This is a reply to
your question in the other thread asking for a plain words explanation about the method described there to disable or fix the TrackPoint error.
The explanation there describes how to make a change to the "CMOS" (the core internal code that your machine needs to work with ANY operating system) so that it does not check to see if the TrackPoint is working or not. After making this change, the TrackPoint will still not work, but, if successful, a person can then boot up their laptop and use it -- possibly with an external mouse.
The 8166 error shows up because when the laptop starts up, before it does anything, it checks around to see if everything is working right, and if it discovers a problem with the TrackPoint, it stops and issues an error. What these folks are doing is tricking the laptop into thinking that it doesn't have a TrackPoint by changing some CMOS code so that the laptop just ignores the TrackPoint and doesn't bother checking it when it starts up. This doesn't "fix" the TrackPoint, but it does eliminate the error message and so allows you to boot up without errors, even though your TrackPoint may be broken.
lizeewillis wrote:is this something I could fix myself or do I need to get an expert? Or, is the PC toast?
I would not recommend entering your CMOS and editing it if you are not already
very comfortable tinkering with your laptop. Your PC is probably not toast, but your TrackPoint/keyboard may be and your CMOS battery may be. You should be able to obtain replacements for these items through eBay for $20-40 total. The hardware maintenance manual that tfflivemb2 pointed to will give you an idea of what is involved with each of these replacements if you want to do them yourself. The keyboard I think is not too hard -- but it does require some unscrewing of screws and there are two fiddly cables that you have to be careful with, but still not too difficult. The backup battery/CMOS battery is pretty easy to replace.
Be forewarned though that this will not necessarily eliminate all problems. It is possible that after you do these replacements, other errors may appear.
If you are interested in playing around with your CMOS, you need to get into your BIOS Config, which can be tricky if you are getting errors on boot up. Normally, you press and hold F1 after you see the memory size appear in the top left when you turn on your computer. Eventually, you get a special Easy Configuration screen. From there, use the bird/mouse to click Test. On the test screen type CTRL + D and that takes you into your CMOS editor.
If you are getting errors on boot, you might also try pressing ESC, then pressing F1, or pressing some combination of those two keys, and seeing if you can bypass the error. It is sometimes possible to boot your machine despite these errors, but if you have a dead CMOS battery, then you probably won't be able to do anything until you get it replaced.
Phil.
