T42 Type 2374 Blank Screen

[bmonaghan]

It powers on without beeping with a blank screen and the keyboard doesn't seem to respond (num lock / caps). I tried substituting and swapping the RAM chip in both holders but it was to no avail. I moved the computer and attempted to power up again and the screen came up. After about 2 mins it did a little warping and then went blank again. From reading the forums, I seem to think it's the system board. The computer is no longer under warranty so I want to know how difficult it is to solve this problem myself. I read the instructions in the hardware manual and it seems doable. Anyone else have any comments? Should I call IBM and have it sent in?

Thanks,

Brendan

[EOMtp]

If your question concerns the difficulty of swapping out the motherboard, then the answer is that there is nothing to it if you have a small Phillips screwdriver and half hour; one hour if it's your first time.

You will need a little thermal compound to reseat the fan/heat sink assembly after you transfer the processor to the new motherboard.

The problem you descrive does sound like the motherboard. The Harware Maintenace Manual has all the disassembly/assembly instructions:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46464

You don't appear the shy type when it comes to this type of project. Given that, I would not send the machine to IBM; I would swap the board my myself ... in about the same time that it would take to prepare the machine for shipping!
Good luck, whichever way you go.