after connecting iphone, my A30p has trouble playing DVDs

[anabruiz]

Hello,
A friend recently connected his iphone to my A30p and tried to view the contents by clicking on its icon. Ever since then, my computer has had several issues. I have both Windows and Linux on it and these have been the problems:
1. When I play DVDs (in both Windows and Linux), horizontal dark lines appear on the screen.
2. When I log on into Linux, it freezes after a few seconds. Windows, on the other hand, has been working fine.
3. When I start up the computer and the different operating systems appear on the screen, the text normally displayed during boot up is all scrambled up, e.g., instead of reading UBUNTU, it says something like TFUNTT or something strange like that.
4. During boot up, the screen used to be black until showing me the menu, but ever since I've had this problem, I see the screen covered with exclamation signs (!).
If anyone has any idea of what the iPhone may have done to my computer, or any suggestion on what to do to correct this problem, I would really appreciate the input. I really like my A30p and would like to keep it a lot longer. Thank you!

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sad to say that your A30p will require a new motherboard. What you're experiencing is a graphic card failure, and there is no cure for that short of a planar swap, since it's likely the VRAM itself that has gone south. There's an A30 in my workroom with exact same symptoms that has never been near an iPhone that I'm aware of, so your ThinkPad's issues may not be related to that particular incident...

Good luck.

[anabruiz]

Thank you for your reply, George. Do you know how much a motherboard for an A30p may cost? Is it worth replacing it on this machine? Thanks again.

[ajkula66]

A working motherboard for an A30p is not something that I've seen in quite a long time. However, your shell will take a motherboard from an A31p with no problems, meaning that you'd be upgrading to a newer and faster platform as well...

Now, whether it's worth it is entirely your call. You're not likely to find a tested good motherboard for an A31p under $150. To me personally, the condition of your current LCD would be the key. If it's flawless, that machine is worth playing with and saving. If not, you're likely better off moving on.

Good luck.

[sjthinkpader]

... your shell will take a motherboard from an A31p with no problems, ....

The cooling arrangement for the Northbridge is different between A30 and A31 bottom cases. The A31s also include external cooling plates over the rear connectors.

Finding a A31p motherboard complete with bottom housing is better.

[ajkula66]

Shells for all A3xp units are interchangeable.

Been there and done that more than once...

[anabruiz]

Thanks for the info! I will try finding a motherboard for an A31 then, as the LCD on my computer is still great. Hopefully the replacement will take care of the computer freezing up when it runs on Linux.

[sjthinkpader]

Shells for all A3xp units are interchangeable.

Been there and done that more than once...

Not saying it won't fit. Just pointing out cooling is improved in A31/A31p housings.

[anabruiz]

That's good to know--thank you!