T60, dock and USB ports

[Zender]

I'm experiencing weird behaviour with the Advanced Mini Dock and 2007-FUG T60. I'm running 24" LCD 1920x1200 off the dock's DVI.

With dual monitor setup (24" LCD + laptop's display), everything works fine.
When I disable the laptop's display (the GPU runs cooler, thus the fan spins down more often), strange things start happening. Mouse freezes for a while almost each time the processor does something (I switch a tab in Firefox, start a video playback, etc). Once every few minutes my tablet stops acting as a tablet and acts like a generic HID device, restarting driver service restores correct behaviour - for next few minutes. Keyboard basically "restarts" from time to time - I use a keystroke for switching tab in Firefox, the keyboard "disconnects" leaving the keys pressed, tabs keep switching rapidly, after a few seconds the keyboard is back and tabs stop switching.

All devices are plugged through dock's USB or through a hub plugged to dock's USB. Does not matter if hub or dock directly, tried combinations and did not help. Simply it seems that the devices lose power for a while.

Plugging the USB devices to ports directly on laptop solves the issues (unacceptable, what I have the dock for?).
Enabling the laptop's internal display solves the issues - not very willing to (fan spinning), but for now the "best" solution.

From time to time, when the stars are on our side, everything works even with disabled internal display and using dock's USB. But only once in a long while.
Anyone has a clue WHY on Earth this could be happening?

Dock FRU 42W4630. Latest BIOS, latest drivers. Good example: The mouse freezes each time I try to use scrollbar of this field I'm typing message in. I enable the laptop's display and everything works great...

[insonic]

One year and no solutions???

I have the same problems - T60 + Advanced Mini Dock and keyboard, mouse and joypad being reconnected several times when working with some specific applications (like Firefox with Flash content, but not only there).

I found a suggestion to update BIOS. Now I have version 2.20. I tried to update a keyboard driver. I tried to uninstall this keyboard personalization software from ThinkPad (don't remember it's name now). Nothing helped . But it seems to be only Windows issue - the things seem to work correctly under some linux distributions (according to posts I've found on other forums, since I don't have any linux installed).

It's incredibly irritating and sometimes the only one way to make it work once again, I have to reboot the computer.

Any suggestions?

After almost two years of having T60 I have to say - this laptop really sux, but all the others I had so far were even worse... So depressing... No good laptop on the market.

[Zender]

My solution is to keep internal display enabled, worked for me ever since. It has its drawbacks, such as pulsating high-frequency noise from the fan (which wouldn't need to run without graphics card powering two displays), but luckily I've grown used to it, and when it happens to be too loud, I just start WinAmp with some quiet music.
Be sure to search your dock's P/N or FRU. There have been some problematic series.

Problems I had and solved:

- Other issue with the dock was that when I hibernated the computer while docked, and then woke it up outside the dock, it would start - but about 10-15 seconds after that it would freeze. This was solved by using BIOS 2.21 and disabling parallel/serial ports on the dock (fortunately I don't use them, LPT scanner is connected to my desktop computer). Not sure if this also happened with sleep, might have been so.

- Another issue was with WinXP and certain USB devices, such as the integrated BT, certain ExpressCard memory card reader or one keyboard. After plugging these in, laptop's power usage would almost double and won't return to normal until the device is disconnected AND the laptop slept/hibernated and woken back up. There is a hotfix from M$ for this. SP3 does not fix this.

Problems which remain:

- sleep/hibernate with bluetooth enabled means bluescreen when computer wakes up. Drivers must be the cause, but I'm used to have BT off when not using it, so it wasn't worth fiddling with them, to me.
- pulsating fan noise - especially when the fan spins at the lowest level, luckily it got better rather than worse over the time, sometimes I use quiet music not to hear it; maybe heatsink replacement would solve it, but I'm not really sure local service center would be keen on that, and don't want to give up fully working machine just because of that, and be left without it for at least days.
- inherent problems of WinXP with swapping out applications when working with large files; learned that this can be mitigated by creating RAM drive and putting swap file there (and only there) - will be testing soon; at least 2GB RAM needed (half of which will be used by the swap file)
- wireless connection will sometimes simply not send any packets, until I "Repair" or disable/enable the adapter (sometimes Repair is not enough); this happens both to WLAN and WWAN device; heard that disabling power management might cure this, but simply unchecking "Allow windows to power off this device to save power" didn't help. Installed some hotfix related to this and it didn't help.

Nevertheless T60 has been pretty good machine for me and I'm set on keeping it as long as I can - 4:3 14" seems to be extinct in new machines. Been eyeing 15" T60 with IPS displays, but probably wouldn't be willing to pay the price in terms of weight, dimensions and battery life.

[insonic]

My solution is to keep internal display enabled, worked for me ever since.

Hmm... I'll try this, but you know - I hate such stupid workarounds! I spent so much money on the laptop and on the docking station, that using these workarounds is just ridiculous!

Be sure to search your dock's P/N or FRU. There have been some problematic series.

Do you know any website listing these problematic series? My P/N is 2504.

I did not have any other problems you mentioned, but:

wireless connection will sometimes simply not send any packets, until I "Repair" or disable/enable the adapter

I have two access points - at my house and at my parents' house. Exactly the same type, but mine is about one year newer. This problem occurs only at my parents' house.

Although I have this Verizon WWAN adapter, I have never used it, since here in Europe this standard is not implemented (besides some minor locations), so no experiences with that.

Thanks for your reply!

[Zender]

I did dislike that workaround too, but actually have learned to use the second display every now and then. I would have nothing against it if it didn't mean fan spinning - docking is somewhat tricky thing and if we didn't pay so much for the machine, we probably wouldn't have docking option at all

Unfortunately don't know where the dock revisions might be listed. Some USB issues were fixed by a newer one, but to my knowledge I have the newest and it was still there.

Just a random note - you can replace your Verizon card with GPRS/UMTS(3G) card. These can be had for $200-400 depending on source, Lenovo-brandiness and novelty(features). It's easy when you already have the antennas in.

Thanks for the information about APs. I'll try to check if I can replace my home gear.,Though it really won't help when it happens at public hotspots or at school, I doubt I'll persuade everyone that they have old wifi device I have heard that it might be caused by Intel's 'specific' implementation of power saving. I had believed in that until I found out it happened to WWAN (definitely non-Intel) device too.

[insonic]

you can replace your Verizon card with GPRS/UMTS(3G) card.

Thanks for info, maybe one day I try that.

Thanks for the information about APs.

Just treat it as a hint, because I really don't know the real reason. At my friend's location I had a problem with Speedport W 700V AP from T-Com (Deutsche Telekom). Once my friend connected his laptop at 22Mbps, mine could not find this AP anymore (completely invisible). I had to use PCMCIA WiFi adapter in that case.

Just for reference - my AP is Linksys WAG-200G (German version, since here we have slightly different ADSL over analog line than in the rest of the world).

[kadiir]

Hello:

I have the same situation however I when I enable the laptop's display nothing changes.

I suspect I'm doing something wrong - can you explain exactly what it is you're doing to enable the laptop's display, please?

[yak]

Is this related in any way to having integrated or ATI graphics in a T60?

[Zender]

Possibly, I have ATI X1400.

As for enabling internal display... use either clone or extended desktop mode, so that both external and internal displays are active.

[kadiir]

Hmm, it sounds like I did what you did....

In BIOS, set Display to DVI+LCD.

In Windows, left at default (I assume that's clone) and tried extended desktop. Either way I still get the disconnects.

The only way it works is if I plug directly into the laptop - plugging my KVM into the laptop doesn't even work

[siman]

Hi i'm pretty sure that the problem is caused by the integrated graphics card as mentioned....

Taken from Lenovo/ibm support site

ThinkPad T60, T60p (14 inch and 15 inch standard)
Note: Integrated graphics models support all docking functions except DVI-D.

here ->http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-61297

Im pretty happy with myself that my first post on this forum was an answer and not a question!
hope it helps!

[kadiir]

You might want to re-read the thread. This thread is not about DVI not working - it's about USB not working.

And while you are correct that the Intel integrated graphics might not support DVI, neither the OP nor I have the Intel graphics - the OP has an ATI X1400 and I have an ATI X1300 (true, you wouldn't know the latter but it wasn't relevant in any event).

I appreciate the effort nonetheless.

edit: correct 2nd paragraph per bill bolton's comment

[seanax]

Add to favorites, maybe one day I try that.

Thanks For share.

[siman]

aaahhh poopsicle!

sorry lads....

I feel horrible!! *sniff*

[bill bolton]

And while you are correct that the Intel integrated graphics does not support DVI

On a T60 it does support several DVI connection modes, as I use them, just not DVI-D specifically.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[kadiir]

There I go assuming again

I assumed what I wrote to be correct after what siman stated since my T43 w/ Intel video behaved the same way.

I have edited my post.

[alepine]

My USB keyboard stops responding when I have docked my T60 and plugged the keyboard into the Port Replicator.

The problem can be replicated by:
1. Windows XP Professional
2. Open Opera browser
3. Open 3 tabs (using keyboard or mouse)

These factors make no difference:
1. I tried the four different USB ports on Port Replicator
2. Having other USB devices plugged into the Port Replicator or laptop
3. Laptop screen open
4. Laptop screen on
5. External screen on
6. External headphone and/or microphone plugged in

The problem can be avoided by:
1. Ubuntu 8.04, Ubuntu 8.10 or Ubuntu 9.04
2. Plug USB keyboard into laptop
3. Use a PS2 keyboard

None of the above lists are comprehensive. They include only what I have tested so far.

[kadiir]

My USB keyboard stops responding when I have docked my T60 and plugged the keyboard into the Port Replicator.....

My issues happen with some PDFs and Webexs where I'm sharing my desktop

[insonic]

Finally! I think I've found a solution. It seems that the problem is related to power consumption from the USB ports. Yes, it's weird, because how much power may a keyboard and a mouse take? They report around 100mA each.

I bought a 10-port self-powered USB-hub and the problem disappeared! Connection is like this:

[Docking station] <---> [USB hub] <--- [power]
and all the devices are connected to this external hub now.

Simple test showed it is related to some power issue. This hub can take power from a computer or an external power adapter can be used. In the first case the problem remains, in the latter not.

There is one more observation besides the already mentioned Firefox-problem above. In case my keyboard and mouse are connected directly to the docking station (or through an unpowered hub) and I turn on the laptop, for the first time it does not recognize the internal fingerprint reader, only after ctrl+alt+del it is seen. With this externally-powered USB hub everything works just perfectly!

Just in case you would like to know what hub it is (maybe you've already tried some without a success), it is 10-port USB 2.0 hub from Trust: http://www.trust.com/16131

Hope you can solve your problems the same way. Good luck!

[kadiir]

Interesting - I have a spare powered hub laying around. I'll give that a shot & report back.

[kadiir]

Well, that didn't work using the mini-dock's USB port.

I switched over to one of the laptop's ports (right side, lower port) - keeping fingers crossed.

[kadiir]

That did not work for me - I still get mouse/keyboard resets. That being said, they seem to happen less often with PDFs but it still happens every time I do app/desktop sharing with WebEx or Live Meeting.

[ssd_thinkpad]

A note: All problems I had with the dock and its usb ports on Vista are resolved by using Windows 7.

[alepine]

I never solved the USB keyboard disconnect problem. I have since upgraded from the T60 to a W500, but I am still using the same port replicator. I can no longer reproduce the USB keyboard disconnect with Opera on Windows 7. Ubuntu 10.04 has never produced this problem. The USB keyboard still disconnects periodically when I use Internet Explorer on Windows 7, but I cannot reproduce the problem.