Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

unfortunately the first major issue with my T61 arose. I was using it in a public library for a couple hours, playing some browser based flash games and closed the lid afterwards, without ending the session. I put the T61 into a linen bag and then my backpack right away and left. About 20-30 minutes later, I was in the subway, I took it out to watch a video and nothing happened on the push of the on/off button.

I perceived that the bottom of the unit was very hot, even though I turned it off above mentioned time span ago. So I carried it uncovered in my hand on the way to the bus station to let it cool down. Some 10-15 minutes later the warmth was almost gone so I tried once again the push of the on/off key and it started as usual, except I got that message telling me the Windows session was not ended properly, with the options to "start normally", "in safe mode"... But on selection of the option to start Windows normally it booted like always.

Any idea what could have caused all that? I was scared for a moment that the T61 had already died and that the seller scammed me. Is this a sign that the T61 is about to retire permanently?

Now of course I think more than ever about the still available option to send it back within two weeks after arrival.

Thanks.

That was pure overheating.
Never transport a running laptop in a bag or backpack!
You should at least set the laptop to Hibernate if you close the lid, but better is to switch it off completely.
Hot/cold cycles are the things that will kill (not only) the nVidia GPU.
It's not too late to return it...

RealBlackStuff wrote:That was pure overheating.
Never transport a running laptop in a bag or backpack!
You should at least set the laptop to Hibernate if you close the lid, but better is to switch it off completely.
Hot/cold cycles are the things that will kill (not only) the nVidia GPU.
It's not too late to return it...

Do you mean this is something that can't be avoided since this particular gpu is prone to overheating or should I just wait some time to let the device cool down, before I pack it away? Is the hibernate/switch-off before closing the lid issue related to the overheating issue?

Check if the fan exhaust is clean or full of dust bunnies.
With a clean, properly working fan, the GPU should not overheat like yours seem to do.
Also check if there is any thermal paste between CPU and fan, and that it's not dried up!
Replace it with Arctic Silver 5.
You play games: unless you have an Alien gaming laptop, you shouldn't. Play games on your desktop, Xbox or whatever.

Rereading your first post again, what exactly did you do?

closed the lid afterwards, without ending the session.

Just closed the lid without switching the laptop off?
What is your setting for "closing the lid"?

I turned it off above mentioned time span ago.

When did you switch it off?

Install TP Fan Control:
http://www.staff.uni-marburg.de/~schmitzr/donate.html
Make sure to read the instructions.
That way at least you can keep track of the temperature.

The metal fins of the air vent on the left side seem dust free. There is no visible dust and I took a couple of deep breaths to check if dust comes out, nothing. It seems quite dust free.

Where is the CPU located, do I need to open the whole bottom and expose the complete innards of the T61? I built my desktop tower PC from scratch, so I am at least not completely unfamiliar with what hardware looks like.

So I would love to check the fan and if necessary replace the paste. If it was never renewed it seems likely that it is now, five years later, not as fresh as it once was. Maybe the fan does not work at full capacity either? There's an airflow coming from the metal venting fins, but it seems rather weak. Well, all I do now is browsing the web and typing, that shouldn't need a lot of fan work.

So if there was some guidance on how to do all this I'd be keen to check the vent, and as mentioned earlier in a different post I'd also like to expand the disk space with a larger drive, then switch from Win 7 32 to Win XP 32.

I played Oblivion pretty fluently on a laptop I bought for 699 Euros at the end of 2007. That laptop and the T61 were built at around the same time and the T61 cost at least twice that amount, if I am not mistaken. I was hoping the T61 can handle games at least as well.

So you would recommend abstaining from all games, even low taxing games from the 90s or early 2000s such as Fallout 1/2? How about videos, can the T61 handle them without overheating?

RealBlackStuff wrote:Just closed the lid without switching the laptop off?
What is your setting for "closing the lid"?

I was playing some browser based flash games. I think I did not close the browser but I closed the tabs with the flash games. That was when I closed the lid. The Windows session was still running, I did not sign out or switch to standby or hibernate, just closed the lid in a hurry because the library was closing and I was about to get kicked out.

RealBlackStuff wrote:When did you switch it off?

There I was referring to the 20-30 minutes I mentioned earlier in the same post. That was in the library. When I took the T61 out again I was in the subway, about 20-30 minutes after I closed the lid in the library.

I actually did not switch it off, I was just closing the lid, without shutting it down (details as read above in this post). I suppose the T61 does not turn off when the lid is just closed. So 20-30 minutes later I took the T61 out of my backpack and was not able to start it, no reaction at all at the push of the on/off button. 10-15 minutes out in the open, the T61 had cooled down significantly and it was able to start normally, except for the "windows not ended properly" info with the boot in safe mode option.

Thanks for the fan control link, I just installed it.

Sorry for blabbering on so much, I hope you will be able to find the important bits in this surge of meaninglessness.

Get the HMM here: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail. ... MIGR-39298
Pick the manual for the correct size of your laptop in the ThinkPad T Series section.

Like I said before, you need to close down (Sleep/Hibernate/Power off) when you transport the laptop.
In Power Management there are various settings to choose from (like what happens if you press the power button, what happens if you close the lid, etc.).

You can get 2.5" SATA hard disks up to 1TB.

Not gaming on a laptop is only my personal opinion.
You should have no problems playing videos.