T40 Laptop Won't Boot- No Power at ALL

[Guitarrassdeamor]

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3351/0316001614.jpg

So, got the board ajkula sent me, and it powers right up. Everything is working, got into Windows, etc.

However, the video freezes after a while. I'm guessing this is due to the GPU, and I read it might be a problem with the solder thing that people talk about.

I also booted it up once and it gave the four beeps saying that there was a security issue (due to Lenovo guide) but has only done that once since (now) and keeps doing it where it only did it once last time. Just turned it on again after taking out charger (fourth time or so) and it now booted.

[ajkula66]

I guess that T4x motherboards are not like good wine, they do not get better by sitting on a dusty shelf...

My advice to you would go along these lines:

a) Put a couple of post-it sheets on the GPU and see whether that resolves the issue for the time being.

b) Return the Intel R51 board for a refund

c) Start shopping for a new board and put plenty of time aside, the one that I sent you will likely hold for quite some time if treated gently.

Good luck.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

I'll email about a refund, but I hope he won't be difficult. EDIT: Just shipped it off, he said I could have a refund, we'll see...

Post it notes? What do you mean? Like in, actually put sticky notes (the whole thing?) covering the GPU itself? What does this do? Also, I've read stuff, particularly on one forum, of baking motherboards to get the solder re-flowing...
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1421792
Worth a try?

[ajkula66]

Yep, a couple of "post-it" notes, when pressed by the keyboard will hold the GPU in place. However, this is just a band-aid on the serious wound.

I don't know about baking the board...never tried it myself, and am not sure I'd recommend it...

Good luck.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

I tried putting post it notes (all over the thing), and the problem persists. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I put them under the heatsink and over it to make sure...boot up, same problem.

[ajkula66]

How can you put them under the heatsink on the short fan?

GPU is out in the open on that board...

[Guitarrassdeamor]

How can you put them under the heatsink on the short fan?

GPU is out in the open on that board...

Mine is covered by the extension of the heatsink. It's the ATI piece on the board, correct? Unless it is the one above it (I'm not familiar with laptop motherboards) and that is the northbridge (or similar)? Again, not familiar with laptops, this is the first one I've worked on past replacing the HDD.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-T40-2373-Mother ... 53e03e815f

For instance, you see that. Mine has an extension of the heatsink that covers the ATI part.

Then again, thinking about it, I might have used the one from the motherboard that I have that is bad, not the one you sent me (because I switched the CPUs). But the one I put on there covers it.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

Switched heatsink, freezes as it is logging into Windows always.

[ajkula66]

Patience is a virtue...

Start with two post-it sheets between keyboard and GPU and pile them one by one until you get the machine not to freeze. Be as gentle as you can.

Good luck.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

I've tried a lot of sheets now..the thing that happens is the screen starts freaking out with everything starting to go fuzzy, then it goes crazy after a couple seconds with blinking on and off and fuzzy and all that. Checked and secured LCD connection, but other than that... Has to be the LCD though, because I hooked it up to VGA and it worked. I'll try more tomorrow maybe..I'm beginning to think this is a waste of time.

[Beaver]

comment removed (external LCD working so not a GPU problem)
Beaver

[RealBlackStuff]

Has to be the LCD though, because I hooked it up to VGA and it worked....

Not necessarily. Your GPU has two parts, digital part driving the internal LCD, and analog part, driving the external monitor.
One can still work, while the other is 'shot', which seems to be the case here.
Accept it, you have a loose GPU which needs reflowing/reballing.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

LCD started going crazy even in BIOS, as a last resort baked it, booted up, worked for 10 minutes (this is on VGA power), then video stopped again.

I honestly don't know if this is worth working on anymore.

EDIT: Just saw this... http://www.bobjohnson.com/_store/Displa ... TP-39T5395 - Would that site be reputable to buy from?

[RealBlackStuff]

Don't know the place, but saw a similar posting in another thread.
For the price you can't go too wrong...

[Guitarrassdeamor]

Well, I bit. $39 including shipping...we'll see.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

garble garble...

Got the mobo today, boot it up, all good, change date and such, freezes and starts to make weird things right at startup with a freeze. Run it on VGA, works for a while, have to shutdown for updates, won't boot back up showing video on vga or screen. pissing me off seriously. Boot it up at 9:20, freezes at 9:22...boot it up again, VGA power won't even go, it's still giving me those [censored] 4 rounds of 4 beeps (and this has been with each mobo) due to security error in which I have to pull power and try a few times for it to actually boot, starts getting fuzzy when booted up into login. What the hell...this can't be the motherboards. I've tried four. Something is wrong. Get it loaded up VGA, load up Windows 7 install, freezes after it gets to the first screen with cursor. Again...9:47 boot it up, frozen by 9:50. Chip hot.

Switched CPU today, ran for 15 mins give or take, then froze

[Raceboy]

Try different memory sticks, I recently had issue with random locki-up and one 256MB stick turned out to be faulty.

[Guitarrassdeamor]

Try different memory sticks, I recently had issue with random locki-up and one 256MB stick turned out to be faulty.

Wow, (maybe fortunately), I think you're right. Started it at 3:30, been running since on a stick of 256mb...started running a movie about 15 mins ago and going to let it go all the way through.

Yep, pretty sure I identified the bad stick...pretty sure I tried both in the other mobo too..fuzzy lines are still apparent (screen goes weird) when starting right into windows, but when I start a movie they arent there and since closing it are yet to come back...

Sealed it up, booted up, 1.25gb in there, hopefully it turns out okay. I'll see if I can get another 1gb stick I suppose soon. Thanks for all the help in the thread.

Screen goes a little weird still...but if I load up a DVD it goes away pretty much...

Flickering/fuzzy whatever still happening. I think it is the screen itself. Then it goes away after turning a DVD on and hasn't come back (yet) after shutting video off.