered on the wires.
I measured the voltage directly from the tiny contacts of the white 2-pins connector.
I measured the voltage directly between the motherboard and white 2-pins connector, there is a original soldered joint from factory.
In all cases it shows me 3 V.

the built in test for the system board just isn't clever enough. All sorts of things go wrong with them, but if the person at IBM didn't program the test to look for certain faults, the test will never find them. You should be able to replace the battery, reset the date and time. it will then restart and you will get the on screen diagram 0N/OFF. After this all should be well. If none of this happens, then the board is faulty.

Configuration:
CPU Pentium II 233 MHz
RAM 288 MB (Internal 32 MB + 128 MB + 128 MB in expansion slots)
HDD bay: 5 GB IBM HDD
Ultraslimbay: FDD



Following steps done:
1. new 3 V battery is connected
2. RAM cover is closed
3. Thinkpad switch on
4. 161 and 163 error code...-> OK -> time and date setting window (default time and date) -> Ok double beep
5. automatic restart
6. OFF > ON diagram on the screen
7. Thinkpad switch off

8. After 10 sec. Thinkpad switch on
9. 173 and 163 error code...-> OK -> time and date setting window (time and date not lost) -> Ok double beep
10. automatic restart
11. MS DOS loaded

In this case all seems to be OK instead showing the error code 173/163 after switch on action.

The main problem arise when I remove the FDD and insert CD ROM Drive to Ultraslim bay. In this case Thinkpad stops at OFF > ON diagram after every booting action. Switch off, wait 10 sec. switch on does not solve the problem.


I use HDD as Master (no jumper setting) and CD ROM drive (there is not possible to set Master/Slave).

Your laptop doesn't like your choice of cd-rom drive. Have you tried swapping them with the laptop powered on and in windows. You should be able to do this...

I do not have installed Windows XP because I can not use CD ROM Drive. Copy the Windows XP install files over the FDD cost lot of time

There is installed HDD only with MS-DOS.

I tried to remove FDD and insert CD ROM Drive when laptop was powered on, but MS-DOS does not detect the drive and when I reset the laptop with CTRL + ALT + DEL .... I get the OFF > ON diagram again.

The CD ROM Drive is original IBM - TOSHIBA XM-1702B FRU P/N 05K8873.

DOS won't demonstrate anything. You have the same cd-rom that is in my 600 and obviously it works fine. looks like a faulty drive or interface maybe. If you had windows at least it would be more obvious.