Tale of an X32 bug

[nik]

I just bought an X32, which I'm very happy with -- faster than my old X22, cooler (literally) and more portable than my T30 -- but I've had one problem that IBM support has not been terribly helpful with: The machine will not recognize external USB 2.0 drives unless they're plugged in after bootup. (I have the most recent BIOS and embedded controller updates, and I don't have this problem with either of my other two TPs.)

This drove me crazy when I tried to clone the hard drive to a 100GB Seagate 5400 using both Norton Ghost and Acronis True Image, since every time either application rebooted to start cloning the source drive, the machine would lose sight of the external USB drive. Under Norton Ghost this resulted in a "40204: drive identification" error, which I notice others on this board have described seeing on various TP models. IBM support told me they couldn't help because my USB drive was non-IBM, but to call back if I had the same problem with an IBM drive.

I continued to noodle around and found a work-around, which is to quickly unplug the USB drive the moment the screen goes dark during reboot, and then to re-plug in the drive immediately after the "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue access IBM button" message appears. Both this fix, and the bug, are 100% repeatable.

Unplugging/replugging enabled me to clone the original X32 drive using both Ghost and True Image, but True Image gets the nod, since the Ghost-cloned drive wouldn't boot up (it had the "blinking cursor"/MBR problem). But the Seagate drive, recloned using TI, is now working perfectly in my machine.

I stuck the original drive in a USB 2.0 enclosure and replicated the bug, but IBM now tells me they won't escalate the call since it's a non-IBM enclosure, but that if I ever have the same problem using an IBM enclosure, yada yada. So, some questions and observations:

1) Can anyone out there with an X32 (or for that matter an X31) replicate this bug?
2) This bug can be gotten around by unplugging and replugging the external drive at the right times (see above), so the X32 drive is clonable via an external USB drive.
3) The Seagate 100GB 5400 drive works fine in the X32.
4) If you have the choice, use True Image rather than Ghost.
5) Does anyone know of an IBM USB enclosure I can buy? I don't see any on the web site. (If it's cheap enough, I'm willing to pursue this a little longer.)
6) Is IBM always so resistant to helping solve a mixed-equipment problem?

A couple of other things: I'm running two sticks of 512MB memory, both PC2100, one from Crucial and one from Mushkin I think, with no problems. And I've upgraded the Intel 2200bg wifi card it came with to a 2915abg card, but I had to use the no-1802.com fix.

Hope this helps.

[Zeitgeist]

Thanks for the nice report, I am planing to buy a x32 as well...

Why didn't you use IBM's R&R software to create the recovery CD/DVD and to clone the hdd? Do you suggest to use the ultrabase in order overcome your USB bug?

[nik]

You're absolutely right, I could have used either R&R or the ultrabase, but I didn't have an HDD adapter handy, and I've never used the R&R software, so force of habit drove me to the method I knew. My only regret cloning via USB is that I used Acronis' automatic cloning procedure, which assigned 11GB (rather than ~5) to the hidden partition. I assume that had I used the manual procedure I could have reset that to 5. Someday I'll redo it with R&R.

I certainly recommend the machine to you. I was worried that the screen would take getting used to, since I was coming from an SXGA+ on my T30, and in fact, until I turned on Cleartype I was unhappy with the visible graininess of seeing each pixel, but Cleartype makes all the difference, and I've totally adjusted to the smaller screen. I'm also undervolting using CHC, and the battery's lasting forever. The lighter weight vs. the T's also makes a big difference to me. I'm quite happy.

[Zeitgeist]

I could have used either R&R or the ultrabase, but I didn't have an HDD adapter handy, and I've never used the R&R software, so force of habit drove me to the method I knew.

I think you don' t need the adapter:

1. create one boot CD and one image DVD with R&R,
2. Swap the hdd
3. Change boot order in bios permanently (cd first)
4. Insert R&R boot CD, follow instructions on the screen.

Probably you will have the same usb problem. Good luck!

[nik]

Thanks ZG. I'll give it a shot whenever the 7200rpm 100GB drives come out.