Thinkpads Forum

Hello, I'm glad I found this forum and I hope someone can help me with my problem.

The other night when I was on my computer, going about my business, the little light under the battery icon began to flash orange. Sounds pretty lame, but the thing is, I always run on AC power, as my battery has long since died. [ Along with the battery that runs the clock, I'm guessing-- I have to set the clock every time I start up. ]

It hasn't stopped flashing. Normally, it's green of course, and solid. I haven't gone on it until I can find out what is wrong with it, or if it's not even anything to worry about. So here I am. :] Can anyone tell me a possible solution to this potential problem with my old friend? I really hate to have to go weeks without talking to my friends on-line, etc.

Thanks you for any advice / help,
Nicole a.k.a. 'Hallish'

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

I would assume that your dead battery is still attached to your 600X. If so, then I'd suggest that you remove the battery, plug the AC adapter in and then turn the system back on. If the battery LED is solid green once again, then there is probably something (more) wrong with the battery pack other than just being dead.

If the battery IS out and you still see the flashing LED, then I'm not sure what the problem might be. Most likely something on the motherboard is causing the flashing indication I'd say.

Ahh! Thank you so much. I will try that. I was thinking that I might have to ditch that battery. :]

Just so I know I'm removing the battery, where can I find it on the underside? :] I'm excited now that there's a solution, and I'm going to go home and try it out before I go to work.

Thank you so much. A lot of my life is on that computer, as sad as it sounds, but I have a lot of international friends! :] I'll be happy to tell them it's no problem if this works.

Edit: Will it work fine without the battery in? I have nothing to put in it's place.

Battery is located near the middle-front edge of the system. There's a sliding lock which is underneath two lock icons. Slide the switch over towards the "unlocked" position and the battery should be freed.

And as to your resetting the date/time each time your system is turned on, yes, your backup (CMOS) battery is dead. That battery is located inside the memory bay just to the left of the main battery (when the front edge of system closest to you). Remove the access door and near the lower right corner you should see two wires (red and black) that end in a white plug. The other end of those wires leads to a yellow (normally; can also be black) coin-type battery. It's held in place by a small plastic tab that you simply push down. You can also remove the CD or DVD drive that's right under this memory bay (sliding lock near the corner of the laptop) to make it a little easier to remove that backup battery.

A local computer shop might stock that battery (with the proper connector). Your best bet may be to ask here in the Marketplace or search eBay for the correct replacement. The IBM part number (FRU) is 02K6502.

And yes, you can use the system without the battery being in place. If you are thinking about getting a new battery, there's several sources (here, eBay, batteryrefill.com) that I've recommended before.

Sigh of relief! Thank you so much for all your help! I'm probably going to be buying a replacement for my clock-- I hate starting up like that all the time, I've been told it's not good to turn a computer on and off too much. This makes me feel loads better now that I might not have to buy a new computer. :] I'll be off now to try it out!