Thinkpads Forum

Hello everyone,

I have a problem with my Lenovo Thinkpad W520 (4270CTO). The problem has to do with a PCI-Express mini device that I own(Sierra Wireless MC7710 tested that it works) and the PCI-Express slots in laptop's motherboard. I know the device is not compatible with my laptop,but my question is that the laptop doesn't show any kind of message like UNAUTHORIZED/INCOMPATIBLE DEVICE when I install it to the PCI-EXPRESS located on the top of the motherboard(not the one that is located in bottom and it has the wifi card usually). Is this normal?It's like the laptop is ignoring the new hardware completely.Shouldn't the laptop show a message about unauthorized/incompatible device?I called Lenovo (US) and they told me that it should show a message and the fact that it doesn't shows anything at all might indicate a problem to the motherboard.

In fact I gave my laptop to the authorized Lenovo technician here in my country (Greece). He tested both PCI slots and he said that they are working.He tested them using the the wifi card which was pre-installed when I bought the laptop (an Intel Centrino). The problem is that now the technician claims that the motherboard according to his experience is perfectly fine,but he is not 100% sure.I think that he is wrong and the motherboard is not working properly because it doesn't show any message when I install the Sierra network card.Besides when I used it myself to the port that it is located on the bottom of the motherboard the laptop again didn't react at all during the booting process but when it fully booted on Windows 7 and I logged in to my account I pushed the card with a little bit more power than normal and the laptop found the new device.Isn't that weird?

By your personal experience and knowledge should the laptop show any message for Unauthorized/Incompatible hardware or not?

P.S.: Please I really need your help for this one as fast as possible because on Monday the technician is waiting for an answer on whether or not to the change the motherboard.

No in my experience, installing an "unauthorized" or incompatible component will NOT trigger any message. Unless the driver for the new device is installed there is no way for the OS to know what it is. At best you'll get a flag in device manager. If the BIOS do not recognize a device, it won't even show up in device manager and the device cannot be seen by any OS.

IMO, I doubt there's anything wrong with your motherboard. The fact you had to "push the card in a little bit more" tells me that you did not install the device properly the first time. When you pushed more on it, all you did was seat it properly.

[/img]

Cigarguy wrote:No in my experience, installing an "unauthorized" or incompatible component will NOT trigger any message. Unless the driver for the new device is installed there is no way for the OS to know what it is. At best you'll get a flag in device manager. If the BIOS do not recognize a device, it won't even show up in device manager and the device cannot be seen by any OS.

IMO, I doubt there's anything wrong with your motherboard. The fact you had to "push the card in a little bit more" tells me that you did not install the device properly the first time. When you pushed more on it, all you did was seat it properly.

Thanks for your reply.

Well I didn't explain correctly in my previous post.When I say that it should show a message I do not mean in Device manager or after the machine has already booted on Windows or any other OS.I mean when it shows all those messages/ Lenovo,Thinkpad logos before it reaches to the point to boot to the OS.You know the one on that shows right after you press the power on button.

Moreover I have already flashed my laptop with a BIOS that doesn't have Whitelist,but because the laptop didn't react at all when I installed the foreign hardware in it that made me think that something is going wrong with the slots,after I have already been assured that the Sierra card was working properly.So after all I rolled back to the original BIOS and I got the same reaction.

What I mean is that the message should be like this with a normal BIOS: 1802: Unauthorized network card is plugged in - Power off and remove the miniPCI network card.

Here is what I mean: (I finally found a pic which describes the problem)



oh by the way ignore only the wireless cards shown on the pic just focus only on the part which displays the error!

If you have flashed a modified BIOS, there naturally there will not be an Error 1802 on boot.
However: Even with a modified BIOS, the system will silently disable any "unauthorized card" as if you turned the hardware radio switch off, unless you put tape over pin 20 to block the switch.

Hi thanks a lot for your answer.

Right now,I have the original BIOS flashed.

I didn't understand the part that you were saying to tape the pin 20.Is it possible for you to be more specific?

Okay thanks. I found it here on the forum

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... &start=420