"Error 0200: Failure Fixed Disk 7" - Thinkpad T43

[SimonaB]

Hi! Hoping someone can help me again
I actually have 2 problems, but I'll post them in different threads as I'm convinced they're not related.

Thinkpad T43

This is the exact event procedure:
I power up
I get is the IBM Thinkpad splash screen - with a note at the bottom that says (To interrupt normal startup, press the blue Access IBM button)
Then I get 2 beeps in quick succession
Then the messages on the black screen which reads:
ERROR
0200: Failure Fixed Disk 7
Press <F1> to Setup

So I can then either press F1 which takes me into the BIOS and leads nowhere
OR if I press the escape key, black screen goes away and Win XP boots up as normal.

No further issues at all.
It's been doing this for quite a few months. I've run all sorts of disk check error programmes but nothing is ever picked up so I'm not convinced it's a HDD problem.
What else could it be? Google hasn't thrown much light on this.

I've since done a complete "Rescue & Recovery" back to Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (which now throws up a delightful new problem of not recognising my CD drive but I'll make another thread for that because I don't believe these 2 problems to be directly linked)

Thank you in advance

[ajkula66]

It's a known symptom of the SouthBridge chip failure, quite common on these machines.

Nick (poshgeordie) should be able to help you.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=73945

Good luck.

[SimonaB]

Thank you very much ajkula66!
For pointing me in the right direction and helping me understand the root of the problem