Thinkpads Forum

I've spent quite a few hours looking for a solution to this problem I have on my x61 tablet, and have narrowed it down somewhat, but now I am stumped.

L7700 1.8 gHz 12.1" 1400x1050 type 7762-CTO product id 7762WJU
Middleton bios, 3 gb ram, samsung (also toshiba) 500gb hdd, Win 7 32 (and 64), linus mint too

Just after reading about the thinkpad shock protection, I tripped over the power cable and my laptop fell about 80 cm. It powered up and worked fine (shock protection works!) until the hdd started giving error signals.

I replaced the hdd and everything was fine for a few months, until I started getting boot errors: device not found, bcd errors.

I used the recovery tools to rebuild the bcd, fixboot, etc and this worked sometimes, allowing me to boot, but the problems soon reappeared

I did a clean install on two more hds I had. They worked for a while and then started giving errors, sometimes at startup, and sometimes after an hour or so use, when the x61 would freeze up, then a bsod with error messages.

I reflashed the bios. No effect.

All this with win 7

So then I downloaded linux mint and booted from the dvd. No problems for the couple of hours I had the x61 on while I looked into learning how linux worked, etc. I could also see and access the hdd that was not recognized under windows. So I decided to install mint and the x61 booted, I rebooted several times with success so I thought since I'd always wanted to get aquainted this was my chance. But then I began having problems running linux from the hdd, so booted up from the dvd again and no problems.

THE QUESTION: first I thought I needed a new motherboard, but the only replacement for my particular model I could find was a mb from china for 220 euros. Now I wonder if a hdd sub card replacement would work, since the problem is intermittant, I thought it might be caused by the connection between the hdd and the motherboard.

Any thoughts on this? And if I have to replace the motherboard, will a 42W7818 mb 1.6 gHz work? And will it drive my screen--I saw one inconclusive post about whether the SGVA+ model had a bios or a hardware difference link here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=101989

thanks

edit: now it won't boot from the cd/dvd drive so I imagine the problem is the motherboard. I took out the extra ram stick I put in and no effect. The Linus Mint logo comes up but it never goes into the OS and since I have spent over 50 hours on this during the past two months I think it is time to shell out the cash and see what happens. I would pay even European prices for a X201 or X220 if they had that 3/4 screen, but I have to say in over 30 years of pc use the x61 is only surpassed (in memory and nostalgia) by that first mac powerbook 180 I got second hand in 1992.

So any more comments on motherboard-screen compatability. Unfortunately the spanish customs are in overdrive due to the crisis so any motherboard I get in will cost me over 100 US and a whole computer over 300 and that with a German keyboard and fairly well-worn.

Welcome to the forum!

Any X61T motherboard will work so unless you *really* need that L7700, just go for a more common L7500 board.

Thanks for the welcome and the reply. I suppose you have seen the post of the fellow who got a replacement motherboard and couldn't get it to work with his screen and finally ended up sending the mb back for an exact replacement. In this post the debate as to whether the type of screen was dealt with via hardware or software settings was raised, but no conclusion offered. My question is: does the screen type dictate the motherboard, or can a change in screen type be dealt with by modifying the software (something about changing one of the line commands I seem to remember. I'll look up the post)

EDIT this is the post subject: X61 Tablet : problem after motherboard replacement http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=101989

I don't need the l7700. The difference between 1.6 gHz and 1.8 is too fine to be appreciated by the likes of me, although it is about the speed of my first powerbook.

All X61T (tablet) motherboards can use XGA and SXGA+ screens.
Get Middleton's BIOS. it is unbeatable: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo- ... ost6501443

Only if you want to transfer a tablet SXGA+ screen into a non-tablet X61 do you need physical and BIOS modification.

Thanks for the info. I'll order a 'new' motherboard now from Germany now. I was already using the Middleton bios, but just for the modified slic table. When I get my thinkpad back in shape I'll start looking for a ssd drive and a 2 to 4 giga ram stick to bring my total up to 4 to 6 gigas, and a hdd caddy for my ultrabay to alternate with the dvd drive.

Problem solved. I found a motherboard with base (less assembly I thought) from a place in Kansas on ebay and I got here today--no customs charges, hurray--and I transplanted the necessary bits from my thinkpad, using the manual from Lenovo and fired it up. Since my hdd had win7 64 bits on it already I had to flash the bios with a cd, I used the Middleton one I had on the other motherboard and all systems go. Now I have a dual core at 1.6 rather than 1.8--not that I can tell.

So thanks for the info and yes indeed as RealBlackStuff said the screen resolution doesn't matter as I have the high res one and the motherboard was out of a normal (not touchscreen one) 60Y4030 and everything works like a charm. So the post on the difference being hardware based was not true at least in my case.

Some people have commented that the tablets are somewhat difficult to work with but I had absolutely not problem and this is the first time I have stripped down a laptop--plenty of practice with a desktop, and with putting in ram and hdds in laptops too--but really if you can follow instructions it is no problem (except those unexpected plastic clips snapping on the hinge cover, but that is par for the course, at least my course).