How do I get past the BIOS

[warp4dennis]

Hi:
My T-60 has been getting slower and slower for some time. And now that I need
to use it, I can't get it past the BIOS.
The HDD has only one partition which is used for Win 7, and the rest is free space.
Does anybody have any suggestions on how I go about getting the T-60 going again?

[rkawakami]

We will probably need some more information...

1) What is the model type of the system? It's found on a black and white bar code on the bottom and found the BIOS main screen (first seven characters of System-unit serial number).
2) Does the system automatically enter into the BIOS screen?
3) Are there any messages displayed on the screen?
4) Do you have access to another hard drive? Blank or otherwise erasable.
5) Are you able to download some files/programs and write CDs?

[warp4dennis]

Question 1: <Admin edit: deleted serial number>
Question 2: If I press the ThinkVantage key, the Startup Interrupt Menu will come up.
That allows me to 1. resume normal startup; 2, enter the BIOS Setup Utility,
or 3, choose a temporary startup device.
Question 3: "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue ThinkVantage button".
Question 4: ?
Question 5: No.

[MrMaguire]

My pre-emptive guess is the hard drive is bad.

[rkawakami]

The seven characters you posted (L3-xxxxx) is the system serial number, not the model type. Model type is formatted as 1234-ABC on the barcode label; four numbers, followed by three characters (letters and/or numbers). In BIOS, it's the first seven characters of System-unit serial number.

If you choose the temporary startup device, is a hard drive listed? Usually it's indicated as HDD0:, along with a manufacturer name and model number of the drive. If it's not listed, that means either the drive has been deactivated within the BIOS, the drive is not connected, it is defective or there's a problem with the motherboard.

I ask if you have another laptop hard drive, in this case a 2.5" SATA drive, as you may have to try another drive to see if the problem is with the currently installed drive or something on the motherboard. Same goes for being able to write some CDs as you may have to re-install the operating system. I am assuming that you don't already have a system recovery set.

[warp4dennis]

The model type would be 2007-66G

If you choose the temporary startup device, is a hard drive listed?

Yes, the HDD is listed as the Second device and the name is given.
The first boot device is the CD/DVD drive and it's name is also given.

[rkawakami]

Original specs for 2007-66G: T2500(2GHz), 1GB RAM, 100GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1400x1050 LCD, 128MB ATI Radeon X1400, CDRW/DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, 6c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

If you then select the hard drive as the startup device and nothing happens, that would say that the hard drive is recognized by BIOS but does not boot. Usually, if that is the case, you should also see an error message saying something like "No operating system found". It is beginning to sound like the hard drive is not working correctly. I would recommend that you first try re-seating the drive. Power the system off, remove the plastic door covering the hard drive, pull the drive out and then push it all the way back in. Try restarting the system and see if that helped.

If your T60 still does not boot, then I would recommend trying to see if you can still read any data off the drive. This means you would have to remove the hard drive and connect it to another computer/laptop. That can be done in several ways but usually requires some additional hardware; an Ultrabay HD adapter if you have another Thinkpad, a USB HD enclosure, etc. It's possible that the drive will not boot but that you can still read (and copy) any important/critical data off the drive. I would at least try that first before attempting to run any commands/utilities that are said to repair a non-booting drive. If not done right, you could lose all of the data on the drive. On the other hand, if you don't care about any of the files/data on the drive, you could try running the built-in HD diagnostic from the BIOS menu and see what that says.

[warp4dennis]

A short while ago I ran the Windows 7 System Recovery Options - Startup Repair.
It found nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was OK.
I also ran the built-in Disk Test of the Phoenix BIOS for about 20 minutes, and
the HDD was found to be working properly.
There have been reports about Lenovo BIOS updates causing a problem similar
to mine.

[Brad]

I have been following this thread. I still don't understand what you mean by "can't get past the BIOS".

Please elaborate.

Brad

[rkawakami]

Hey Brad!

Not to put words into the OP's mouth, but I interpret that statement as "system cannot boot a previously working hard drive". With the last post, it now sounds like there may have been a BIOS update attempted.

[FryPpy]

One hint and one story:
X32 have maxed out ram and it got fault like OP have (very long hanging on Thinkpad startup screen). Have updated BIOS and nothing have happen. But have noticed - it hanging long time only on first boot. After reboot it starts up normally. And while hanging it can accept F1 and F12 and go to BIOS setup or boot device selection menu without waiting.... And one day i have pressed ESC key while on Thinkpad screen instead of F1... and screen have changed to normal textual boot screen (which can be seen on old non-EFI desktops). In my case thinkpad have doing external memory test (for full 2Gb). In BIOS external memory test option was set to disabled. But when i have changed it to enabled + save + reboot and after that to disabled all things became normal.

T60 can behave the same - press ESC and write here what you have seen.