T400 Webcam and FP Reader Problem

[thinkaholic]

Found a good deal on a T400, but neither the FP Reader nor the webcam are recognized in Device Manager. I'm thinking there are some loose connectors responsible. Any thoughts someone would like to share?

[theterminator93]

Check to make sure nothing is turned off in BIOS. The fingerprint reader needs the appropriate software from Lenovo to function as well.

[rkawakami]

Assuming that BIOS is not the problem, it's a small chance but it's possible somebody before you has played doctor with the system. What's the 7 character MODEL TYPE from the label on the bottom of the system? And does it match what's shown in the main BIOS screen?

I don't have a T400 and I haven't opened up my T410 or T420 systems so far, but I'd say your best bet would be to download a copy of the T400 Hardware Maintenance Manual from here:

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... 629_05.pdf

Locate the sections on removing and replacing the palm rest; the FPR is attached to that part. Inspect the connections between the FPR and wherever it goes. The HMM seems to say that there's only a single connector coming from the palm rest (for the touchpad) but once you open it up, it should be clear where things are routed.

The webcam is a little bit more difficult as you will see from the HMM. The camera assembly plugs into the end of the ribbon cable. At a minimum you'll have to remove the LCD bezel. The ribbon cable is routed behind the LCD panel and exits into the base via the large connector at the other end of the ribbon. I'm assuming that the connector is fully mated to the motherboard as you don't mention any problems with the video. But just in case, re-seat the motherboard connector AND the connector to the camera module. If that doesn't fix the problem then it could be that the camera module is dead or there's a broken connection somewhere in the ribbon cable.

[thinkaholic]

Well, I found where both the FP reader and the webcam had been disabled in the BIOS. I had looked previously, but not comprehensively drilled down to where those options were.

Thanks for the responses!