Thinkpads Forum

I'm getting this error randomly, I talked to tech support and they said it was probably a bios problem, and I should install bios 1.11 I see only bios 1.10 on their website. I have Bios 2.00 G installed as of now. I've had this bluescreen like 5 times in the past 2 days.

Blue screen with the following text:

Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support
NMI: Parity Check/Memory Parity Error
The system has halted.


Anyone have some advice? I ran PC Doctor memory check and the memory checked out fine. This is really problematic. Even when it doesn't bluescreen, I've had ie crash many times due to parity error.

edit: Add to the pain, I configured the same system I received 2 days ago and it is $200 less than what I paid for it.

Same thing is happening to me: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=33422

I only get this error when running on batteries. Is this the case with your system? I checked the BIOS and mine is on version 2.01 and here's the bad part - I just received the T60P brand new.

I did make the proper arrangements and reordered a new T60P with all the same setup (saved $200) + free upgrade to Vista Business when the time comes. Lenovo is sending UPS to come pick up this laptop today. The downside is that I now have to wait yet another month to receive the new laptop.

From reading other posts of people who've had similar problems, I understand there may be problems with the RAM, or Video driver, or something, etc.., but seeing how mine was so new, I didn't want to go down that road of trying to fix a new laptop.

I really do like Thinkpads (used to have a T42), but if my new one comes defective as well, I'm done with the T60 model for now and will go with another brand for the time being - don't have 2 months sitting around being Lenovo's tester when there's work I need to be doing.

-Peter

I have had it bluescreen both on battery and a/c. How did you go about getting a refund and reordering? I think that would be the best option for me, because it would be $200 cheaper and I could get the a/b/g/n card I wanted (I called a couple days after I ordered and they said they would add it, but they never did..).

This thing is brand new as well, received it on tuesday.

You have the choice of exchanging for a new one, or using the warranty to get the laptop fixed. I'm uncertain which path is shorter, but I just chose the path of least aggravation - cause I have too much other things going on. But keep in mind that if you choose to have a new laptop and your system is one that needs special configurations, you may have to wait the full waiting period again. (My new laptop is now set to ship on 12/19).

I basically called up the customer support line. I found this number on the Lenovo site (http://www.lenovo.com/support) which I just tried to go to, but it appears to be down. I would call one of the more general numbers you find on the site and try to get to customer support. (like 1-866-45THINK for general inquiries)

During the customer service call, they should assign a Case number, then let them know you want to exchange for a new one, since this is brand new. They may still forward you to tech support - which is what happened to me. If they had a quick fix, I figured I should take advantage of it. Well, initially, tech support said since it was a memory parity error, they'll mail me 2 new memory simms (2x1GB RAM). I asked if they were certain this was going to fix the problem, cause I don't want to have to swap parts on a new laptop - never know how long it'll go on for. I told them I would rather have a new laptop altogether then.

They then gave me the Sales number and told me to inform them of the Case number and that it was defective out of the box. Sales was understanding right away and very courteous.

Sales:
866-428-4465 (exchange / refund)
Hours - M-F 8:30AM - 9:15PM EST, Sat 10AM - 6PM EST

Are you guys using the factory preload or not....?

If not, you probably left off the update modules for XP....

Get them from the device driver matrix for the T60....its nearly the last item on the page....
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... -62928#INF

using the preload and all of the default drivers

I had a long talk with tech support. After having me pull the ram and everything they decided the error was from having the wrong bios. They said they don't even have a bios 2.00g (which is what is on my machine) and I need to install 1.10.

I'm stuck between trying to fix the bios and keep this machine, or going the return and reorder route. I don't really want to wait again, but it might be worth it since I might get a screen without any dead pixels (I have one really annoying one) and I don't like the fact that this doesn't work right out of the box.

edit: I attempted to install bios 1.10, but the installer says "BIOS image file does not match this system. The utility process has not been completed" when I run it. So basically they installed the wrong bios onto my machine and I can't change the bios. I didn't want to, but I suppose I will need to call and arrange the long exchange/reorder process.

The update modules will not load automatically. Put them on your system first, then run Software Installer.

Second, you can roll back the BIOS by burning a bootable CD with it on it...

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-63027

Press F12 upon boot to select the CD drive when you see the BIOS splash screen.

Is it true you can roll back the BIOS to a previous version? I wasn't certain - read somewhere that it may not be possible. I also have a hunch that it may be the BIOS, just because there's been so many complaints about the 2.01 BIOS and that's what my laptop got shipped with. I figured it's either that, or some short in the motherboard circuitry - I got the BSOD reproduceable, within 10 secs, when running on battery.

blynch - it's got to be a tough decision whether to return this and have to wait another month. I chose to return my laptop and not deal with it, but I have other systems that I am using meanwhile and just didn't want to bother. But I have to admit that I'm learning a lot from just reading this thread about what the possible causes may be (and eventually, some possible remedy). My fear is that when I get my new laptop, it'll still have the same problem.

-Peter

All of the older BIOS's are posted for that very reason. You can go backlevel.

Also...odds are your system is fine, its either the 3rd party memory or the non-factory preload.

I was not successful at installing bios 1.10, however I installed bios 2.01 that someone on this board had posted and have been running for a couple days without the system crashing. So hopefully the problem is fixed.

I take that back, apparently I'm now having the same problem as peter was having. I unpluged the system and and sure enough 10minutes later I got the bluescreen. I will be calling lenovo again tomorrow and most likely will have to get a new laptop. I love this notebook, but will this problem even be fixed if I get a new one?

blynch wrote:I was not successful at installing bios 1.10, however I installed bios 2.01 that someone on this board had posted and have been running for a couple days without the system crashing. So hopefully the problem is fixed.

I bet i'ts the 2.01 79ETC1WW which is working, right? Or not even with that one?

blynch wrote:I will be calling lenovo again tomorrow and most likely will have to get a new laptop.

Uhm... I fear you will end up with a second T60 with same problematic bios, don't you think?

blynch, sorry to hear about your laptop. Guess it's a consistent problem the T60s are having with the new BIOS. My hunch is that Lenovo is getting a lot of these calls and realizing that something is consistently wrong. If you have investigated this further, please post your findings. I'm sure there are many others who can also benefit.

It's true that if Lenovo ignores this problem, our new laptops will arrive with the same problem. If this is the case, then obviously, I would just seek a refund. I'm not paying $1000+ for a paperweight. There are many other brands of laptops on the market. There's just too much work to do, not enough time to do it, and things like this are supposed to "help" us, not waste more time.

Just my 2 cents.

-Peter

Computer ran for a bit fine with 2.01 bios, but after removing ac power it didn't take but 10min for it to blue screen. I set the computer in for exchange last night, so hopefully the new one won't take forever to get here and won't have the same problems. I had a really annoying dead pixel (bright lime green near the middle of screen), so the exchange due to bsod errors at least has one positive (hopefully I don't get a new computer with dead pixels again).

I'd like to say the bios is the culprit, but members on this forum seem to be running fine with 2.00g and 2.01, both of which I had problems with. Therefore I beleive they had a bad batch of motherboards which peter and I got ahold of, or bad ram that for some reason testing the memory couldn't detect.

If this one doesn't work properly I too will look for a refund and head for an asus system. It would be dissapointing, because I fell in love with that T60 in just that week I had it. I was very impressed with the build quality and keyboad. Although the battery life wasn't very good, a measly 2hour to 2.5hours if I set everything all the way down. Someone said they got 6.5 hours with the 6cell, 15" and an x1400? Does the firegl really eat that much power, to get less than half the battery life even with a smaller screen?

I was just reading through the other posts in this forum and it looks like there is a new BIOS out now, version 2.03 ?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-63027

May want to give this one last try if you haven't repackaged the laptop back in the box yet.

Our laptops probably have the same glich. I think we ordered them around the same time (they arrived within days of each other), so I'm assuming they probably have the same batch of motherboards and / or RAM, BIOS problems, etc.., I remember ordering mine as it was the first day the Duo Core 2 processors hit the Lenovo site. Guess there are issues to work out.

-Peter

yea the new bios came out the day after I shipped it out unfortionately, I would have liked to give it a try.

New bios didn't help me.

Neither did using ATI drivers

I guess I'm left with Lenovo support - youch...

SOLUTION:

Oddly enough, you need to update the wireless adapter driver. I have a few dozen of these machines and was getting the same lame answers you guys were. I finally got a guy at Lenovo who know how to look deeper. I tried it and have had no further problems.

Here is the link to the issue, and the driver download:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67654

BHNelson
Portland, ME

Thanks BHNelson,

just dropped in this thread, because I had those BSOD with the same error a while back. Just occasionally, but after adding an extra Gig of memory they were frequent.

Since I could at that time find no solution and my T60p wasn't brand new, I gave up troubleshooting and I installed a clean windows. All went fine from there, but you finally gave me a possible explanation...

(error appeared under different BIOS versions)

Good luck