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T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:45 pm
by jamesqf
I replaced the fan on my T61 today. Had planned to do this for a while, as the fan was getting noisy, and finally got 'Fan error' message on boot. All seems to have gone well, except for one annoying problem: on boot, it now hangs at the BIOS screen (where it says 'press blue thinkvantage button..." If I press the button, it continues a normal boot, and works fine*. Any suggestions why this is happening, and how to fix?
*OK, a caveat on the 'fine'. The new fan is noisier than the old one was before it failed
It also runs a bit faster in 'auto' mode (I run Linux): about 3500 RPM vs 2900 for the old. Any suggestions on finding a quiet, if not completely silent, fan?
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:30 am
by EvoT61
Try to lubricate your fan wit sewing machine oil.
T61 14.1 , 120GB HDD , T8300 , 4Gb Ram.
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:44 am
by ideal-pc
Is your replacement fan a genuine Lenovo part? If not maybe consider going down that route, this guy is selling one in the US:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Genuine-I ... 5888ccf2b0
As far as hanging on BIOS, you could try removing the CMOS battery so as to give it a total reset & see if that helps. If your fan is not genuine Lenovo that may be why it's hanging at startup
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:00 am
by RealBlackStuff
Be VERY careful about removing the CMOS battery!
If there's a Power-On-Password that you are not aware of, it will change into a Supervisor Password if you remove the CMOS!
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 9:41 am
by ideal-pc
RealBlackStuff wrote:Be VERY careful about removing the CMOS battery!
If there's a Power-On-Password that you are not aware of, it will change into a Supervisor Password if you remove the CMOS!
:O:O I had no idea about that either! Been repairing these things for years too, you learn something everyday
Is that all newer Thinkpads?
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 10:16 am
by RealBlackStuff
From T40/R50 onwards you run that risk.
Re: T61 boot hang after fan replacement
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 1:41 pm
by jamesqf
Probably not genuine, as I replaced just the fan itself, not the entire heatsink assembly. Had hoped for a quieter fan than the original
Thanks for the suggestion about CMOS battery. I'll give it a try if other things fail. Apropos of which, does anyone know how to record the boot diagnostics? I changed the BIOS from fast boot to diagnostic, but after the memory check it just flashes stuff on the screen far faster than I can read it.
And if all else fails, I'll try lubing the original and sticking it back in.