Fixing a T22 with a T20 motherboard

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starfire · #1 Post by **starfire** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:19 pm

Hello All,

First post here, been reading for a while and picking up pointers - great forum, thanks for the info so far.

So, my T22 started to randomly hang and then reset itself. Its now at the point where I get the IBM splash screen before it 'resets' itself and appears to reboot.

I can hit F1 and sometimes it says entering BIOS but always hangs or resets BEFORE it gets there. I've tried removing every component apart from the CPU, one memory stick and the LCD and it still does this, whether on battery or mains power. I've tried a different known good working CPU and same results so I've concluded the motherboard is broke - unless anyone has any other suggestions?

So, not wishing to spend much, I've got my hands on a T20 motherboard + CPU (700mhz) (in fact the whole base plate, no LCD or keyboard but the main bottom bit).

I was going to move the CPU (900mhz), fan and other components from my T22 across to the T20 - are there any obvious "gotchas" I should be aware of?

Thanks!

Orevin · #2 Post by **Orevin** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:30 pm

starfire wrote:Hello All,
I've tried removing every component apart from the CPU, one memory stick

Did you remove the ethernet/modem card too? What about the memory stick?

are there any obvious "gotchas" I should be aware of?

Just follow the HMM. Make sure you have the latest Bios and use new thermal compound for the CPU.

starfire · #3 Post by **starfire** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:58 am

Yes, I remvoed the ethernet/modem combo too and tried my two memory sticks on their own and both together in different slot combinations but still no joy.

I've searched this board and its a bit inconclusive, but should a T22 at least get me into the BIOS with the CMOS chip disconnected?

chan_man · #4 Post by **chan_man** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:53 pm

putting the 900 from the T22 into a T20 motherboard will work, you will need to get the latest bios disk to boot the machine afterwards. All the other parts are interchangable. I've done this on many machines.

#5 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:56 pm

starfire wrote:I've searched this board and its a bit inconclusive, but should a T22 at least get me into the BIOS with the CMOS chip disconnected?

If you mean the CMOS battery, then the answer is "yes". You will of course receive a couple of error messages, and assuming you don't have a supervisor password set, you will be presented with the BIOS screen.

Now, if you actually mean the CMOS intergrated circuit has been removed, then "no" your laptop should not boot.

starfire · #6 Post by **starfire** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:11 pm

Yes, sorry, I meant the battery - I tried disconnecting it from the motherboard to see if it would make a difference but it didn't.

chan_man · #7 Post by **chan_man** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:33 pm

starfire wrote:Yes, sorry, I meant the battery - I tried disconnecting it from the motherboard to see if it would make a difference but it didn't.

You do have to leave the battery out for some time until the capacitors are dead, then try booting. I would give it 15 minutes.

starfire · #8 Post by **starfire** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:39 am

Ok, so I swapped the motherboards and now my T22 (T20) is working again

Now, can someone advise, could a bad battery in anyway potentially damage a motherboard such that it will no longer work like mine?

The reason I ask is before my system died it would run on battery, and then for no reason go into a reset "fit" ie. all lights would flash and it would keep rebooting itself again and again - now, this well may have been the first sign on the M/B on its way out but I never had this problem when I then swapped to running on AC (at least until the M/B recently failed).

What do people think? Shall I risk the old battery in my now working laptop?

thomaslp · #9 Post by **thomaslp** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:36 pm

chan_man wrote:putting the 900 from the T22 into a T20 motherboard will work, you will need to get the latest bios disk to boot the machine afterwards. All the other parts are interchangable. I've done this on many machines.

I need to swap a defect T22 board with one from a T20. Forgive me but I do not understand the above qoute. Could someone explain it to me.

#10 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:28 pm

It means that if you put a 900MHz CPU in a lower spec motherboard (such as for the T20) you need to update the BIOS first, otherwise the 900MHz CPU will not work. You may want to put the T22 fan on it, if it will fit.

thomaslp · #11 Post by **thomaslp** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:00 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:It means that if you put a 900MHz CPU in a lower spec motherboard (such as for the T20) you need to update the BIOS first, otherwise the 900MHz CPU will not work. You may want to put the T22 fan on it, if it will fit.

Thank you for the reply, but I tried to upgrade the T20 bios with the one for T22 but I am not allowed to do that. I get a message that the bios version will not work. Should I simply make a upgrade of the T20 bios? If not how do I force the T22 bios firmware to be installed?

#12 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:49 am

You can ONLY flash the BIOS with a version for that particular mobo.
So a T20 BIOS for a T20 mobo, and a T22 BIOS for a T22 mobo, etc.

Fixing a T22 with a T20 motherboard

Fixing a T22 with a T20 motherboard

Re: Fixing a T22 with a T20 motherboard

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