W700 in, video issue

[Medessec]

Hello, I recently acquired this W700... and I really want to get it working.

Plugging it in and powering it on, swapping the RAM currently either makes the system flash the indicators twice before beeping off the 1-3-3-1 sequence(bad RAM or system board error), or the indicators will flash once and the backlight will come on, but the screen will stay blank.

It's a 2757 CTO, and I thought it was going to be a bit of a challenge to take apart... but it comes apart like legos, just like the T60 and other Thinkpads, i'm kinda happy in that respect. It turns out it has a Q9000 Core 2 Quad, the QuadroFX 3700M, and the Intel Wireless 5300... I believe those are all higher-end options.

The insides looks okay, but the Quadro has either some silver compound caked over... or some idiot mixed the stock silver compound with some aftermarket stuff.

Anyways... i'd really love to get this working, so is there anything I should be looking at specifically for these issues, anyone can lend me some advice? Googling these issues turns up almost nothing... because I understand these certain units are rather difficult to come by. But I really don't like parting out machines that seem to be nearly working, this one's in very nice condition as well.

[Brad]

I would try other memory and reseating the video card.

If neither helps I would try another video card and if that doesn't work a motherboard.

I don't know if this is the best way. It is what I did to get one going. Once the video card didn't help replacing the motherboard did finally get the W700 running.

Brad

[Medessec]

I've swapped the memory around with my main laptop, and I've found that one of the sticks in the W700 is good, one is bad. In both bays, the good stick causes the W700 to get to the backlight on, but nothing else. Indicators flash once, and the Bluetooth, power and power plug indicator stays on. The fan controllers also seem to be working just fine, because they come on and blow out hot air after awhile.

But taking it completely apart has shown that there's no apparent damage or issues with any of the components, or the mainboard. I was kinda hoping there would be a clearly malfunctioning part, or this would be a common issue that I could easily fix.

I don't really have the financial nerve to fetch a replacement mainboard or video card... unless there's one that can be sourced for a more decent price, I may have to just part out this W700. I don't have additional units to swap parts with.

[Raceboy]

You could try to source a dock with PCIe slot and put a lower power vga card in it to test. If it is video, then it will boot up. Perhaps you could borrow the dock and buy a cheap vga card? Hell of a lot cheaper than buying a W700 system board or graphics card.

I suspect a graphics since the backlight comes on.

[lead_org]

Sounds like this W700 may have had a bad bios flash.

[Medessec]

I was thinking a bad bios flash at first as well... but now I'm kinda split on the issue, because the indicators flash correctly and everything before the backlight comes on, to indicate that it could be very close to POSTing. The Hard Drive indicator also flashes if I have a Hard Drive inserted. But I wanted to take Brad's advice and see if it was the video card first.

I have a Dell M6300 that I'm working on for my friend, I saw the video card in it and they look nearly exactly the same(except the Dell's is a Quadro FX 1400M, the board is blue, and it has less memory) and it looks like the card could very well fit in the video card bank in the W700. I've decided against trying it however... because I've never heard any success stories, and I've read different cards from different makes work COMPLETELY different. Unless someone here can give the go ahead, I'm not trying that.

As for the dock thing, I think i'll try that... I have a couple of PCI-E graphics cards(X300 small, X1450) I can use. Is there a way of determining if the dock is compatible with the W700... or should it just work if it has the correct bottom plug?

[Raceboy]

If your w700 fits into the dock you have, it should work.

But the MXM graphic card should also work. They have their incompatibilities but plugging it in will not harm one or another, at worst it just will not post.

[Medessec]

Alright. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on an Advanced Dock, as that seems to be the one with the PCI-E slot.

I'll try out the other graphics card if I get around to taking apart the Dell again. But that'd just be rather odd if the card actually works... and I was mistaken, it's a Quadro FX 1600M. But if it does work, then I'll post it, so people know. I don't think it's ever been tried... at least I've never read anything on it being done.

[Medessec]

Reporting back. The Dell's MXM card didn't work. It fit perfectly, and the screw holes fit as well. The die warmed up, but the backlight didn't come on.

However-switching back to the Quadro, powering it on without the heatsink, the die instantly warmed up as soon as the backlight came on, and it burned my finger, and the machine shut down a few moments after that before I could pull the plug. Putting the heatsink back on, the machine resumed it's normal behavior of powering on, indicators flashing normally, backlight coming on, and fans spinning up after a minute or two. Btw-the ThinkLight works.

I'm thinking I need to source a MXM card that WILL work. I've also done some reading up on the dock solution, it doesn't seem the W700 is listed as compatible with the Advanced dock, the dock I need to try PCI-E video cards. I may fetch one regardless to test my T60s with, but i'd appreciate it if someone could confirm that the Advanced dock works with the W700.

If ALL this fails, then it's 100% definitely the mainboard. I've removed almost all removable components(including the Hard Drive controller board) and tried booting the machine in trial & error. All tries have resulted in the same result. I have plugged in external monitors, I have never gotten any video showing on it. So I'm pretty certain it's not the LCD cable, or LCD inverter.

[ajkula66]

What do you get when you plug an external monitor?

Does the "caps lock" indicator stay lit when you press the key during the no-video boot?

[Medessec]

Absolutely no video signal, from the last time I tried. I use a old VGA sharp monitor with a DVI to VGA adapter, and simple VGA cable. When the monitor gets a signal, the power indicator goes from amber to green(to indicate leaving standby) then after a few seconds displays the complimentary video. This monitor has never received a signal from the W700, including the one time I tested it with the Dell's Quadro MXM card.

The Caps Lock indicator seems to stay solid on, even when I press Caps Lock. Same with Scroll Lock. I assumed it was because those features don't load until you reach Windows.

[Raceboy]

One possibility is to test it with eGPU. It is expensive to buy it just for testing, but maybe someone could borrow it for a small fee or something? Just to explain: it is an interface that allows using desktop graphic cards using expresscard or minipcie slot.

[Medessec]

I've decided to skip over trying to find an advanced dock, since I was never able to find out if the W700 was fully compatible with it. I think I even stumbled on a memo that the W700's dock interface port wouldn't fit it. Not completely sure-but that's what I recalled.

However- I have recently came into a bit of money which has given me the room to fish out a genuine Quadro FX 2700M, the cross-MXM spec ones for HP Elitebooks and the W700. Plugged it in, fired it up, the computer posted. Celebration followed.

So it turned out it was the video card-but just a heads up to others who run into the same problem: The Dell M600 MXM card didn't work. Although it is a similar MXM-spec, and it fits perfectly fine, plugging it in caused the W700 to not even initiate the backlight. It didn't pop-fizzle or anything, so yes, it was safe to try, but it wasn't the solution.

I'm mostly happy the problem didn't turn out to be the mainboard. But, I've got a perfectly fine W700 now, so I can finally completely reassemble this thing and use it for school. Yes, it is a giant 17" slab of Thinkpad, but I need the awesome screen space for my Computer Science programming class, and the Digitizer pad will be awesome for sketching. I think later on if I ever get the money, I will want to get the Quadro FX 3700M, since that's what originally was in the W700 I got (and apparently the component that failed). It'd do this black monster some justice. I just need to see if it's possible at all to fix the Quadro FX 3700M that got fried apparently, but if not, i'll just have to save up for one.

[ajkula66]

Well, congrats to you!!!

Now, you just have to figure out how to transplant a DreamColor IPS panel from HP 8740w into that W700 and you'll have the ultimate widescreen FrankenPad...

[Medessec]

That would truly be amazing to do... I'd have to couple that with getting a Quadro FX 3700M if I ever get it.

Any idea what would happen to the Color-adjusting tech that's equipped with the W700, in fitting a different screen like that?

[ajkula66]

That would truly be amazing to do... I'd have to couple that with getting a Quadro FX 3700M if I ever get it.

Any idea what would happen to the Color-adjusting tech that's equipped with the W700, in fitting a different screen like that?

No idea.

I'm not even certain that it's physically/electronically doable, but had to throw it out there anyway...

[Medessec]

I've read some other topics on it-seems the biggest roadblock that keeps people from trying it is getting a W700 to try it in. I may look into it, but I also saw you'd need to flash something... or do a mod.

However- I will note I am pretty taken already by the screen that's equipped-when i'm using it side by side with my Toshiba Qosmio, it makes the gloss TruBright HD in my Toshiba look washy or blurry compared to the matte screen in the W700.

[Brad]

Great to hear your W700 has again joined the living.

I agree that the LCD is very nice. Is your W700 WUXGA or WSXGA+?

Brad

[Medessec]

It's a WUXGA. It's one of the reasons I wanted to get it working so badly, I really appreciate a 1920x1200 16:10 screen. They're insanely useful. The only laptop I have that has that other than the W700 is an ailing D900T, which is far heavier and older than the W700.

I would also like to thank you for your prompt advice.