Thinkpads Forum

This is a really weird problem and I can't believe this happened. I'm hoping that maybe somebody has an answer to why this happened.

Some background info is that I had windows 7 running great on my laptop until June, when I finally decided that I'll go ahead and install whatever updates were available (which were a lot since I'm very skeptical about windows updates). All was well, and my laptop rebooted several times, but it finally received BSODs and no chance of booting into safe mode when I think I installed an available chipset update. I wish I had stuck to my beliefs about Windows, and never updated. This is why I never update to begin with.
Not having my install discs since I was at school, I put Ubuntu on. I finally got fed up of using Ubuntu tonight because I couldn't use my display port or boot into my BIOS, and I just really really, really hate using Linux altogether.

This is where my major problem happens. So I attempt to install a legit Windows XP pro service pack 2 onto my HDD and everything goes down the crapper. I put the disc in and boot from the disc. Laptop recognizes XP install disc, and starts loading drivers to prepare for the XP installation. Everything is going fine, sounds like my laptop is running a long marathon, but it's a familiar sound when trying to install XP on other computers. All of a sudden I get a BSOD. Thinking nothing of it, I turn my computer off and back on for a second attempt before I move on to my Vista recovery discs. Nothing. Nothing appears on my screen, and the backlight doesn't even turn on. The laptop turns on for a second or two then turns back off before it turns back on for another second or two.

It really looks like a motherboard issue. I never actually believed that software can cause hardware problems until now. Trying to install Windows XP 32 bit has seriously messed up my computer to where I'm probably going to have to buy a new one now, which is not an option. There were never any previous hardware issues before and I have handled my laptop with great care. It's well over the one year manufacture's warranty and I don't have the extended one. I don't believe it's a coincidence that my motherboard fails right after I just happen to get a BSOD when trying to install Windows XP. It is directly related with the installation. Has anyone ever heard of something like this before, or can offer some type of advice? Thanks.

So, it's not posting at all? If so, pull the hard drive, memory, battery, wifi card and optical drive. Hit the power button button 10 times for a second, then one more time for 30 seconds. Plug the AC in and hit the power button. If the board doesn't beep, it's most likely dead. If it does beep, try putting everything back one at a time to see if you can find the culprit. If you can get it to work again, we can go from there. I think it's unlikely installing XP killed it.

The XP bsod is most likely from not changing the sata to be compatabile (not in ahci mode) in the bios.

m4y0rmcch335e wrote:I finally got fed up of using Ubuntu tonight because I couldn't...boot into my BIOS.

There is no way Linux of any flavor can prevent booting into the BIOS. Sounds like you had hardware issues that were developing while you were running Win7 and Ubuntu, and it was indeed coincidense that it died completely while installing XP.

m4y0rmcch335e wrote:There were never any previous hardware issues before...

The evidense seems to indicate otherwise. ZaZ and deforest have given the best course of action to following for trouble shooting. Good luck!

m4y0rmcch335e wrote:I wish I had stuck to my beliefs about Windows, and never updated. This is why I never update to begin with.

I have always installed all Windows and Office security updates, on all the ~100 computers I have owned and never had any issue except the one described below.

m4y0rmcch335e wrote:I never actually believed that software can cause hardware problems until now.

I don't believe that either. Instead, your Windows update/installation revealed hardware problems that you hadn't been aware of. Something similar happened to me once. I was playing with a very old Packard Bell desktop (233MHz Pentium MMX & 128MB RAM). Windows XP Pro installed just fine on its hard drive. Then, I installed SP3 and got a BSOD. Thinking it was just a fluke, I started all over and got a BSOD again. After hours of troubleshooting, I finally realized that one of the hard drive pins was bent. I straightened it and the problem was gone, for good.

Windows 7 updates are not causing any problem on Thinkpads or Thinkcenters - my own or clients. There updates today as well. So that points to a hardware problem.

As for XP, and as noted above, XP will not install natively on a SATA drive. This has always been true. You must set AHCI to compatability mode in the BIOS. But given the Windows 7 issue, XP may not install anyway.

Based on your symptoms, you seem to have a motherboard issue. But for sure, updates did not cause that.

.... JDH