T40 Shutting Down Suddenly and Unexpectedly

[oloughk]

Hi All,

I have a Thinkpad T40 running Windows 2000 Server. I've had it 2 to 3 years. Shortly after I got it first I noticed that occasionally it would shut down unexpectedly. You'd hear a click like a switch closing and the machine would just shut down. To restart it you'd have to let it sit for a little while, remove the battery and disconnect the power. At the time I put it down to the machine overheating because I would often sit it on the couch while I was using it. I stopped doing that and it stopped shutting down.

3 to 4 weeks ago I installed a grid computing client from http://www.grid.org. Since then I've noticed the machine starting to shut down unexpectedly again. The grid computing client runs as a low priority process so it doesn't interfere with work you are doing on the machine, but it does keep the CPU pegged at 100% continuously, so I suspect it results in the machine generating a lot more heat. I stopped the grid computing client from running yesterday when the machine wouldn't stay up for more than about 15 mins. The problem didn't immediately go away, but I guess it takes it a little time to cool down. No shutdowns so far this morning.

In any case that's the background. So here are my questions

• 1) Is my theory on overheating being the cause likely?
  2) Is there some sort of protection built-in to the machine that will shut it down on overheating?
  3) Have I done any lasting damage to the machine by having it shut down on overheating so frequently?
  4) Is there any tool to view the temperature?

Thanks for your help!

[agarza]

Welcome to thinkpads.com forum

Here some answers:
1) IT could be overheating issues, to be sure, why not download the TPFanControl (sticky on the T 4x Series forum) and check the temp your CPU reach
2) Yes, theoretically when the CPU reaches 100C it will shut down (thanks to the smart engineers at Intel. A typical temperature at load on a Banias CPU is I'd say about 65-75C.
3) Unlikely, but I should ask you If you buy the machine new, or used from another source. Do you tend to pick-up your laptop with only one hand? IT could be a damage on your motherboard, now that you mention that there's a clicking sound.
4) YES!!
Thinpad Fan Control (let's you view all your laptop thermal sensors, including GPU)

Good luck pinpointing the source of your problem.

[oloughk]

Hey benottomex

Thanks for your replies. They are very helpful.

I've installed the TP Fan Control app in passive mode and added it to my startup shortcups so that I can monitor the temperatures going forward.

I did get the machine new, but unfortunately I spent a lot of time lifting it one-handed by a front corner. If I lift the machine now by the front corner the screen will either a) go blank, b) have a black background with fuzzy vertical white bars or c) will have distortion around the mouse and the minimize, maximize and close buttons on the top right-hand corner of each window (this last one is particularly weird). If I reboot though everything goes back to normal.

The click that I hear sounds to me like it's an internal switch shutting the machine down. When the machine shuts down unexpectedly you hear a single click, the screen goes blank and all the lights under the screen go blank except the battery light which remains green.

Again thanks for your help, I'll monitor the temperatures carefully now and see if that helps.