HELP: "fan error" on boot then machine shuts down

[texasdiver]

Hi guys:

I have a T42p.

Just tonight when I went to boot the machine I get to the initial IBM Thinkpad splash screen then the machine beeps twice and displays "fan error" in the top left corner of the screen for 2 seconds, then the machine shuts back down.

I've tried it a number of times with the same result on battery and AC power.

Is this problem something that is user serviceable or will it need to go back to IBM?

The machine is 20 months old but I have the standard 3 year warrantee. This is the first problem I've experienced with this machine.

Thanks!

[christopher_wolf]

You could try opening up the Thinkpad, following the directions from the HMM, and then cleaning/reconnecting the fan to see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, you should send it in.

[ZoneMan]

There are a couple things that resolve a lot of the fan errors on these machines.

1. Power reset on the unit.
Remove the power cord, the battery then pump the power button 10 times and hold it down on the 11th time for 45 seconds.

This is called a pwr reset and sounds weird for a fan problem but does work sometimes.

2. The other is to simply blow in the vent hole or use compressed air (canned air, not air compressor) so that the fan spins around. You will hear it whirring around for a couple of seconds.



If the machine does not power up after these things then you will have to get a box sent out and ship it in to the depot.


Goodluck

Zone

[--Peter]

@ ZoneMan:

I was just wondering: is there some official reference about this power reset as desrcibed?

if there is no remaining power in the system, what unit is supposed to process the mentioned button manipulations?


thanks,
-- Peter

[ZoneMan]

@ ZoneMan:

I was just wondering: is there some official reference about this power reset as desrcibed?

if there is no remaining power in the system, what unit is supposed to process the mentioned button manipulations?


thanks,
-- Peter

I am not sure if it is posted anywhere on the official IBM website, it should be but I cannot tell you where.

On your second question I am not sure exactly what you are asking here, but the power legs on the system board are what get reset. Sometimes they just get hung up and need to be reset.


Zone

[dsigma6]

2. The other is to simply blow in the vent hole or use compressed air (canned air, not air compressor) so that the fan spins around. You will hear it whirring around for a couple of seconds.

Blow air out from inside the laptop. Don't let the fan spin, block its path with a q-tip or even your finger when using compressed air.

[--Peter]

I am not sure if it is posted anywhere on the official IBM website, it should be but I cannot tell you where.

ok, different question then: where did you learn from it?

On your second question I am not sure exactly what you are asking here, but the power legs on the system board are what get reset. Sometimes they just get hung up and need to be reset.


Zone

ok, let's rephrase and expand a bit on this. you suggested to remove power cord and battery leaving the system without power. you'll have some capacitors with remaining charge and somewhere probably a CMOS battery, but otherwise nothing.

taking this as a starting point I was wondering what entity on the mainboard or elsewhere would process the keystrokes on the power on/off button and then actively 'reset the power legs'.

no power, no action in electronics. IMHO removing all power and then waiting 1 minute will probably have the same effect, no additional keypresses required.

-- Peter

[dsigma6]

no power, no action in electronics. IMHO removing all power and then waiting 1 minute will probably have the same effect, no additional keypresses required.

Your thoughts seem rational, but they've been proven over and over again. Search the forum or wait for the experts to arrive.

[ZoneMan]

I am not sure if it is posted anywhere on the official IBM website, it should be but I cannot tell you where.

ok, different question then: where did you learn from it?

On your second question I am not sure exactly what you are asking here, but the power legs on the system board are what get reset. Sometimes they just get hung up and need to be reset.


Zone

ok, let's rephrase and expand a bit on this. you suggested to remove power cord and battery leaving the system without power. you'll have some capacitors with remaining charge and somewhere probably a CMOS battery, but otherwise nothing.

taking this as a starting point I was wondering what entity on the mainboard or elsewhere would process the keystrokes on the power on/off button and then actively 'reset the power legs'.

no power, no action in electronics. IMHO removing all power and then waiting 1 minute will probably have the same effect, no additional keypresses required.

-- Peter

I understand you questioning the method here and why it works.
Your assumption is not correct though, leaving sitting for one minute will not work and I have never seen it happen that way. I have seen machines sit for months and still wont power on but after a power reset.

As for where I learned this, lets just say that I have worked on a lot of laptops. I would say that I have seen dead machines power on after a power reset more than a 100 times or so.
As for the fan error, I have seen far fewer resolved by the power reset but have seen it work.


Zone

[christopher_wolf]

There are a few laptops that I have seen where merely leaving them alone for, oh, about a month does the trick and they start to boot again; but those are usually on their last legs and have a variety of problems (everything from a few bad caps to a simple HDD hardware malfunction can cause that kind of behavior), not something that is likely with that T42p.

The reference to the Power Reset is something that the techs at IBM/Lenovo would have you try. Pulse the main power button 10-11 times, then, on the last pulse, hold it for about 30 seconds. Acts as a low-level hardware reset.