T42P (2373 HVU) SYSTEM BOARD FAILURE

[RukRem]

Ok so I was using my computer and all of a sudden the screen flickers and then goes dead. I reboot everything seems fine until I get the blue screen of death. Once again I turn on the computer and get an error message telling me that my video driver is failing to load. So I roll back the computer, and to no avail, the problem was not fixed. I then decide to restore myu computer back to factory condition (which was not a wise move)... After all was said and done; I ended up brining the computer to a local repair shop here in manhattan to find out that my system board had failed and needed replacement. Luckily the 3 year warranty covered my computer (which is leess than a year old) and the 800 repair cost. The repairman told me this problem is actually quite common on IBM t42p's, to add insult to imjury IBM took 7 days to send the part and sent a refurbished system board. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR HARDWARE, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SECOND HAND PARTS BEING USED AS REPLACEMENT? THOUGHTS?

[BillMorrow]

well, first off if that were true (the part about many T42 having system board failures) i think it would be well known hereabouts..

if i experienced those symptoms the first thing i would do is check or swap out the memory..

if the problem persisted i would then initiate a service call..

IRT refurbished parts..
the warranty terms allow for new or serviceable used parts to be used in a warranty repair..

the 7 day wait was a bit extreme.. those parts SHOULD be readily available..

[Habakkuk]

Hmm, I might be reading this wrong, however, your message seems to indicate that a third party aided you with servicing your unit under IBM warranty. I'd simply deal with IBM directly since all that is required from the user is initiating the call and placing your thinkpad into a padded box if it is deamed in need of repair.

I do not want to sound pessimistic, but given the bogus answer the repair shop gave you, they might have scored a good T42p motherboard that fetches in about $900. Unfortunately, having worked for a company that services PCs, I've seen some unacceptable behavior and personally fired a tech involved in unethical conduct.

The good news is that you have your system in working condition.

[christopher_wolf]

I would agree with Bill and Habakkuk here; I, myself, prefer dealing with IBM directly and not a third party PC repair shop. All the Techs I have spoken to have held IBM system as the best Windows laptops they have seen, I am not kidding here. I have known them for quite awhile and, if there was indeed a big problem with the T42p system board, I think I would hear it from these Forums and my Tech friends at around the same time.

[RukRem]

I did call IBM, their suggestion was to go to this repair shop. IBM apparently contracts them out do do their repair work. In response to the previous post, I did try another memory unit before I dropped off the computer, the tech told me that it was aproblem with the system board somehow relating to the videocard. This was his diagnosis after doing about 2 days of diagnostic work. Harddrive was fine, memory was fine, LCD was fine... So he and IBM made the call to replace the system board.

As far as the shop scoring the part; The system boards are all tagged with SKU's and are returned to IBM (this has to be done, otherwise the repair gets billed for them), in his defense he showed me the board and explained the problems he has with the IBM Tech department (which is more his problem then ours).

My main concer was quality of my machine... I was beginning to lose faith and get angry i paid 2400 bucks for it. I just hope this issue is not a common problem, one that will re occur... Thanks for your input.

[gcchatel]

My t42p had a system board failure as well about 2 weeks ago. I took out the hard drive, extra memory, and battery, stuck it in the overnight box and received my thinkpad 3 days later with the problem fixed, I then stuck the hard drive back in and started right where I left off without having to reformat or anything like that. All in all, dealing with IBM was very nice. I just hope it is not a reocurring problem and that it doesn't happen when my warranty runs out.

Gael

[kyrotech]

serviceable used parts are common among IBM, HP, DELL, TOSHIBA, etc

sometimes you get new parts, sometimes serviceable used parts. As long as they work withouth problem Its no bid deal

3 year warranty is a MUST for laptops

[Kenn]

Hmm, actually that set of symptoms is oddly familiar. Crash, followed by failure on reboot about a video driver error, followed by a dead system board. The OP should do a search on here, there are at least 2 threads describing the same set of circumstances, and I believe another thread also claiming that this is a "common" or "well-known" failure.

And while I never got a blue screen or a video error dialogue, I also had a sudden video-related dead system board that required a replacement (which has been holding up beautifully so far).

[fafaforza]

Same thing happened with my 2378-FVY two weeks ago.

Display flickers when I'd press lightly on the right palm rwst, Windows complains that the video driver is not responding, then the whole thing dies. Had the current setup (memory, etc) for a year, so doubt that made a difference. Taking out second stick of ram made no difference.

Booting up with a Linux CD showed the same symptoms, so it isn't a driver issue.

You'll see recent topics from other users describing T42 system boards dying about a year into their use, so maybe there's a trend.

So I'd recommend that everyone have their machines covered. ~$100/year is much cheaper than $800 plus labor for a system board replacement.

[RukRem]

IBM was suppose to be the bench mark for reliability. Since this is a known problem that seems to be systemic in nature, anyone who has had this problem should start calling IBM and demanding a solution to this problem. According to the repairman, he says it is mostly T42P models, so maybe it is an issue with the video card? Can anyone offer some sound advice with out blindly coming to the defense of Lenovo.... Now I know why my friends all buy Fujitsu (they are only pc left still made in Japan) unlike all of these other Chinese made units......

[christopher_wolf]

I don't know why you think anybody would blindly rush to the defence of Lenovo; seeing as how your T42p was made under IBM. I can, however, say that a large majority of my friends have T42s, especially T42ps, and they have been running flawlessly for as long as they have had them. They may indeed be a slight issue with system boards or thw such, but I would call IBM up on your own time and ask them that yourself. I have also had friends who have ditched other laptops, including Fujitsu although they are more difficult to come by in the States, for the IBM T Series. I don't think that a company that has prided itself on quality would let itself slip into such a situation. Lenovo has nothing to do with it. Furthermore, being made in Japan or China doesn't always confer "Magic" to the build quality; I have seen downright rotten and shoody things made and I have seen beautiful things be made in many countries; that is, quite frankly, a non-existent and irrelevant issue compared to what other notebook makers do. I would like to see a list of the problems of the T42p go up a list from other notbook makers; I can say, right now, that list will be far smaller than just about everybody else out there that makes a Laptop, perhaps excluding Apple and the earlier Toshibas. Or you could ask the repairman for a more specific answer; including how many T42ps he has serviced like this and whether or not the number is higher than three.

[smadnell]

This is much more common than previous replies would indicate.
Check out http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 948#117948, among many many others. I'm amazed at how each time someone posts this same exact question we start all over. This problem should have it own forum already.

[stangri]

I'd second that -- should we maybe have a sticky (or at least a dedicated post) where users would post:

1. Thinkpad model
2. Exact model number
3. Age of the thinkpad
4. MB/Video-card flex related symptoms
5. When did they start

Mine T40 has recently developped this problem, no longer covered by the warranty, I'd like to learn from others what can be done.

[JaneL]

I'd second that -- should we maybe have a sticky (or at least a dedicated post) where users would post:

Or maybe, before posting, forum members could read the posting guidelines where they would find this:

1. Use descriptive subject lines and research your post. This reduces the chances of double-posting, and it also makes it easier for people to see what they do/don't want to read. Also, scan the subjects of the last several days' posts to make sure you aren't duplicating posts.

I'm not saying that a sticky is not in order for this, but 1) we can't sticky everything and 2) I'm getting tired of the duplicate threads.

[vizda]

One vote for a sticky for this. I just got off the phone with support for my T42 that developed this problem a few weeks after the warranty expired. They want $600 to fix it or $700 for the part. (yes, the part is more)

This is not OK. I'm strongly considering a class-action lawsuit. I bought this machine thinking it'd be solid and reliable and now it's a paperweight. Someone on another thread said a quarter of the T4xs they've got are developing this problem. If that's true, IBovo's got to be facing a recall, or something.

Anyone have any tips on initiating a class action suit, or some other way to compel IBovo to pay attention to this? I'm going to give some consumer watchdog folks here in California a call, I'm sure they have some ideas. But in the meantime, if this makes sense to you mods, I'd appreciate a sticky for this issue as the multiple threads related to this are starting to scroll off.

Thanks!

Dan

[vizda]

Forgot to add this to my last post: should I even think about cracking the thing open and trying to fix this myself? Maybe I could come up with some kind of stiffener or brace for the mobo or the case that would make this go away.

I suppose if it's that or nothing I don't have much to lose. Anyone with more experience have any thoughts on this?

Dan

[christopher_wolf]

I don't think this is class-action lawsuit material; over here, in the College of Engineering, 90% of all Laptops that aren't Powerbooks are Thinkpads and T42s comprise an estimated 60% of the "workhorses" for that 90%. If there was a big problem with the system boards; it would have been made a big issue believe me.

And I can't see how this would be related that much to the chassis; I can see a "Cause" yes as well as a "Probable Effect" yes; if the chassis and structural integrity was the problem, we would be seeing this on evey T4X Series Model with a similar, apparent, frequency to the T42s. It either must be something else or the chassis isn't the problem.

I wouldn't try and fix it by yourself; you might damage some important components and you might give the service shop something valid to complain about when it comes to the nasty "You voided the warranty" problem.

[smadnell]

The T30's suffered from problems caused by a similar yet not as serious chasis weekness. To prevent it, IBM sent us 75 new metal reinforced hard drive bezels (originals are all plastic). They do seem to have significantly cut down on problems.

Chris, perhaps you're not seeing this problem as much because of the age and usage of your T42's. In our case, the problem is more prevalent the older the laptop gets. We started with T40's about 2 years ago, then T41's last year, and less than a year with T42's. If I had to guess, of all the T4x's we've had with this problem 75% were T40's , 25% T41's, and less than 10% were T42's. Since I haven't noticed any relative engineering changes between these models I suspect they are all equally susceptible with time.

The way they are used must have a big impact as well. How much abuse (not load) do those laptops get in a university setting (beer spillage not included)? 99% of my users are consultants and they practively live on the road and in planes. Those users we have that don't travel have significantly less problems.

I don't place all the blame with IBM, abuse is certainly a factor here. I love Thinkpads in general. Other than this problem, they have been very good to us and IBM support/service is still top notch. Perhaps I should have held some end user training... "How to hold or not hold your laptop."

[christopher_wolf]

Beer Spillage...LOL

Well, the majority of them spend quite alot of time in the Labs and being picked up in rather intriguing ways. The T40s and T41s experience heavy usage as well; the T43s and X41 Tablets get carted around alot for lectures, etc. So there is a good deal of usage for all of them. They do get cared for quite a bit, but alot is expected from them and they perform quite well.

[hoya]

IBM's repair depot (Solectron, a third party) has replaced the system board on my T42 *THREE TIMES* in the past month, and it just died AGAIN, which means that this machine has fried FOUR system boards. IBM has finally agreed to provide a refund which has been a complete pain and fails to compensate me for all the lost time.

the first time it happened, the screen turned a strange color and froze. when I rebooted, I got a blue screen which indicated a WiFi driver issue. the other three times, the system would just die with no warning. I could get it back to life for a few seconds if I discharged the system (pressing power button 10 times, holding power button down for 20 seconds on 11th time), but otherwise they NEVER figured out the problem and the support was TERRIBLE. during the second repair, Solectron scratched the cover of the notebook and left greasy fingerprints all over the screen and case.

My next notebook will be the Intel Powerbook, but if I do buy another ThinkPad I will be purchasing the on-site warranty and not letting the computer out of my site.

I would still like to file a formal complaint and would greatly appreciate any advice.

[stangri]

I'd second that -- should we maybe have a sticky (or at least a dedicated post) where users would post:

Or maybe, before posting, forum members could read the posting guidelines where they would find this:

I sincerely hope you didn't imply that I personally 1) did not read/follow the guidelines and 2) spawn the duplicates posts about it.

[ragpicker]

I also had a system board failure in my wife's T42 (2378-FVU) only three months after purchase. The T42 rarely left her desk and was used mainly for just sending e-mail.
I had "notebook hardware control" installed on the notebook and once while I was reducing the voltages nhc indicated the notebook temperature was rapidly rising. I changed a couple nhc settings and the T42 seemed OK. I work overseas and while away my wife continued using the notebook. Just prior to the board failure she mentioned more heat than usual coming out of the fan exaust.
Reading these posts it appears the other members do not suspect nhc as being a possible culprit to board failures? Once I had the board replaced (which was free and quick by IBM in Thailand) I reinstalled nhc but without altering any system settings, only to monitor the cpu temperature.
I've also had a T42P for over 2.5 years and have had no problems, very happy with it, which is why I bought the 2nd T42 for my wife.
Does anyone else who has had board failures suspect nhc??

[christopher_wolf]

Well; what are the main differences between the T42p system board and another T4X Thinkpad?If this problem is specific to only T42s, and is not related to stress points from the chassis, then couldn't one conclude from this that the design of the T42 System Board is more than just slightly different than the rest of the T4X Series if, indeed, NHC can cause a problem?