Thinkpads Forum

Hi, I'm pretty new to laptops and have just acquired a 600X (with Windows 98SE). All seemed well and I loaded a few programs on like AVG anti virus, Adaware and I updated a few that were already on there like Internet Explorer and Adobe Reader etc.

I'd run a few programs succesfully (e.g. I ran the AVG anti virus - no problems, no viruses) but then found that in trying to open 3 different programs (in succession) they all bombed out to the blue screen.

Being a bit stumped over what to do next, I thought I'd look for support on the net and came across Lenovo etc which seemed to have a lot of good information and stuff about all thinkpads. After reading as much as I could, I decided maybe the BIOS needed updating and this seemed a fairly straightforward procedure....

.... yes, most of you are probably ahead of me here. I followed the instructions to the letter but when it got to the bit (and this from memory now as I no longer get anything on screen at all!) where you get 2 lines in a DOS type screen (white on grey I think) and one of them is the selection to go ahead and update, the screen was totally frozen. After half an hour of wondering whether it just might be doing something, I decided I had no option but to switch off - even though I knew this was totally warned against, but what are you supposed to do?

I switched on again and the same screen came up but this time it wasn't frozen and I could move to the selection to update. Oh joy! I thought and proceeded to do just that. Something then came up about asking me to wait as it could take 30 seconds..... after just under 3 hours of frozen screen, I decided nothing was happening so felt I had no option but to switch off again.

Since when, all that happens if attempting to switch on is it sounds like it's going to fire up for a few seconds but then just dies - with absolutely nothing on the screen. I have attempted to boot from a floppy but it looks like it dies away before even attemting to access the floppy.

At this point of course I'm thinking well done mate, you've just been very stupid and that's an expensive mistake as you now seem to have one dead laptop. However I figured I might as well look around some more, so in Lenovo I find a bit of hope in the article about possibly recovering from an interupted BIOS update:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-45385

aha! just move the Clear CMOS/Recovery jumper! So I read the article to find out how to get to said jumper and eventually after downloading manuals which show to take apart the 600X realise that I seem to have to take pretty much everything else out to get to the system board upon which this is supposed to be. And of course I also now realise just how different are laptops to desktops in the way in which they're put together!

So my 2 questions are - and I do apologise for the length of time it's taken for me to get here, but I thought the background might be relevant:

1) if i actually manage to do as described in the article, do you think there's a possibility of getting the 600X back working?

2) is there no easier way to access this jumper?

Any help would be very much appreciated.


flingel

I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that there is a CMOS jumper on the 600/E/X series laptops. The only jumper that I am aware of is beneath the DIMM cover, and it is for resetting the power-on passwords.

The document that you referenced in your post is for ThinkCentres and NetVistas, which are desktops, not laptops.

FWIW, you might want to try removing every component that you can, except the floppy, and boot again with the BIOS update disk in the floppy drive.

Thanks for your reply (sorry, I've been away for a few days). Yes you're right re the link, I must have my lost my way at some point!

When you say try removing every component, do you mean right down to the motherboard? Or just stuff like the hard disk and CD drive etc?

Have you ever come across this before - where someone's tried to update the bios and it's then locked? I keep thinking I can't be the only one!

Thanks for your help.

flingel

By every component, I mean the battery, memory, CD-rom, any pcmcia cards, etc. Anything that can that is considered user replaceable.

If that doesn't work, try disconnecting the CMOS battery for about an hour, then reconnect it and try to restart it.

You Hardware Maintenance Manual can show you how to remove any of the above components that you might not be familiar with.

I helped someone with an upgrade on their BIOS, where it locked up during the upgrade process, however, they were fortunate in that it would still boot.

If none of the above works, it might be time for a new motherboard.

ok then, here we go!

Thanks very much for your help.

flingel

I would try shorting the contacts for clearing the power-on password. I was under the impression that this cleared the CMOS. It certainly can't hurt anything. Below are the instructions from the Hardware Maintenance Manual.

1. Power off the computer
2. Remove the DIMM cover on the bottom side of the
computer.
3. Short-circuit the two password pads or put the
jumper.
For the location of the password pads or jumper, see
the “Locations” section for each model.
4. Under the short-circuit condition, power on the
computer and wait until the POST ends.
After the POST ends, the password prompt does not
appear. The power-on password is removed.
5. Reinstall the DIMM cover.

Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately that is not the problem.

The problem is that I tried to update the bios, the system froze and I eventually switched the power off after some hours of nothing happening. Since then when I switch on, all I get is a little fan noise as though it's going to start up but then it doesn't - and nothing on screen at all.


flingel

You may have fried your mother board but maybe not. If you open the USB flap, right next to the USB plug is a little pin hole. You can insert something sharp in there to reset the computer. I think it sends the CMOS back to default settings, so this may be what you're looking for.

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What is it with this guy (zion)?!?!?!

4 posts and all are SPAM????

hmmm... if I open the USB flap, there is a little hole but if I poke something in there all that seems to happen is that I see the USB socket move a bit so I think I'm just poking a bit of board or something! Have tried peering in the hole but it doesn't look like a reset thing.

flingel

MadeInJapan wrote:You may have fried your mother board but maybe not. If you open the USB flap, right next to the USB plug is a little pin hole. You can insert something sharp in there to reset the computer. I think it sends the CMOS back to default settings, so this may be what you're looking for.

Actually, on the 600 series (based on my 600), the reset button is right next to the power switch, but is NOT inside the USB hatch. I don't think it resets the CMOS, but it will power the machine off if it gets so locked up the power switch doesn't respond.

Rob

Ah yes, cheers Rob, I guess that's probably what MadeInJapan meant - unfortunately it only, as you say, switches the machine off rather than re-setting the CMOS.

flingel

Oops, sorry about that...was trying to remember the location of the "reset hole" from memory. To bad it didn't reset your CMOS so your Bios would boot. Now I most definitely think you have a dead MoBo.

Thanks for all your comments - I guess it's looking like I've made a very expensive mistake.

One thing I'm curious to know - as I said at the start, my knowledge of lap tops is minimal but I got the impression (from checking out the net etc) that it is not that unusual to maybe want to update your bios. But I surely can't be the only one whose computer froze during this operation?

Is it really that rare? And what are you supposed to do when it's obvious after several hours that nothing's happening? Is there ultimately any other option apart from switching off?

I'd just like to know so I'm at least a little better prepared in future!

Flingel

For the most part, freezing during the BIOS update is rare, unless the wrong BIOS was used.

You can pick up another system board on eBay pretty cheap, depending on the processor speed that you want. I saw some Buy It Now options for $89 for a 500mhz system board and $129 with a 650mhz processor.

It isn't too hard to replace, as long as you use (and live buy) your Hardware Maintenance Manual.

Thanks for that info.

Flingel