Thinkpads Forum

I work in a private high school as the lead (read: only) support technician.

We just rolled out about 60 T60p Thinkpads. The specs are as follows:

- Windows XP SP2 (my own image, with all Thinkvantage utilities and updates installed as of 10/10)
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
- 2GB system memory
- 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Express Adapter
- ATI Radeon Graphics card
- Bluetooth
- Fingerprint Scanner

We are using them in docks as well, type 2504.

This is our first big run of laptops (we distributed them to faculty members who use them as their primary machine and cart them back and forth to work and home). We've had a host of issues, some of which are just the inevitable kinks in a new system, but others that truly mystify me.

Here's an example. If I dock a laptop while it's off, turn it on, and try to log in, it'll hang at the "applying personal settings" phase of the Windows login process - the bar keeps moving across the screen but won't ever log you in. Undock the same laptop and it's logged in within a few seconds.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what have you done to correct the situation? As it is now, I've got the user loggingi in while undocked, then putting the machine to sleep and docking, then waking the machine (don't even get me started about hot docking... that hasn't worked right from the get-go.)

Any help/info is greatly appreciated. Thanks! =)

Have you tried that machine in another dock, or alternately tried that dock with another machine.

Try unplugging all USB devices from the dock and see if the problem persists. I've seen a stray USB device have a similar effect on a T60p setup.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what have you done to correct the situation? As it is now, I've got the user loggingi in while undocked, then putting the machine to sleep and docking, then waking the machine (don't even get me started about hot docking... that hasn't worked right from the get-go.)

I experience the same system hang at the same point but I do not know how to fix it unfortunately. My setup is slightly different... T61p with an Advanced Dock 2503 and a ATI X1300 card in the dock. If I remove the ATI X1300 card from the advanced dock then windows loads properly. I'm currently searching for a different NVIDIA-based video card to use.

As it is now, I've got the user loggingi in while undocked, then putting the machine to sleep and docking, then waking the machine

Does Device Manager show you any conflicts when you do this? Mine shows a "This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use" error associated with the ATI X1300.

I had serious issues with docking/undocking (Advanced Mini Dock), basically the system would freeze if not (a) hot-docked or (b) undocked by button. Hot-undocking without using the button, putting to sleep/hibernate and then (un)docking would almost always cause the system to start, realize something happened, start applying correct settings and - after a few seconds of doing so - it would lock up.

Disabling TPFanControl solved everything, it seems.

pjuliano, I understand your pain on this issue. I had similar issues with my advanced mini-dock start up this summer. After several calls to Lenovo tech support, two system board changeouts and a wireless card replacement(this is a whole separate story I won't go into here), I ultimately still had/have the problem.

RonS had the right idea by checking usb devices. I have the following devices connected to my dock; keyboard, scanner, laser printer and external speaker system. After I started unplugging those devices one-by-one and at the same time performing various docking/undocking tests, i found the culprit. In my case it was the usb keyboard, which by the way was an IBM USB keyboard with the built-in trackpoint and Ultra Nav. To rule out a specific issue with that keyboard, i tried another HP usb keyboard I had laying around and that one netted similar machine locking when docking/undocking.

At this point, i reverted to an old PS2 keyboard to resolve the issue and it has been resolved for the last week now. I can now dock/undock either with the machine on, or in sleep mode or in hibernate states Unfortunately this cannot and should not be the final solution here. Ultimately I believe the root cause was either a windows update or an a Lenovo driver update, although I cannot prove that with any reliable data. If anyone has any additional information, please chime in.

Thanks,

jerry wrote:pjuliano, I understand your pain on this issue. I had similar issues with my advanced mini-dock start up this summer. After several calls to Lenovo tech support, two system board changeouts and a wireless card replacement(this is a whole separate story I won't go into here), I ultimately still had/have the problem.

RonS had the right idea by checking usb devices. I have the following devices connected to my dock; keyboard, scanner, laser printer and external speaker system. After I started unplugging those devices one-by-one and at the same time performing various docking/undocking tests, i found the culprit. In my case it was the usb keyboard, which by the way was an IBM USB keyboard with the built-in trackpoint and Ultra Nav. To rule out a specific issue with that keyboard, i tried another HP usb keyboard I had laying around and that one netted similar machine locking when docking/undocking.

At this point, i reverted to an old PS2 keyboard to resolve the issue and it has been resolved for the last week now. I can now dock/undock either with the machine on, or in sleep mode or in hibernate states Unfortunately this cannot and should not be the final solution here. Ultimately I believe the root cause was either a windows update or an a Lenovo driver update, although I cannot prove that with any reliable data. If anyone has any additional information, please chime in.

Thanks,

I learned to keep my external Lenovo Enhanced KB and Lenovo USB travel mouse plugged into the two right side built-in ports on my T61 (15.1 WS 1680x1050 nVidia 140M) and leave the 4 advanced 250410U mini-dock ports for devices I normally shutdown when not in use like external HD's and Burners.

I use the mini-dock's external monitor VGA port for a 22" WS Monitor at 1680x1050, it's ethernet port for my cable modem, it's parrallel printer port for my "always on" oldie-but goodie HP890C and it's speaker-out port to my small external speakers (powered from a separate always on source).

No problems or worries here ..... so far everything works okay (except ocassionally finding the dock's USB ports not responding to a HD or Burner power-up after resuming from standby mode). I just updated the nVidia 140M driver and Bios a few minutes ago and hope that may resolve this issue .... will post back later to advise.

Thanks!

eecon wrote:I learned to keep my external Lenovo Enhanced KB and Lenovo USB travel mouse plugged into the two right side built-in ports on my T61 (15.1 WS 1680x1050 nVidia 140M) and leave the 4 advanced 250410U mini-dock ports for devices I normally shutdown when not in use like external HD's and Burners.

I use the mini-dock's external monitor VGA port for a 22" WS Monitor at 1680x1050, it's ethernet port for my cable modem, it's parrallel printer port for my "always on" oldie-but goodie HP890C and it's speaker-out port to my small external speakers (powered from a separate always on source).

No problems or worries here ..... so far everything works okay (except ocassionally finding the dock's USB ports not responding to a HD or Burner power-up after resuming from standby mode). I just updated the nVidia 140M driver and Bios a few minutes ago and hope that may resolve this issue .... will post back later to advise.

Thanks!

An Update: Good news, I flashed to the new 10/18/07 Lenovo BIOS update 1.26 (just released and not yet even showing up on System Update) plus also "enabled" in BIOS for the USB ports power to be "Always On" when in Suspend (Sleep) or Hibernate Mode. This seems to have done the trick regarding the mini-dock USB ports not responding after resuming from Suspend mode. However, I'm not sure if it was the new BIOS or the USB Power setting that was the problem, but either way, it all works great now.