Thinkpads Forum

Hi guys,

When I lift my x60s with my left hand, the area immediately above the PCMCIA card squeaks. I didn't notice this before, but it's starting to annoy me. I can apply pressure on the PCMCIA cavity and reproduce the squeak pretty easily. What do you think I should do?

Thanks in advance for your input.

-Jon

ibbo wrote:I didn't notice this before, but it's starting to annoy me. I can apply pressure on the PCMCIA cavity and reproduce the squeak pretty easily. What do you think I should do?

The more you do it, the worse it gets, so my advice is to stop doing it immediately. In fact, you should never pick up a laptop by grabbing just one corner, because that causes the motherboard to bend and fail over time.

It's quite normal, have been up a few times on the forums before.

I'd guess the chassi is robust enough not to flex the motherboard (doesn't seem to be the chassi bending at all). I often carry it with one hand though I tend to keep myself in the middle and I do avoid the squeeks, I also keep my fingers as far in as possible just in case. But I wouldn't think it being a problem, it's an ultraportable and I've been doing this with 15.4" laptops alot over the years, only problem with them is that it's quite heavy holding them parallel to the ground this way :p

brumwald wrote:But I wouldn't think it being a problem, it's an ultraportable and I've been doing this with 15.4" laptops alot over the years

If you don't believe me, just look around on this forum. Many people have damaged their motherboards by lifting their Thinkpads (especially the T series) with one hand. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it's harmless. It's analogous to saying that smoking is harmless because you know of a heavy smoker who still appears to be very healthy at age 90.

With X series it's not nearly as much of an issue as with a T, R or Z.

An X60 weighs about 45% less than a T60, and is about 20% shorter diagonally. So the torque applied by holding it by a corner is almost 60% less (0.55 x 0.8 ), and, at the same time, it's easier to make a small chassis rigid.

So while I'm not going to recommend holding by the corner as the standard grip for X series, I will argue that the risk of motherboard flex is substantially less on an X than on the T.

Oh yeah, I think I may have done this once or twice on my X31 as well.

tomh009 wrote:Oh yeah, I think I may have done this once or twice on my X31 as well.

Oh, I wouldn't worry about doing it once or twice either, even for a 8-lb 15.4" widescreen laptop. I was talking about doing it as a habit.

Also, according to the OP's description of his X60s, it sounds like the chassis used to be more rigid but has been compromised over time, possibly due to being held by one corner repeatedly. So, even though I agree that in general, lifting an ultraportable by one corner shouldn't be a problem, in this particular case, the OP should be more careful.

I pick mine up by the corners all the time, even the screen corners. I do not see it as an issue on the X series, but I wouldn't try it on anything much bigger. With this pointed out, I guess I will try to avoid the left corner, since there still is noticeable flex. Hey, worst case, thats whats my 3 year warranty is for.

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Actually, I should have clarified and been more precise with my description.

Picking up the x60s with one hand on either side is fine-- there is little or no squeaking/creaking. However, just applying pressure on the PCMCIA cavity reproduces the squeak. I have a PCMCIA CF adapter in there so it's not that bad, but when it's out, there is certainly a very slight flex when pushed upon.

I guess I shouldn't expect the plastic above the PCMCIA slot to be rigid since there's so much less material there, however I was wondering if you guys could reproduce the squeaking on your units or if this is something that I should look into fixing.

Thanks,
Jon

pianowizard wrote:

brumwald wrote:But I wouldn't think it being a problem, it's an ultraportable and I've been doing this with 15.4" laptops alot over the years

If you don't believe me, just look around on this forum. Many people have damaged their motherboards by lifting their Thinkpads (especially the T series) with one hand. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it's harmless. It's analogous to saying that smoking is harmless because you know of a heavy smoker who still appears to be very healthy at age 90.

I agree completely. It's a choice how one handles their ThinkPad, however why not error on the side of caution for the sake of longevity and durability. After all it's not that hard, nor does it take more time to be careful.

If however on the other hand your investment is not that important to you, a ThinkPad will withstand this kind of treatment better than most. Just don't be surprized if you have a problem and others are reporting they do it all the time without any consequences.....

I finally had a chance to try pressing on the same area of my X60s. It didn't squeak at all.

pianowizard wrote:I finally had a chance to try pressing on the same area of my X60s. It didn't squeak at all.

That's great to hear. I tried mine last night and it's silent as well. Could that be because I always pick it up with two hands carefully? And place it in a sleeve and proper case? Who knows.....

However I can say after a decade of "handling" ThinkPads that the careful approach pays back handsomely.

Cheers.....

Good advise...
thanks for sharing.
so i do pick up my lappy with 2 hands now instead of 1 at its corner...

Of all the X60s that we purchased none of ours squeek at all. Except for the one that Was drop/kicked in shipment. It makes all sorts of noises but its on its way back for replacement. Other then that. I would say...

1. Dont pick it up with one hand if you can remember.

2. Dont smoke and blame it on the 90 year old that doesnt have cancer.

3. Stop pushing on weak spots on the chassis

4.

liliggyracin wrote:4.

5. Don't let your sheep use your favorite Thinkpads.

sheepy sheepy squeaky squeaky~~~

I tightened the two screws near the left palm rest and the squeaking has subsided greatly. I guess I must have not tightened the keyboard screw enough when I changed keyboards-- it's so far away from the palmrest though, I'm not sure why that screw in particular would change the palmrest mechanics. Anyways, it's hard to reproduce the squeak now, so I'm quite happy.

Thanks to pianowizard for giving me the idea to play with the screws via his T43 in the sales forum.

-Jon

tomh009 wrote:With X series it's not nearly as much of an issue as with a T, R or Z.

An X60 weighs about 45% less than a T60, and is about 20% shorter diagonally. So the torque applied by holding it by a corner is almost 60% less (0.55 x 0.8 ), and, at the same time, it's easier to make a small chassis rigid.

So while I'm not going to recommend holding by the corner as the standard grip for X series, I will argue that the risk of motherboard flex is substantially less on an X than on the T.

Oh yeah, I think I may have done this once or twice on my X31 as well.

I've done it for 3 years with my X31 and yes it has a few tiny cracks on the plastic to show for it, but the computer and motherboard are just the same as the day I got it. These X-series machines can certainly take some abuse.

My x60s sometimes squeeks when I scroll page in browser window.
Any thoughs?
Thanks