Anyone else T60P not latching well into Advanced Mini Dock?

[PhysicalEd]

I find that my T60p doesn't really lock into my Advanced Mini Dock unless I "dock" it, and then open it and push very hard above and below the keyboard (because I'm reluctant to put that much pressure *on* the keyboard where the latches really are).

When I say "dock" it I mean I dock it, it clicks, it acts docked, it thinks it's docked, I can turn the key to "lock" it. But if I bump it, everything comes loose. Finally after some experimentation I find that if I press really hard on the face of the open laptop I hear additional clicks and if I lock it then I can pretty much pick up the dock with the laptop.

The only other reference I've found to this problem was back in August:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=dock

I was wondering if this is a common thing, or if I have something wrong here? Everything seems fine, and I've had it for a while and just assumed that latches were weak. Then I discovered the additional locking sounds that come with pressure.

Thanks!

[kf_man]

Can't add much to it, but I have noticed this problem myself. I just don't worry about it although I wish the latches held onto it better with a minimum of applied force. I'd be interested to see if there are others around, maybe a call to tech support could get a replacement unit?

[whizkid]

I have a T60 and advanced mini-dock and do not have this problem. I dock with the lid closed, and do have to give a good nudge near the hinges, but it's fine after that.

It takes a really good press on the eject button to get it out.

[kf_man]

What happens if you lift up the notebook or, as in my case, bump it? When I dock with the lid closed I can't seem to get it to seat properly on the right side and if you lift on the notebook it can be popped right out, but I wouldn't recommend trying to do it. It happened the first time when I tried to move the whole dock a little to plug something in and the dock has gotten stuck to the desk.

With the top closed I can't seem to get the right side to latch properly, but if I open the cover and push above and below the keyboard, as described, I hear a light click sound and the notebook is much more secure in the dock.

[whizkid]

If I dock with the lid closed, it snaps firmly into place. I can lift the laptop and dock from the front right corner.

[kf_man]

Hmmm, that's not the way mine is. If I dock it while closed I cannot get it to firmly attach. If I lift from anywhere near the right side it will completely and forcefully undock the laptop. It's not a real issue, but maybe it's worth contacting Lenovo support over since it appears that yours doesn't suffer this problem. Hopefully it's nothing on the laptop, but I highly doubt it would be.

[Dimitri_P]

Same here. Won't easily latch closed.

So I put it into the dock, as I tru to latch, then open in; and press just above and below the keyboard until the CLICK

[stephanpark]

Hi PhysicalEd, guys,
I used to have a T30 with the port replicator...there is no port replicator for the T60 so I got the advanced mini dock.

On the T30 I had no problem, line it up and press on the edges, meaning that the front of the laptop touches down first then the rear lines and locks down into place. A firm push (~5 lbs of force) and its good.

On the T60 with mini dock, I have to land the Thinkpad back end first...line up IS easier because they now align to a corner (nice though Lenovo) but locking down is weirdly complex. This requires again the back to click in first while the front (speaker grill end) hovers as so the floor plane of the laptop is parallel with the dock/table surface. Then a very firm press just above the keyboard bezel and just below the space bar hears a series of clicks and snaps in quick succession. Press again just to make sure. When executed by an expert mini-dockist, this sounds a bit like crushing a soda can with a final reassuring SNAP at the end. I'm sure you Navy pilots out there will find landing your Thinkpads a breeze, but I feel a twinge of disappointment that my analogy is accurate on a consumer product.

But hey, it is built very solid so maybe the brute force isn't an issue. And there is that sense of pride in accomplishing a difficult task.