T30 constantly freezing, is it the memory slot?

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dave47 · #1 Post by **dave47** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:01 pm

My T30 has a bad memory slot. I have tested and narrowed down which slot, and I know the ram is good as both sticks of 512mb work in my other laptop.
The problems I've been having are really frustrating. At any random moment the T30 freezes and the screen washes out, sometimes occurring when I bump it, leading me to believe its a hardware issue, and most likely the memory slot issue. It happens whether I have ram in both slots or just the working slot. If these are symptoms of the slot failure, I'll send my T30 to Hammerhead to get fixed.
One other thing, it tends to freeze more quickly if its running on AC power.
I really hate using my Dell as a temporary fix because it is HEAVY, and it makes me sad seeing my poor T30 not working.

p.s. This issue has gotten progressively worse as time goes by and I'm starting to wonder if the working slot is going bad also, just a thought.

Website · #2 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:01 pm

It sounds like the memory slot to me. You can try to test it, by placing some folded paper in the slot between the ram and the ram cover, and see if you still see the same problems as consistently.

As for Hammerhead Technologies...I highly recommend them for parts....hopefully they are just as good for repairs.

m509272 · #3 Post by **m509272** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:42 am

I believe the memory slot problem is usually restricted to one slot, the outside one. You are getting problems with memory in the "good" slot though. Any chance it's heat related? I'm guessing running on AC is full power and battery cut down. Try running Memtest with the laptop in your normal spot and the run it again with good ventilation flow under the laptop to see if it makes a difference.

phool@round · #4 Post by **phool@round** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:45 am

tfflivemb2 wrote:As for Hammerhead Technologies...I highly recommend them for parts....hopefully they are just as good for repairs.....

Good call. I had a long, extended conversation a few weeks ago with Darrell Pierro. Among other things they purchased a precision automated BGA rework station to fix video chip decoupling. He's now joined our little community..... that's how impressed he is with us. He'll be popping in and out (you'll find him in the OSX conference....lol.) He's a MAC head like moi.

dave47.... I can fix the slot problem....PM if interested because I'd be glad to repair it for you and it's cheaper than replacing the board. It's a serious hobby I have. I'm thinking of offering my skills to the forum. I'm fixing another members T23, they too suffer from this problem.....(This, is little known fact).

robert213 · #5 Post by **robert213** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:05 pm

dave47 wrote:At any random moment the T30 freezes and the screen washes out, sometimes occurring when I bump it, leading me to believe its a hardware issue, and most likely the memory slot issue.

In my Thinkpad T30, I must totally remove the memory card from the bad memory slot -- in order for my machine to work properly.

I plan to ship my machine to HammerHead in the near future.

dave47 · #6 Post by **dave47** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:42 am

Well I sent my t30 in to hammerhead and they fixed the slot. They now both work...but the problem persists.

The [censored] thing continues freezing on me. I've got a hunch that something may be loose or have a bad connection, what are some known issues that would cause it to freeze up when bumped or sitting still? Its hard to explain what the computer displays when it "freaks out" but it seems like something isn't making a good connection. Any ideas?

p.s. this thread sounds like the same problem.
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=50006

#7 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:33 am

Several members on our forum have now fixed the memory-slot problem on their T30, by reflowing the solder of the memory-slots, using a very fine tip.
Apparently only takes about 5 minutes max!

m509272 · #8 Post by **m509272** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:15 am

I have 4 T30s, 3 with memory slot problems. I was looking thru a jewelers loupe at one and noticed a fine wire from the lower memory slot to a connection on the circuit board. Did not notice this on one of the others. All models are the same. Any thoughts?

dave47 · #9 Post by **dave47** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:55 pm

Maybe I wasn't clear...the memory slot issue is no longer the problem, they both work.

T30 constantly freezing, is it the memory slot?

T30 constantly freezing, is it the memory slot?

Re: T30 constantly freezing, is it the memory slot?

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