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Will I lose something after motherboard replacement?
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:23 pm
by ulrich.von.lich
If I change the system board in my ThinkPad, will I lose:
1. Product ID
2. Serial Number
3. BIOS info (passwords, fingerprint backups etc..)
4. Windows License
And do 15" models and 14" models use the same system board? (T43)
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:00 pm
by jdhurst
You lose the Product ID and Serial number. The person replacing the board needs to restore these with the IBM service diskette.
You do NOT lose the Windows license. I have had a number of motherboard replacements for clients (T30 memory slot for the most part) and Windows was never affected.
I don't know about the fingerprint reader. ... JDH
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:49 pm
by ulrich.von.lich
jdhurst wrote:You lose the Product ID and Serial number. The person replacing the board needs to restore these with the IBM service diskette.
Can the person be me or it has to be an IBM staff? My machine is no longer under warranty so I have to replace it myself.. Could you explain me how to restore the Product ID and Serial number? Where to obtain the diskette? Is it kina like BIOS upgrade? Thanks!!!
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:55 pm
by jdhurst
Generally only the servicer has the diskette to manage serial and products numbers and they are a bit tricky to change. Someone here may be able to help, but I cannot because I don't service units. ... JDH
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:14 pm
by mazzinia
You can download that floppy
Here , I think.
And
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/ ... nkpad.html,too (version 1.75)
(there should be a link on the ibm werbsite, too)
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:19 pm
by RealBlackStuff
You can do it yourself, using this latest Hardware Maintenance Diskette:
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... tm23us.exe
You'll need a floppy disk to get this program going.
See also this post:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=12263
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:30 pm
by ulrich.von.lich
Exactly what I've been looking for. I'll do it next week. Thanks a million guys!
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:26 pm
by ulrich.von.lich
I just replaced the board.
As I was told, I lost the Product ID and Serial number. Apart from them, I also lost some passwords and the UUID. Does anyone know what it is? Should I restore it too or can I live without it?
My Windows has become inactive but I guess that's because I'm using the retail version.
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:50 am
by jdhurst
The UUID doesn't matter (changes with the board). I just re-entered the power password on a board change - I didn't lose any others. ... JDH