Thinkpads Forum

First off, i tried searching the forum this morning, but can't quite find any info on my problem.

Last night, I went to turn on my T61p, but when I hit the power button only a few lights flashed (caps and number lock), the battery light stayed lit,as did the ac plug light. however, the hard disk light never lit up and the screen stayed off. i did hear the cd drive attempt to start up, but even when i put the rescue and recovery cd in, nothing worked.

I tried restarting it, but with only the battery and again with only the AC power, but the same result.

I called tech support and they had me remove the battery, press the power button 10 times, while holding it for 30 seconds the 10th time, but nothing worked. i was asked to plug into an external monitor, but i don't have one. They are sending me a box to send it back in in a day or two.

My question is, does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this without having to send it back? i am trying to avoid being without a computer for a week. i may go nuts.

The only thing i can think of is that it may have something to do with the hard drive, since it doesn't even flash or maybe the bios. any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

If the screen remain black from the start, try reseating the memory SODIMMs. Unfortunately the two SODIMMs are under the keyboard but the case bottom has clear marking which screws to remove.

If the LCD ribbon cable is not connected properly, i.e. fallen out - the machine will not boot. The harddrive will spin-up, but will not pass boot.
A easy way to check if this is the issue is to try it out in a completely dark room. If the backlight turns on, you will see it, and in this case the lcd ribbon cable is seated correctly.
If the screen remains completely black with no hint of backlight turn-on, the LCD cable is bad.

This is the case for T60/p series, and i don't see why this should have changed

Nonetheless, i think you'll void the warranty by opening the lcd lid yourself.
I'd check the memory slots first, as sjthinkpader pointed out though.