Before I send it back to IBM...

[makai]

will someone do me a favor....

My T41 is showing pixelization and color distortion in several menus while Powerplay is enabled. The machine is set for 32bit desktop mode.

Will someone do the following and let me know what you see...

1) Start your machine with Powerplay enabled, 32bit, (in battery mode)
2) Open Windows Explorer (maximized) and look at the menu area
3) Does it look like the menu area is in 16bit mode with pixelization showing?
4) Does enabling/disabling Powerplay make any difference in how the menu area is displayed, or does the menu area always look the same?

I've dumped/reloaded/dumped/reloaded the OS, the drivers, the bios, and everything in between to no avail. I called IBM and I am ready to ship the machine in for warranty service ([censored] I hate to do that!) IBM even sent me a box, but I really want to know if what I'm seeing is "abnormal" and if anyone else sees this.

By the way, my video card is a ATI9000/32meg. It's for business, so that's all I thought would be needed.

Much appreciation in advance to anyone who replies!

NOTE: I also posted this in the General Forum, but only got one response from 59 views. Sorry, I didn't want to double post but perhaps not many people there have T41s and I need some help from some T41 owners before I ship this off.

Thanks,
makai

[IAmTheEvilest]

Have tried looking at it on an external monitor? Does it look better or the same?

[Conmee]

Makai,

By default, Powerplay, and often times, the default power settings in Battery Maximizer allow for color-depth reduction while on battery power or for power savings. What you're seeing is the 16-bit color rendering. You can plug your system into AC, set the Battery Maximizer to high performance, then go and simply change the color depth in Display properties to 16-bit, and open up Internet Explorer to see the 'pixelation' you're referring to. It's more pronounced when using the WinXP "look and feel" because of the lighting source/shading/etc... if you set to Windows Default/Windows Classic, you won't see it as much.

At any rate, it's not a defect.

If you haven't allowed for color-depth reduction in any of your Battery Maximizer profiles, double-check the Advance Properties for your display, select the Powerplay tab, and deselect the "Allow Automatic Color Depth Reduction" if it's checked.

Daniel.

[makai]

IAmTheEvilest,

Wow... that's a scary name! But to respond to your comment, Powerplay is "disabled" as soon as you connect an external monitor to the Thinkpad. And since it is, the pixelization does not show up on either the laptop or the external. IBM tech support had me try this too, and I guess they didn't even know it wouldn't show the problem.


Conmee,

I tried adjusting all display settings in both ATI properties and Battery maximizer during my troubleshooting. "Allow Automatic Color Depth Reduction" has always been deselected.

At any rate, it's not a defect

I sort of find this hard to believe, but then again I'm new to IBMs. By your description about XP (shading, etc), it does make sense and it is something I also considered, but if it's true, then it's really quite sad. I can't understand how an ATI9000/32meg card running at (min 110mhz) would display XP so "poorly". I've had XP running on lesser cards with no problems displaying 32bit mode. In fact my Compaq PIII 700mhz only has an 8meg card and it's totally fine running XP at 24bits with no pixelization.

So, if I'm understanding this correctly... you're saying that what I'm seeing is "normal" and everyone sees this? Do you also see this with your FireGL?


Thank you both for your input.

makai

[Conmee]

Makai,

Ok... can you, with AC power, Battery Maximizer set to High Performance, Display Properties set to 32-bit color and 1400x1050 resolution, see this pixelation? Or does the display/menu area appear normal? (According to the HMM, you should have a SXGA+ LCD... using a lower resolution, as you probably know, will definitely look less than optimal--so ensure that you're using the default/native resolution.)

If it appears normal, then your GPU and LCD are capable of correctly displaying 32-bit color. The problem then may most likely lie with a registry setting or you may want to update to the latest IBM-supplied ATI graphics drivers, if you haven't already done so. Try uninstalling the your ATI drivers and installing the latest version. Also, create a NEW Battery Maximizer profile, and during the course of the questions it will bring up a screen that deals with display power management... ensure that all those settings are deselected/disabled for both Global Battery and Battery Endurance, and that both AC and Battery Power settings are set to MAX performance (must have the latest Battery Maximizer and Power Management driver). Apply the NEW profile, disconnect from AC, and see if you get any pixelation. It just sounds to me like something, somewhere on your system is causing color depth reduction for some reason.

You can also try the Omega Drivers (modded Catalyst drivers) and see if that helps. If it does, it points to a registry/config/other setting causing the problem. I had a T40 and T40p with the Mobility 9000 with both 32MB and 64MB and never had a problem with pixelation.

Hope this helps.

Daniel.

[Conmee]

P.S.

If I reduce the color depth on my FireGL, it will show subtle pixelation with the WinXP style borders, etc. But I've set Powerplay and Batt Max profiles to not reduce either color depth or LCD refresh rate, and so even when I am on battery power, the LCD looks great. I'm using the latest video drivers distribution from IBM (8.102.xxx)... I'll need to update my signature with that info...

Daniel.

[makai]

Hello Daniel,
Thanks for taking interest in this problem of mine. Just so you know, I build computers for a hobby (~28 so far), so I'm not a stranger to installations, video settings, drivers, registry hacking, etc. At least by telling you this, you won't have to guess at what level I'm at and feel you have to explain everything word for word. It's just that this is my first IBM and I really don't know what to expect from it. That said...

Ok... can you, with AC power, Battery Maximizer set to High Performance, Display Properties set to 32-bit color and 1400x1050 resolution, see this pixelation? Or does the display/menu area appear normal? (According to the HMM, you should have a SXGA+ LCD... using a lower resolution, as you probably know, will definitely look less than optimal--so ensure that you're using the default/native resolution.)

Yes, I am at native resolution and the laptop can display 32bit color just fine. However, there is a scenario in which my T41 messes up while on AC. Here is a cut and paste of a letter I am planning to send to IBM if/when I send it in to help them see what I'm seeing...

"Another symptom can be seen if you do this… Power up under Battery power, “enable” Powerplay (which will corrupt the screen),then shut down the machine. Now plug in the AC adapter, and restart the machine. (At this point while on AC, Powerplay should be disabled and have no effect on anything). Now open Windows Explorer (maximized), and the menu area will "still" appear corrupted. If you remove the AC cable (without shutting down) and run on battery, the menu will remain corrupted regardless if Powerplay is enabled or disabled. This looks like a driver problem, stuck video ram, or the clock just doesn't want to switch."

If it appears normal, then your GPU and LCD are capable of correctly displaying 32-bit color. The problem then may most likely lie with a registry setting or you may want to update to the latest IBM-supplied ATI graphics drivers, if you haven't already done so. Try uninstalling the your ATI drivers and installing the latest version. Also, create a NEW Battery Maximizer profile, and during the course of the questions it will bring up a screen that deals with display power management... ensure that all those settings are deselected/disabled for both Global Battery and Battery Endurance, and that both AC and Battery Power settings are set to MAX performance (must have the latest Battery Maximizer and Power Management driver). Apply the NEW profile, disconnect from AC, and see if you get any pixelation. It just sounds to me like something, somewhere on your system is causing color depth reduction for some reason.

During my ownership of this T41, the OS has been dumped, Ghosted, dumped three more times, and restored once. All installed drivers were the latest available from IBM, to include the BIOS. All Battery maximizer and ATI display properties were excersised through every variant possibility. I even tried the Omega drivers you mention a few days ago. I even hacked around in the registry on some of the "oldpowerplay" stuff. You mention "a registry setting"... do you have knowlege of what registry entry may be causing this?

(from you PS post) If I reduce the color depth on my FireGL, it will show subtle pixelation with the WinXP style borders, etc. But I've set Powerplay and Batt Max profiles to not reduce either color depth or LCD refresh rate, and so even when I am on battery power, the LCD looks great. I'm using the latest video drivers distribution from IBM (8.102.xxx)...

This is exactly what I would expect Powerplay to do. In that even if the video clock is reduced to conserve battery power, the card should still display windows with no problem... even in 32bit mode. This is how it is on my Compaq and I'm a little disappointed in my T41... especially if this is a "normal" condition... which I believe it isn't, by the way. I honestly think my video card is messed up.

Thanks
makai

[Conmee]

Good grief.... lol... well, we could have made this thread alot shorter if you would have detailed your qualifications and process up front... lol

Based on what you're saying, it may indeed be the GPU giving out or some other power/wiring/circuitry on the main board. Looks like you'll be sending this unit back for repair.

Daniel.

[makai]

Daniel,

Yah, I've built so many computers and loaded/reloaded so many machines, I'm actually tired just thinking of it! It's the curse of the "family and friends" IT guy!

I guess deep down inside, I knew I would have to send my T41 into repair. I just really wanted to know is if anyone else had experienced what I was seeing so in my mind I could just "live with it". Like I said, this is my first IBM and I just couldn't imagine that IBM would design in poor graphics just to save on battery life.

Oh well, hopefully, the techs will speed along the repair. At least they won't have to guess about if some driver is corrupt or not... I zero'd out the entire drive last night... took a little over 3 hours.

Thanks for your help.

Mahalo and Aloha,
makai

[deelo83]

i have the pixelization thing going on too. this is my first IBM and its a t41. i just thought it was suppose to be like that, but i guess not.

tell me how it goes after you get your t41 back.

[makai]

deel083,

I posted about this awhile back on the General Forum and didn't get any hits from people experiencing this so I assumed it was a defect, but didn't really know for sure.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

I wonder just how many people see this and think it's normal? A poll might raise a few eye-brows!

The ATI9000 clock is 110mhz and it gets converted to something around 210mhz or so... I can't really remember. In any case, during Powerplay save mode, the video clock reverts to 110mhz. You would think it could handle displaying whatever windows are up, but apparrently it's not doing it!

I plan to send my T41 back tomorrow. I'll post back the results when it returns from IBM.

makai