Thinkpads Forum

Hi,Have a very strange set of problems on a T60, type 2007,t2500 cpu, X1400 grapics card,wwan.
First thing was error message,said system not supported (or something similar) when I tried to install win7.
So I installed win 7 32,and it installed as usual until it finished and tried to reboot,then it was continuous reboot and switch off sequence.I removed all cards etc. tried alternative ram with no difference.
So I installed XP sp2, all went ok except for the graphics driver which although it installs, when it comes to reboot the screen stays black.If I switch the machine off and then on I get the "windows did not start......choose normal start or most recent settings that worked etc."
I have to choose the recent settings that worked to avoid the black screen but of course the driver wasn't installed with those settings so I'm back where I started.
CCC doesn't open after installation gives error message says Zero display.
Lenovo auto update does the same as manual install of the driver ie. switch off switch on =black screen.
I have installed xp and win 7 32 and 64 on numerous machine with no problem so very frustrated,can any one help please.
Thak you all.

First problem is if you want to install 64bit OS you're going to need a new CPU, your intel core duo is 32bit, a core2 duo would solve that. T5500 would be the cheap way out, or T7200 if you want the most bang for the buck. The T7400 and T7600 are top chips for the T60 line, but are pricey.

If your graphic drivers aren't working, it could be a sign of a gpu problem with your board. I'd try installing a basic generic driver and see if it works, then try installing the ATI drivers again. If they fail, try booting from a linux liveCD and see if the system works in a linux environment, if not, then you may be looking at a new system board, but don't worry, one of our popular sellers here has some of these boards for about $50 I believe, less then 1/10th what lenovo charges for one, or if you wanted to upgrade to the highest performance board, I have one available for a bit more.

However lets hope this is just a software issue.

Thank you for the CPU info, that'll account for the inability to install 64 bit o/s.
Would the current CPU also not accept the 32 bit Win 7 as per the reccuring boot loop after it did appear to install fully?
I do have a working screen except the device manager has the yellow triangle on the display adapter,and the picture is very choppy when scrolling or dragging a window.
I booted into safe mode after installing the ATI driver and it was installed in device manager,but after restarting I had to boot to recent settings that worked, thus losing the ATI installed driver option.
It seems that the machine (or the GPU) just won't work with the ATI driver.
Have even tried the modded version from Driver Heaven with the same result.
Thanks for your help.

The T2500 CPU should not cause any problems with a 32-bit OS. The only time I've had a problem like you describe, a continuous reboot cycle, was when I was trying to install a new OS on a hard drive that had some bad sectors. I'm not saying that for a certainty that is the case with yours, but it's something that can cause the problem, and it's fairly easy to check for.

As for the X1400 display driver, the yellow triangle in device manager indicates the driver is either not installed, or not installed correctly. Which driver version are you using?

The hard drive passed DFT before installation.

I tried to install the relevant driver on the lenovo site 79oi30ww and also 79d179ww.
Also installed the lenovo auto update programme which tried to install its latest driver,not sure which it was though.

The ubuntu linux cd wouldn't boot (cd was OK in my X60).

Device manager says no drivers installed.

TuuS wrote:If your graphic drivers aren't working, it could be a sign of a gpu problem with your board. I'd try installing a basic generic driver and see if it works,

Can anyone point me in the direction of generic driver I can download to try?

Just one other thing I thought of - I bought this machine about 2 years ago with a broken screen (hmm wonder why) so I bought a screen and lid off ebay,I think it was a T60p thinking "they're all the same" maybe I am wrong if some one can let me know I would be grateful.
Thank you.

Does sound like your ati drivers aren't working, so either the hardware or software are faulty. Since you've tried different optional drivers with same results, then it would seem to boil down to bad hardware (assuming you done everything correctly). I recommended booting off a linux liveCD because it will give you a confirmation if your hardware is actually working or not. If you want to try this you can get a disc at ubuntu.com, burn it and boot it without installing. There is an option to make no changes to your computer and the OS will run from the CD. If it runs the ati drivers ok, then you can be pretty sure your hardware is ok. If you get a similar problem in linux, then you'll probably need a new system board.

Well 79d179ww is the Windows XP driver and probably won't install on a Win7 OS.
79oi30ww is a monitor inf file, not a video driver.
79d533ww is the Vista driver and might work with Win7. I don't think it's just a click and install deal though. You will probably have to update the driver in device manager, and point the installer to the folder where you unpacked the Lenovo Vista driver files.
I don't see a Lenovo T60 video driver made for Win7.

Oh!...the "basic" driver TuuS was referring to is the "standard grahics driver" that you have already been using all along. It's what is included in Windows.

The correct Win7 32-bit driver for the X1400 is the first one in the following list (10.5mb).

http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/ ... ti%20x1400

I wasn't able to install win7, as I explained in my opening post,because it rebooted in a continuous on/off loop looped,so I gave up with win 7 and installed XP.

XP installed ok EXCEPT for not being able to install the driver for the X1400 graphics card.

None of the drivers I have installed work they just make windows hang on a black screen until I switch off.
After rebooting I have to use the most recent settings that worked ,which takes me back to a system state where there was no driver installed.

Ubuntu Live failed to work from the CD and would not install.

I tried a non IBM Xp install CD and that failed to boot into windows.
Re-installed the IBM specific XP CD and I am back to the driverless graphics state.

Coming now to the conclusion that the Motherboard is defective and will probably break machine for parts.

Unless any-one has another cure for the problem.

Many thanks for the help offered here.

Ah...I missed the part about having XP installed...sorry.
Yeah, it sure looks like you have a faulty GPU, likely corrupt VRAM. It's the most likely part to cause the graphic driver problems. I actually have an older model ThinkPad, an A30p that runs just fine with the Windows standard drive or VESA in Linux, but just a black screen with the proper Windows driver or Xorg.

As for 7 failing to install, I still think a faulty HDD or RAM is more likely the cause of that. But, if you have thoroughly tested both the HDD and RAM, I'm at a loss about that.

What is the P/N or FRU of that motherboard?
Remove the battery, you might see a white label with it under there.
If not, remove palmrest and RAM modules, to find another white label.
Maybe you don't have X1400 after all?

RealBlackStuff wrote:What is the P/N or FRU of that motherboard?
Remove the battery, you might see a white label with it under there.
If not, remove palmrest and RAM modules, to find another white label.
Maybe you don't have X1400 after all?

The fru is 42T0122
Device manger says its X1400 when I actioned - scan for hardware changes.
Used Hitachi drive fitness test prog on HDD
Have also used different ram which is fine in other thinkpads.

That is an ATI x1400 discrete board. I can get them, but RBS can probably give you the best deal on one of these, so he will be your best option. If you were inclined to upgrade to a T60p board with FireGL 5250 graphics (latest revision), I have one of them for a reasonable price.

You can actually use any of the graphic options, Intel, Radeon x1300, Radeon x1400, FireGL 5200 or FireGL 5250. All will work so it just depends on what you want, the cheapest option, the highest performance, or perhaps you want to keep it all original.