Thinkpads Forum

I recently got a used T60 off the marketplace for a colleague, and have been having some problems with shutting down the machine. I knew it was somewhat of a risky purchase because this machine had prior problems that the original owner complained about, but I felt I could service it. Now there's only one issue left:

If the machine is off but plugged in, and I then unplug the machine from the power brick it turns on by itself. Likewise, if it is on battery power shutting it down is impossible through Windows XP; it will simply shut down, pause, and then reboot. I've seen the prior posted fixes in this forum suggesting to turn off automatic restart and getting the error log, but no error log appears. If it is plugged in, it shuts down fine and stays off. But on battery power it won't shut down short of a hard physical shut-down by holding down the power button for a few seconds.

The most probably cause in my opinion is the fact that it was shipped with a non-genuine Lenovo battery (third-party). Does anyone have any ideas besides replacing the battery? It's a T60 2007-CTO, and while it has warranty coverage I think they'd point to the battery first. All updates, Microsoft and Lenovo, have been applied, including latest BIOS and SP3. Could incompatible memory be another possible culprit?

And on a side note, what should I do about this machine being shipped with a third-party battery that wasn't disclosed in the for sale posting? Not too much of an issue, but sure is annoying.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I haven't heard of the battery causing a problem like that.

I could send you a genuine battery to try...as long as you would send it back when you are finished.

Brad

I agree with Brad, try a genuine battery. About the Marketplace ad, which I found, it states "GENERIC 9 cell battery ". So, in fact it was disclosed in the Ad that it was a generic (non-OEM) battery. With that said, if it turns out that the battery is causing these power issues, I'd find it hard to believe that the seller was not experiencing the exact same issues. In the spirit of fair trade, it would be a good move for the seller to split the cost of a new replacement battery with you. We'd have no way to enforce that here, but it certainly would be the right thing to do.

Ah I didn't notice that in the original posting, thanks for pointing that out. I did send the seller a PM, hopefully he'll reply. As I promised to deliver a stable computer to my colleague no matter what I'd have to get this issue solved, and cover the costs of getting it into good shape beyond the purchase price myself rather than have my colleague pay any extra costs. It would be nice if the seller could cover some of the replacement battery costs.

hart22 wrote: The most probably cause in my opinion is the fact that it was shipped with a non-genuine Lenovo battery (third-party). Does anyone have any ideas besides replacing the battery?

You don't need to do any more test and try to find another solution. I can confirm the problem you descibed is 100% caused by the non-genuine Lenovo battery (third-party).

There is nothing wrong with your thinkpad. And the only solution is to get a genuine Lenovo battery.

Thanks for the help! Based on the information in this thread I've arranged to buy a genuine T60 battery from Brad, as well as a new T42 battery to replace the one I have now which is in the yellow.

Many thanks.

I hope the original seller responds though...

I didn't know about that problem . The only time it was unplugged was during classes three or four times a week. When I was done, I'd put it in standby. When back at the room, I'd plug it in so the battery wouldn't discharge and waste battery cycles.

Is it possible that it could be a bios setting or something with the new motherboard that was installed in May? When the laptop was fixed in May, I pretty much transferred my operations to the Dell and used that to the rest of the school year. When I got it back, it was either powered down and unplugged or sitting on the AC power.

First thing I'll do is check for my original battery and see if it qualifies for the other replacement.

And edit 2 : did you have the stoptheft transferred?

Edit: can't find the original battery. We'll have to work something out. But just for piece of mind, I would like to see if it is a battery issue.

Ah, after sending you a PM referencing this thread I see you've already seen it .

The replacement I got from Brad was very reasonably priced (please check your PM for details), and I hope you would be able to refund the cost. If you agree I would send back the generic 9-cell to you.

I played around with the BIOS quite a bit and nothing seemed to help.

And no, my colleague has been very slow in transferring the StopTheft; he has quite a full load right now with multiple grants due in the next few weeks. Thanks for your prompt response.