Thinkpads Forum

Hey everyone,

I am the proud owner of a used ThinkPad X61 7674-CTO (Product ID 7674W3K) that I purchased off eBay for school about 6 years ago. In that time, I have upgraded to a Seagate SSD, changed the CPU fan, replaced the cracked palmrest, and flashed the BIOS with Middleton's software. My X61 runs Windows 7 Home Premium.

Most recently, I purchased an UltraBase X6 so I could use a Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse, along with an old 17" LCD monitor on my desk. Being new to docking stations, I inadvertently removed the X61 from the UltraBase over the holiday season without clicking undock or using the stop button on the side next to the lever. The docking station yelled at me with some very loud beeps, but by then it was too late. That night, the laptop went into sleep mode but when I tried to turn it on the next day, it went into a loop right after POST without booting into Windows or showing the Windows bootup screen. I removed the battery, RAM, and hard drive, and let it sit for a while. After reinserting the hardware, the X61 booted into Windows with no issue.

Last week was my first week back at school, which meant taking my X61 to class and running it off battery power to take notes. On Thursday morning, I shut down my X61, removed it from the docking station, and brought it to school. I turned it on, and immediately my X61 completely shut off. I turned it on again, chose "Start Windows Normally", and within 60 seconds, the X61 locked up. Right before it locked up, the screen "glitched out" but remained on with whatever was on the screen at the time, however my hard drive and WiFi lights stopped blinking. I tried to reboot my X61, but it just locked up again.

Since it's hard to describe the glitching out, I've posted a video showing exactly what happens when my laptop boots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZYTaeSkdd8

After bringing it home, I plugged it into my AC adapter, turned it on, and everything booted fine. No rebooting, no glitching of the screen, and most importantly, no locking up. However, when I run my X61 off battery power, it either goes dead or freezes up once it boots into Windows.

I have tried reseating the WiFi card, RAM, and hard drive, but it simply locks up when it runs off battery power shortly after Windows boots. I have two 22++ batteries that are relatively new, along with the old 93P5030 battery that came with it off eBay that hardly holds much of a charge. Using all three batteries, my X61 locks up when it boots into Windows.

Thinking that it may be a software issue, I formatted my hard drive for the first time in 6 years and reinstalled Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation was complete and before performing any of the Microsoft updates, I booted the X61 off the battery power and again, it locked up when it booted into a freshly installed Windows.

I told the story about how I removed it from the docking station without stopping the laptop because it seems ever since that happened, I began to experience problems with my X61 for the first time in over 6 years of second-hand ownership.

Does anybody have any possible solutions or troubleshooting advice for determining why my X61 runs perfectly fine when plugged into the AC adapter, but locks up or reboots when running off battery power?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! I would hate to have to buy a new laptop after investing in batteries, a docking station, and performing the upgrades that I've done to my beloved X61.

Thanks!

dicque wrote:I would hate to have to buy a new laptop

Someone will chime in with technical debugging suggestions.

If it can't be debugged, just replace the motherboard.

I would suspect the battery or the battery connector with an intermittent fault. You mentioned they were a recent investment.

Thank you for the responses!

If I have to purchase a new motherboard, where would be a good place to find one? I've found some on eBay but they appear to have been pulled from other units or are refurbished. I realize that the X61 is over 10 years old, so finding a brand new motherboard will be impossible. Are there any recognized and reputable sources from where I should purchase a new motherboard?

I'm also concerned that there are so many different variants of the X61. Does it matter if I can't find a motherboard that came specifically from a 7674-CTO (7674W3K) unit?

Since I've tried three different batteries and continue to experience the same problem, I suspect that all of my batteries likely have not become defective all of a sudden. However, at this point I'm not ruling anything out since I'm determined to continue using the X61 for a few more years in school. Supposing that it is the battery connector, is that something that's replaceable or will I have to simply replace the motherboard?

Thanks again for the help!

If you're happy with the laptop, I would try replacing the battery before doing anything else.

Oops, bad advice, missed the part that different batteries have been tried.

Get the HMM through the HMM link at the top of this page, to see a list of all available mobo variants.
Put a WTB (Want To Buy) for your req'd mobo in our Marketforum, we have some of the best suppliers!

If all else fails, see this: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=122511

dr_st wrote:If you're happy with the laptop, I would try replacing the battery before doing anything else.

I'm most definitely happy with the laptop for its speed and portability, but I have three batteries that are causing the same problem after booting into Windows. All three are 8-cell batteries and Lenovo OEM units. I appreciate the recommendation but I'm quite skeptical that all three of my batteries have suddenly become defective and are causing the laptop to lock up.

I'm beginning to think there's something likely happening with the battery connector, which appears to be soldered directly to the system board. I have removed the board from this laptop previously to replace the fansink, so purchasing and installing a new board won't be difficult for me.

RealBlackStuff wrote:Get the HMM through the HMM link at the top of this page, to see a list of all available mobo variants.

I read the manual and while 7674-CTO is listed, there is no mention of the W3K, or W3x variant for that matter. I've come across some T7500 motherboards for sale from a Canadian seller. Would you happen to know if I could get away with installing a T7500 motherboard in this system?

All Santa Rosa mobos will fit (except perhaps the ones with a 2nd fan, unless you have one like that already).
The low-voltage ones will give you longer battery life.

RealBlackStuff wrote:All Santa Rosa mobos will fit (except perhaps the ones with a 2nd fan, unless you have one like that already).
The low-voltage ones will give you longer battery life.

My system doesn't have the second fan, but it is very good to know that I have several options! Thank you so much for your help!

I would use a L7xxx processor, and would not use a T-7xxx processor because they generate too much heat which in turn causes fan noise.

Any board from an x60, x60s, x61 or x61s will fit and work fine. The x61s (L7700 or L7500) are typical choices. I prefer the L2400 (32-bit) because it produces less heat at the right palm rest.

Look around - either pick up a motherboard, a machine with a smashed display, or one with no display!

The TYPE numbers identify specifics about the machine (exact RAM configuration, exact Wifi Card, exact Display, etc) and aren't relevant for your task.

jaspen-meyer wrote:I would use a L7xxx processor, and would not use a T-7xxx processor because they generate too much heat which in turn causes fan noise.

Any board from an x60, x60s, x61 or x61s will fit and work fine. The x61s (L7700 or L7500) are typical choices. I prefer the L2400 (32-bit) because it produces less heat at the right palm rest.

Look around - either pick up a motherboard, a machine with a smashed display, or one with no display!

The TYPE numbers identify specifics about the machine (exact RAM configuration, exact Wifi Card, exact Display, etc) and aren't relevant for your task.

I had no idea about the low voltage options and extending my battery life, which would be quite beneficial since my X61 is mostly used for taking notes in classrooms without power outlets. Thank you so much for the info!