Thinkpads Forum

I bought X61S one year ago. My friend upgraded the vista to window 7 for me, but then blue screen happens. The whole system collapse. Then another friend helped me format the hard drive and the revocery file and installed the window xp for me. However, the blue screen happens all the time. I cannot install any software. Can't open word, ie, and other software. What is the problem? Is it because of turbo memory? Need help, otherwise my x61s become useless. The most frustrate thing is the blue screen happened just right after my warranty expired.

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

First thing to do is, if you can, tell us exactly what the blue screen error message said. That might help narrow down what the problem is. Blue screens typically can result from a bad software installation, a defective hard drive or bad memory.

Second thing to do is to verify is that the memory module(s) are working. You can download a program like memtest86+ and install it on a boot floppy, boot flash drive or bootable CD. The program is available from here in those formats:

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

Once you have created the boot media, start up the laptop with the diskette / USB flash drive / CD and the program will begin testing the memory. Let it run for at least two complete "passes" through all of the tests. 1GB of memory will probably take about 30 minutes for one pass.

Third thing to try is to verify the hard drive. You can either use the diagnostic built into the BIOS (I believe that the X61s has it) or download a copy of PC Doctor for DOS for your system from here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222

This file is used to create the .ISO image which you then burn onto a CD. Boot the system with the CD and run the Fixed Disk diagnostics.

+1 Everything stated above. Since your problem sounds like bad memory, you may be able to run the following "quick" test:

If you have two memory sticks in the machine (take off the "door" on the bottom and look), then remove one of the memory sticks and see if the machine works. If yes, then you found the problem. If not, then place that one back in and take out the other stick, and see if the machine works. (If you have two memory strips, it is unlikely that both are bad.)