Thinkpads Forum

My T60, which up until last month had been a model of consistency, was suddenly rendered incapable of performing simple operations that require more power then normal -- such as uploading files via FTP.

It is even incapable of sending e-mail messages that are above five lines in depth, and none which include the original message. In addition, it struggles to display sites such as ESPN.com, which has a large number of files and online processes going on all at once.

Posting messages to this board is also a problem, as it seems to get hung up in the operation, which is never completed.

The problem is baffling. I've had to use my little eee PC for many of the aforementioned functions, and it has no problem in doing so.

I've run a full diagnostic test from PC Doctor, and the T60 showed absolutely no problems in any area. It is almost never used on battery power, so the lack of power is baffling to me. Last week, I reformatted the hard drive, and restored it to the original state, which didn't help anything.

I'm really at a loss on this one, and if anyone has any suggestions at all, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Have you tried to connect using a CAT5 cable between laptop and router?
Probably you need to update your wifi drivers, and/or update the SystemUpdate program itself (current is V3.14)
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html

RealBlackStuff wrote:Have you tried to connect using a CAT5 cable between laptop and router?
Probably you need to update your wifi drivers, and/or update the SystemUpdate program itself (current is V3.14)
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html

Thanks for your response.

Yes, I regularly connect to the 'net using a CAT5 cable, and not wifi.

After restoring the hard drive to its original state, I used the System Update to make sure that the BIOS and all critical updates were downloaded and installed.

Restoring it probably means you are back to Internet Explorer 6, and all sorts of older Windows (XP ?) program versions.
Have you done all the updates from MS, including SP3 etc.?
Go into BIOS (press F1 at boot), when there, press F9 (for default options), then press F10 (to save settings) and reboot into Windows.
Any improvements?
Are there any other parts of Windows that are slow?
Is the slow connection both in wifi and in CAT5 direct?
Have you changed your router recently?
What is your laptop type (e.g. 2007-44U) and what is your wifi card type and which router?

RealBlackStuff wrote:Restoring it probably means you are back to Internet Explorer 6, and all sorts of older Windows (XP ?) program versions.
Have you done all the updates from MS, including SP3 etc.?
Go into BIOS (press F1 at boot), when there, press F9 (for default options), then press F10 (to save settings) and reboot into Windows.
Any improvements?
Are there any other parts of Windows that are slow?
Is the slow connection both in wifi and in CAT5 direct?
Have you changed your router recently?
What is your laptop type (e.g. 2007-44U) and what is your wifi card type and which router?

- Yes, restoring the machine has brought me back to IE6, etc. The OS is XP Pro. I did all of the critical updates through System Update. The machine is essentially at the same state that it was prior to when the problems started surfacing.
- I will try the BIOS test when I run the T60. Right now I'm using my eee PC because the T60 wouldn't be able to post responses on this board.
- No other areas in Windows are slow, except where it pertains to Internet connectivity.
- Something is wrong with my wifi router, so I haven't used it recently. If the problem exists with a direct CAT5 connection, I would imagine that the same would exist, or worse, with wifi.
- The router is a new one. I moved to a new apt. just before the problems began. I thought that the router might have been the error factor, but my eee PC machine has experienced none of the aforementioned problems, so it can't be that.
- The laptop type is 63696-RU. The router is a Zhone 6211 ADSL2+ model.

Check that the laptop and router both are receiving/transmitting on the same G-band, if one of them is on the older B-band, you have the problems as described.
Also check that you use the same security level in wifi and router (WPA or better).
If you remove the power from the router, does your eee still work? It might 'pirate' the signal from your neighbor!

RealBlackStuff wrote:Check that the laptop and router both are receiving/transmitting on the same G-band, if one of them is on the older B-band, you have the problems as described.
Also check that you use the same security level in wifi and router (WPA or better).
If you remove the power from the router, does your eee still work? It might 'pirate' the signal from your neighbor!

I really appreciate your help and suggestions. I think, though, that I've stumbled on to the solution.

Since it really isn't a wifi issue, it has something to do with the way that an Internet signal is handled once it reaches the T60. That points to a bad ethernet card, which I'm going to replace as soon as I figure out how to do so.

Ethernet is built-in on the motherboard. Replacing ethernet means replacing motherboard!
Wifi is in the shape of a replaceable MiniPCI-e card.

If you really think the problem may be ethernet, get a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card to try as a test.

Harryc wrote:If you really think the problem may be ethernet, get a cheap PCMCIA ethernet card to try as a test.

Thanks very much for the info on the ethernet card being welded onto the motherboard. I didn't know that.

I'll grab a PCMCIA card and do some testing, as you suggested.

RealBlackStuff wrote:Have you done all the updates from MS, including SP3 etc.?

Just to follow up on the solution to this problem -- it was the fact that I hadn't updated to SP3 that was responsible. Thanks, RealBlackStuff.

So, if anyone else is experiencing difficulties visiting certain sites, such as ESPN.com or Yahoo.com, uploading posts to message boards, or successfully sending e-mails with lots of content, try downloading all of the latest MS updates and hopefully the issues will be resolved.