Warning about upgrading systems - prepare to reflow!

[xxPaulCPxx]

Summery: If you add any new hardware, be ready to reflow.

Just an FYI to people looking to upgrade their old Thinkpads... I have a T4x so I'm posting it here.

I recently upgraded my Modem to the one with Bluetooth, and my B WLAN card to the ABG card. While both new pieces worked perfectly, I ran into a surprising new problem: Intermittent Boot failure.

Everything worked perfectly while the guts were spilled across the table, but I couldn't Boot when everything was back together. Even after I disconnected all the new parts, the problem remained the same - it would only Boot when everything was apart and only connected by ribbon cables, not when it was all screwed together.

Thankfully, I had already discovered this forum just before I had these problems. While pressing down on the video chip didn't change the symptoms - which were rather random (no boot, or partial boot) - I did see something odd. I saw the IBM pre-bios logo on the screen... without the backlight shining through. Some other times, the backlight was on, but nothing showed onscreen. One source for both problems - the video chip solder connections.

Keep in mind, I had a perfectly working system prior to my new add ons. I was very careful in socketing the new cards. But just that little bit of newness and physical instability on the mainboard was enough to hose the video chip solder connections.

But there is a happy ending... I'm typing it now on that same system! After replacing the keyboard (it was slightly bent in shipping and was the only other new piece of equipment) I realized it could only be the video system... and after my readings on this forum i knew I needed to "reflow" the solder on my video subsystem.

I followed the instructions on the "Reflow" sticky TO THE LETTER and it worked perfectly. Afterwards, I looked at the YouTube video the heats more of the board... It could work, but I solved my problem by heading the video chip ALONE with the foil over the rest of the system.

Thanks to everyone who posted the info that helped me, and to those who asked the right questions in the first place!

[AlphaKilo470]

I think you just stumbled onto some bad luck and/or your motherboard was heading towards the GPU fault to begin with. I replaced the motherboard in my laptop last month because I got that mobo free and it had a better GPU on it but with both motherboards, I took my machine apart and jumbled components around many times without the slightest glitch happening with the laptop's operation.

[schen]

I think you just stumbled onto some bad luck and/or your motherboard was heading towards the GPU fault to begin with. I replaced the motherboard in my laptop last month because I got that mobo free and it had a better GPU on it but with both motherboards, I took my machine apart and jumbled components around many times without the slightest glitch happening with the laptop's operation.

I have to ditto this, and I'm certain that most of the members here will too. I've had several machine in my hands with GPUs that have failed and several prime suspects for machine that could easily fail (A3x, R5x, T4x) and have had virtually all of them apart to put devices in and take some out and that has caused none of them to fail.

It really sounds like to me the you had a machine with eminent GPU failure where the added pressure of being in a case is enough to stress some critical area creating the issue.

Nice to hear that you got it reflowed though. I'm strongly considering doing that to my A31p when I get a chance.

[Tim M]

I think you just stumbled onto some bad luck and/or your motherboard was heading towards the GPU fault to begin with. I replaced the motherboard in my laptop last month because I got that mobo free and it had a better GPU on it but with both motherboards, I took my machine apart and jumbled components around many times without the slightest glitch happening with the laptop's operation.

Ditto. I upgraded the motherboard in my T42 and both old and new motherboards work fine.

[carbon_unit]

Same here.
I have swapped used T4x boards before without incident.
I agree you were on the verge of a GPU failure.

[xxPaulCPxx]

For me, everything was fine the last time I had the case open.

My warning is ment for people who add hardware or make another change (like just replacing a keyboard fo instance) that one seemingly little thing may be the trigger, and that it can happen on a system that gives no warning symptoms.

Prior to adding hardware, mine worked like a dream, after adding hardware I had problems. It wasn't the new hardwares fault, nor was it my own. It was, as you said, just "ready to go".

I just thought people should be aware of this possibility.

[richk]

Actually, the machine is less rigid without the keyboard and palmrest attached. I am always careful when I have the machine apart.

[Likvid]

I had some odd behaviour when i replaced my CPU, it would freeze at boot with IBM logo and nothing happened, sometimes it booted into XP but freezed after a few minutes.

I took the CPU out again and then installed it, everything has worked now since then but last week it freezed again, first time since 7 months, but it works ok now.

IBM also replaced my motherboard 2 years ago with a new one as the old one failed with strange graphics on screen.

IBM told me it failed because i lifted the laptop with only one hand in the corner and it would crack the board, the truth in it all was probably the GPU failure every talks about here, but at the time IBM replaced i didn't know about this problem.

[dr_st]

IBM told me it failed because i lifted the laptop with only one hand in the corner and it would crack the board, the truth in it all was probably the GPU failure every talks about here, but at the time IBM replaced i didn't know about this problem.

Repeated lifting the computer with one hand by the corner is indeed a common cause of the GPU failure (due to the flex of the board).

This is why a rollcage has been added to the T60 series.