T21 won't boot

[Dontknow]

I have one T21 I completed myself with parts from other laptops, and I'd like to get it in working order.
This is what happens now:

When I push the power button all lights go on but after a few seconds they all go out except for the power light. In the meantime I hear the fan, the hard disk and the diskette (or the dvd) spinning.

Nothing happens, but if I leave the laptop on then, after about 8 minutes I see the IBM Thinkpad screen and the note for pushing F1 or F12. Pushing either key produces nothing, but after about a minute i get:

error 0271 Check date and time
error 0187 EAIA data access error
error 0198 Power source is battery (even if I work with the power unit)

followed by:

Hard drive not installed
If operating system not found reinstall hard disk.
Press any key to continue.

After that nothing happens.


I tried to insert a diskette with a bios update before pushing "power on" (tried with older and current bios). After about ten minutes the diskette is read, the IBM program starts executing, but next I get the message that this diskette cannot run on this system.

If I insert a startup DOS diskette then nothing happens, the data is not read or executed.

In all this processes I can never enter the BIOS or choose the boot up device.

Anybody can suggest what to do?

[t20user]

This is a well known problem referred to as BOD (Blink of Death). Welcome to the (unfortunate) club.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=48835

[RealBlackStuff]

Yeah, buy a new CMOS battery for a few bucks on eBay.
Yours is as dead as a dodo.

[Dontknow]

This is a well known problem referred to as BOD (Blink of Death). Welcome to the (unfortunate) club.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=48835

Sorry, but this is not the BOD, this is different. I have two other T21 with BOD so I know it well, as I know the link you gave! I consult it every day in the hope that someone will find a solution, but probably everyone has given up!
With BOD the T21 doesn't start at all, but this one partially starts, also if this happens very slowly.
Or is this a new variant?

Thanks anyway!



To RealBlackStuff

My CMOS battery is a new one, that's the problem!

[rkawakami]

Several questions come to mind:

- Was the motherboard in your now assembled T21 ever working before?
- Same for the CPU; was it ever installed in a system that was working fine? Also, what's the speed/Intel part number on it? I think it should start with "SL" and have three more characters.
- What's the FRU of the motherboard? It's found on a barcode label next to the MiniPCI slot on the bottom. You have to remove the card to see it.
- What are the memory modules? Either part number or verify that you are using PC100 or PC133 low density modules; usually identifiable by having 16 individual memory components on a 256MB module or 8 for a 128MB module. And same question again for the memory; has it ever been verified as working in another machine?
- Along those lines, have you tried removing ALL of the hardware, even memory, and powered up? In that case you should get the 1-3-3-1 beep code indicating bad/missing memory right away. By all hardware, I mean hard drive, Ultrabay, memory, MiniPCI card, PCMCIA and USB.

[Dontknow]

First of all, my thanks for your replying to my question.

All parts have been verified on another T21 and found ok, processor, memory, diskette drive, dvd reader, pci combo card.

Part never tested since in my possession is the motherboard, FRU: 26P8098, and the content of the lower case of the notebook, but I don't think this last will have something to do with it.

From what I've gathered till now, it must be a corrupt BIOS, but can't load it again.
I searched for it on the Lenovo site, downloaded it, made a diskette that is read after about ten minutes from the start, the logo page with statements about the program appears, then the diskette stops turning and a notice appears, telling me that this diskette cannot run on this system.

Could it be that the BIOS is locked? I don't mean a password, but something like read only?

Hope this is enough as an answer, otherwise just let me know and I'll give more information.

[rkawakami]

Another guess, again based upon past experience with a T23, would be to look at the 14 pin integrated circuit located near the upper left corner of J6 in this photo:

http://www.rkawakami.net/ibm_t2x/t21_mo ... legend.jpg

This is a scan of the bottom side of a T21. You can see most of this part by simply removing the memory access panel. It's right next to the front edge of the laptop. Take a close look at the leads (good eyes and/or a magnifying glass is a must!) and see if there appears to be too much solder on them. If so, somebody before you attempted to change out the BIOS chip and made a mess of things. My fix was to get some "solder wick" and place it across the leads that were shorted together, then heat up the wick with a soldering iron and the excess solder flows onto the wick, thus removing the shorts. The wick is basically just a fine mesh of wire; what you would normally see as the shield on a coaxial cable.

edit: Just noticed the FRU 26P8098 you posted... Checking the Hardware Maintenance Manual says that board was originally in a T22. I don't know anything about the differences between the 12P3366 and 12P3369 boards in T21s and the 26P8098. Searching the archives for instances of 26P8098 I find this:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=28693

[Dontknow]

Dear Rkawakami, you gave the right suggestion!

a closer look at the chip located on J6 was the right set. Not only someone before tampered with the contacts, which are full of leftovers from previous soldering, but also removed the chip. Is (or better was) this the BIOS eeprom?

So I think that if I want to bring this T21 again to life I shall have to buy another motherboard; I think it will be difficult to buy the right chip and soldering it on the board with the normal soldering iron I own.

I could of course try, I could remove the chip from another mainboard I own (one striken by the BOD syndrome, which is more difficult to heal), but I think buying another one will be easier.

I thank you very much for the fantastic help you gave and for the research you did; don't know if I eventually can help you, because of my little knowledge of laptops, but you never know! If I can I certainly will!

Regards,

Dontknow

[Phazer]

Curious question. Do the T20's suffer from the BOD? Or is it more limited to T21's & 22's? Most of the comments and postings refer to T22's with a few T21's.

I explain latter.

[Dontknow]

Curious question. Do the T20's suffer from the BOD? ...

They all have the same mainboard, so I think they all get it sooner or later.

[Robbyrobot]

a closer look at the chip located on J6 was the right set. Not only someone before tampered with the contacts, which are full of leftovers from previous soldering, but also removed the chip. Is (or better was) this the BIOS eeprom?

Has nothing to do with the BIOS, but it's the EEPROM. Someone apparently thought they could remove a supervisor password on another board this way.

I have a board like this and for a long time couldn't figure out why it wouldn't show a sign of life. Then I inspected it in detail and found that the EEPROM was missing.

The board is junk. It's not worthwhile trying to put in another EEPROM, unless you do it strictly for fun and experience.

[Mornsgrans]

After two years i want to add my experiences:
I have a T22 with exactly the same symptoms. After several days i found out, that pressing onto the Atmel RF2408 under the RAM cover while turning on the computer lets it boot fine.
If i release my finger from the chip after starting with booting i can work and even install Windows XP including the warm-boots without any problems.

I checked the Atmel under a magnifying glass with a needle and found out, that not all "pins" were soldered properly. Re-solder will help.