X61 WWAN disabled on Windows 7? Can't get it to power on

[Nubulin]

I installed a Lenovo branded MC5725 on my X61s. Installed Windows 7 and it shows up in the device manager, drivers install, VZ Access manager installed and worked ok. Frist time the ESN did not show up in the "about" window. second time it does.

Then, after restart, the card is gone in the Device manager. Fn+F5 does not show an option for WWAN. Enabling from the command line with the hotkey utility does not work. If I launch VZ Access, it says "device disabled". On my T60p it would turn the card on when launched.

Removing and reseating the card does nothin.

Before putting W7 on, Vista hotkey did not see the card either, but it did install and show up in the menu.

If I reinstall Windows 7 the same cycle starts over again.

IS there a way to force the system to turn on the WWAN? Do I have a bad card?

[Ken Fox]

I installed a Lenovo branded MC5725 on my X61s. Installed Windows 7 and it shows up in the device manager, drivers install, VZ Access manager installed and worked ok. Frist time the ESN did not show up in the "about" window. second time it does.

Then, after restart, the card is gone in the Device manager. Fn+F5 does not show an option for WWAN. Enabling from the command line with the hotkey utility does not work. If I launch VZ Access, it says "device disabled". On my T60p it would turn the card on when launched.

Removing and reseating the card does nothin.

Before putting W7 on, Vista hotkey did not see the card either, but it did install and show up in the menu.

If I reinstall Windows 7 the same cycle starts over again.

IS there a way to force the system to turn on the WWAN? Do I have a bad card?

I have no experience with Windows 7 at this point, however I do subscribe to Technet and plan to fool around with it when I get back from a long trip which starts shortly.

As you have demonstrated for yourself, changing more than one variable at a time can put you in a situation where you can't interpret what is happening.

There are several possibilities I can think of. One would be a bad card, as you suggest, but the fact that it works in your T60p suggests otherwise. Intermittent hardware failures are difficult to detect and hard to deal with. It might be that this card is on the "white list" for your T60p but not for your X61s. IF that were the problem, there is a bios hack floating around that might allow you to use that card in that machine, however I have no personal experience with it, and my impression was that if the card was not on the "white list" that the notebook would not boot.

You don't state whether the card worked under Vista, merely that it installed and showed up on the menu.

You might try PC Doctor, or some other utility, especially one that would boot up from external media and would specifically test that card. It is possible that the Verizon website has such a utility since I'm sure they get lots of tech support calls about connection problems.

[Nubulin]

EDIT: Card was defective. Recieved a new one from the seller today and it all works fine.