I have a T42 and T43 that are both doing this: neither shows the IBM splash screen on startup. Blank screens usually. I've tried pressing the Southbridge area and no dice. If I power them on/off a number of times, every now and again I get the splash screen and can get into BIOS with no issues. Tried finding PC Doctor for DOS on Lenovo's site to check for sound, but Lenovo's download link comes up "error 404."
Regardless, I'm thinking both machines have Southbridge MB problems. Am I correct? Or, is there some other way I can resolve it? Both these machines are in generally nice shape and I hate to cannibalize them for parts...but.
Thanks!

If they have the ATI GPU that could be the culprit. SB could be it too. They are too old to be worth much time or effort IMHO.

I'm hosting a copy of PC Doctor for DOS for the T4x series (and others). Details are here: viewtopic.php?p=645185#p645185

Thank you!!!!!!
This forum is one of the most informative on the Net for these machines. I'll download this disc over the weekend and run the diagnostic...I do believe I read that the disc could be run w/o an operating system.
I'm not too optimistic, as both of the machines in question are running ATI.

Depending on the screen size/resolution of the machines in question, you might be able to throw in a more dependable planar with Intel graphics.

What are the 7-character model numbers of those two T4x units?

Hi George,
The t42 is 2373-JXU, and the T43 is 2668-72U
Thanks!

OK, you want the good news, or the bad news first...

T43 requires an ATi-based board, no Intel board will run a 14" SXGA+ LCD.

T42, on the other hand (and you have one of my all-time-favourites) could "swallow" an Intel-based T43 or R52 board with a couple of very minor mods, and you'd be able to keep enjoying that nice FlexView. You could also get a SATA-modded one and rejuvenate the machine altogether.

Now, all of this makes sense only if the screen is very good or better.

T43/R52 boards would call for a different CPU and RAM, but that's all peanuts nowadays. The most valuable thing in this equation is one's time.

Let's hear your thoughts and we'll take it from there...

Managed to get the T42 to boot and ran a complete PC-Doctor test regimen including load testing. Everything came back passed with one exception:
Digital Signature Chip Test Failed With Result 6 during Readpubek
Note in BIOS the IBM security chip is disabled.
Went through all the video tests and they all passed. The machine was also tested under full load for 5 minutes and all appeared OK. Overall testing one hour no stalling or lockup. The screen is bright with the exception of a slightly darkened lower right bottom corner. The machine also has a 2007 BIOS setup so I assume it was updated at some point.

Just got out of PC-Doctor and tried starting her up--no IBM splash screen with multiple attempts to boot- BUT
Unplugged the machine and started from battery--wola up comes the splash screen three times in a row.
This sounds an awful lot like an A31p issue you were talking about...???
Off to PC-Doctor for the T43 now!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but...

PC Doctor is a fabulous tool, but it can leave many failures uncovered...

If you want to *really* test the GPU check this out:

http://freestone-group.com/video-card-s ... y-test.htm

Good luck.

Well,
This is certainly an interesting process.
Here's what happened.
I decided to "practice" the R&R process on this T43 to learn the ropes before doing it on the T43p.
Sooo.
There was an 80GB HDD included which I wiped in PC-DOC. I loaded an IBM Firmware Disc and installed on HDD after the wipe. I put in the first CD, which loaded sucessfully. I was instructed to remove the first disc and reboot which I did. The IBM R&R came up from the HDD.
I installed Disc 2, "T43 Supplemental" and I get this message:
To restore a backup made to CD/DVD, please insert the disc labeled "Final C". To restore from a backup copied from CD/DVD, insert the last disc of the backup set. After inserting the correct disc, reselect the CD/DVD in the location dropdown box.
<ok>

So, I insert "T43 Supplemental" and hit <ok> the same message pops up.

UPDATE: figured out that the Forum search function is my friend. "the restore to factory settings selection got me rolling...i'm up to disc 4. so far, so good.

I may think about getting some other machines I have going if this works. In the 90s I worked for a company that used IBM machines, and the IT folks basically gave me a bunch of machines as they were retired. They wouldn't let the HDDs go with them however, and some were cannabalzed before I got them. Some however, were pretty fresh and basically just retired because in those years they were updating stock pretty regularly. I'll have to dig into that box and see what I have there. I know at the beginning I was using T23s so that's how far back they go. When I left there the T43s were being retired. So I only got a few of those...