T21 Freezing

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SDNick484 · #1 Post by **SDNick484** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 5:57 pm

I am having problems with my T21 randomly locking up, and unfortunately I believe it's a hardware issue but I don't know which component is failing. Basically after a random amount of time (generally between 1 to 2 hours) the computer will completely lock up and need to be powered off by holding the power button for 4 secs. Caps/Scroll/Num lock does not respond, however hardware functions (like ldimming the screen or turning on the keyboard light) work. I am running Red Hat Fedora Core 2 Linux (currently a custom 2.6.8 kernel that has worked fine for over 6 months), I have no instances of Windows installed but am fairly certain it's a hardware issue since the problem occurs even when I run a live Linux distro like Knoppix or Slax.

I have eliminated the Battery as the culperate since the crash occurs even when on AC alone. Likewise the HDD is not causing the problem either (crash occurs on live Linux distros when the HDD is not used or even mounted). My RAM (two OEM 128MB sticks) have passed over 10 hours of memtest86 & Windows Memory Diagnostic. My CPU seems to be alright as well since the crash occurs regardless of load. I recompiled kernel 2.6.10 the day after the first crash (about a week ago), and it did not have any problems. It did crash later that day under no load. My CMOS battery is fine (I ran a multimeter and found that the standard 3V is running across it).

I still believe the issue may be with RAM. When I run the PC with the RAM uncovered, the MTBF seems to jump up significantly. This may be a sign that it's a heat issue. I have reseated my CPU and applied a new coat of thermal paste, but that doesn't seem to have helped. Anyone have any ideas of what may be failing? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick

AbsoluteRaleigh · #2 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:56 pm

Crashing in knoppix is odd...

Run the unit with just one memory chip installed.

If it freezes, try the other.

IMO the software based memory tests work about 85% of the time... The above method will let you know for sure if the memory is the root of your problems...

Let's see how that works and go from there.

SDNick484 · #3 Post by **SDNick484** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 4:16 pm

I actually tried that the first day the crashes started to occur. Interestingly enough, the system didn't crash when I was running just one module (but this was the case for both RAM sticks). I did do some fairly intensive dependency resolving via yum, but besides that everything I did was light weight. I was running Fluxbox, but with 128MB, I was already hitting my swap file with just Firefox running so the full memory stick should have seen use. I will try running one at a time again and post results.

Hippo · #4 Post by **Hippo** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 11:32 am

My T21 locks up occationally when using the built in trackpoint. When using an external USB optical mouse it never happens. I havent had the drive to pull the system apart yet when it works with just an external mouse.

Im guessing its something like a dry joint that gets pulled when Im appling pressure to the trackpoint or something :S

MadeInJapan · #5 Post by **MadeInJapan** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 11:54 am

Not sure about the T21, but I believe you can use either/or of the RAM sockets. Try each memory, one at a time in each of your sockets. You might find that it's not the RAM, but one of the sockets itself...which would mean a motherboard problem. If that's the case, and still under warranty, IBM will replace your MB for you!

SDNick484 · #6 Post by **SDNick484** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:51 pm

Well I just reattempted booting with one ram stick (I only tried one slot, I didn't see MadeInJapan's post til now) but it did crash eventually. This was the case with both sticks, one lasted about 4 hours, the other a little over an hour. I am almost certain it's a heating issue, but I don't know which part is failing due to heat. I say this because I get significantly better MTBF when the panel which covers the RAM is off and I have the bottom of the thinkpad elevated to allow air circulation. I cleaned out the CPU fan and applied some Arctic Silver thermal grease on the heat sink so I don't believe the problem is there. I am worried that the problem is one of the mobo chips, and unfortunately my warranty expired last August. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

agent delta · #7 Post by **agent delta** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:23 pm

I have a t42 (2374-fS3) with a funny issue.....
With no devices in the USB port my notebook will completely lock up...must hold power button for a few seconds.

I have a wireless USB mouse that I am always using and when this or my USB 512mb memory stick are plugged in, simultaneous or separate, the system NEVER has froze.

I am thinking some kind of driver issue?? I have a clean XP install with drivers from the IBM site.

I have multiple HDD and batteries, so I have eliminated these.

I do occasionally, on the freeze get the blue screen of death with an error pertaining to an "error in non paged area of pagefile" I looked into this and disabled page filing altogether, still no change.

My current USB driver is an Intel driver, made by microsoft ?
"Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Contoller - 24CD"
Driver Date 6/1/2002 Driver Version 5.1.2600.0

CoolRunnings · #8 Post by **CoolRunnings** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:36 am

Run a memtest yet, agent delta? www.memtest86.com.

agent delta · #9 Post by **agent delta** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:51 am

I ran a microsft mem test for three hours.....

AbsoluteRaleigh · #10 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:41 pm

SDNick484 wrote:Well I just reattempted booting with one ram stick (I only tried one slot, I didn't see MadeInJapan's post til now) but it did crash eventually. This was the case with both sticks, one lasted about 4 hours, the other a little over an hour. I am almost certain it's a heating issue, but I don't know which part is failing due to heat. I say this because I get significantly better MTBF when the panel which covers the RAM is off and I have the bottom of the thinkpad elevated to allow air circulation. I cleaned out the CPU fan and applied some Arctic Silver thermal grease on the heat sink so I don't believe the problem is there. I am worried that the problem is one of the mobo chips, and unfortunately my warranty expired last August. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

If you're certain it is a hardware problem and it is not the memory then you could have a bad system board... It is rare but possible... Boards go for $99 on eBay... If it comes to that buy from a reputable seller...

SDNick484 · #11 Post by **SDNick484** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 4:07 am

Well my T21 took a turn for the worst last Sunday and will no longer power up. It shorted out and nothing made it come back. It's good to see mobo's can be had on eBay, but I have been preparing for this day for a while and plan to pick up a T42 instead (my school offers some amazing student discounts which I ought to take advantage of before I graduate). The T21 served me well for the last 3.8 years as my primary computer while I was seeking an EE degree, and even though I feel it's death is premature I am confident in IBM. I've spent the last week shopping around, and as far as quality and service, big blue is still tops. When I have time to tinker with it, I'll pick up a new mobo for it. Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread.

agent delta · #12 Post by **agent delta** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:19 am

Update on my issue....freezing...

I replaced the "internal" 512mb ram chip with a 1024mb chip and now everything works super. Bad ram threw IBM?? I think so.

Or maby it was my configuraion? who knows, its fixed now!

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