2611-472

[pjc0715]

ok .. where to start? With all the problems i'll try a bulleted list:

-Piece on mainboard that ac adapter plugs in to broken (can only charge and get power through port replicator)

-battery will charge to at most around 55-56%

-battery discharges very quickly

-dvdrom drive suddenly doesnt work .. it will read factory produced cds , struggles to read cd-rw and refuses to read dvds (drive actually makes grinding noises when attempting to read a dvd before failing)

-and the kicker, laptop randomly goes blank and freezes. the screen will go completely dark, hard drive activity will cease (led stops blinking). sometimes it will reboot if i hit alt-ctrl-del and other times i have to hold the power switch for 3 seconds to turn it off and then turn it back on. Seems to happen often if i bump it or move it, if the ac adapter is pulled out, or pcmcia card or ps/2 mouse (trackpoint not working either) are removed. Other times it happens very randomly, w/o a bump or anything. The other night it would boot up and windows would barely load all the way before it would do it. It did it over and over again. Finally I gave up on it. The next day it stayed on fine as long as I didnt bump it.

Any ideas on any of these problems? Is this thing dying? Time to give up?

[AlphaKilo470]

It's not dead yet, but sounds like it's almost there. What you need to do is:

-see if you can find the power connector piece at RadioShack so you can soldier on a replacement yourself...
-battery sounds like it's shot, replace it or make due without, if you buy a replacement, get a Lithium Ion battery, they tend to last longer
-DVD drive is on the brink of biting the bullet, replace it or make due without
-backup your documents and format your hard drive and reinstall Windows. Also take the laptop apart and make sure all the connecters are seated snugly and properly.

If you follow these instructions, there's a 50/50 chance of fixing your computer, but if you are not very expericenced in servicing computers, I'd buy a new laptop and keep the old one because no matter the condition, it's always AFTER you get rid of the machine you realize you want it back. Also, if you do go the route of getting a new laptop, I'd reccomend getting an R series because they offer a pretty good features to cost ratio. This is unless of course money is no object, in which case I'd reccomend a T series, which is the pinnacle of the ThinkPad line.

[pjc0715]

Well I haven't tried to replace the power connector. This is a hand me down (yes money is definitely an issue, but this is more of a project/toy than anything unless I get it working and then it could be quite useful for school). My dad took it to a shop where they soldered it back onto the board where it had broken loose on one side. After this, the battery (which has been replaced as recently as lasst year) would only charge about 50% and steadily declined (meaning it would only charge up to 40% , then up to 25% .. etc until it would not hold a charge). In addition to not charging the battery , the power connector broke loose again and so I could not get power from the ac adapter either .. I attempted to resolder the broken piece back on but have been unsuccessful (even reattached, no change in problem), the only solution was to buy the port replicator and charge it through there. I am goin to try draining the battery out and charging it up as much as possible several times to see if the battery's "memory" is stuck at 55%. Also will try soldering on a new power connector.

Totally confused on the dvd drive though .. seems to me that if a drive fails it wouldnt read anything? why would it stop reading dvds , struggle with cd-r/rw and read factory made cds ok? the laptop is from '98 so it isnt unreasonable for it to fail .. just surprised that it is gradually failing .. i've searched google and havent hit on a problem of this nature

I've reinstalled windows and installed redhat 7.3 (only distro i had from factory .. couldnt even install over net because dvd drive wouldnt read the burned boot cd) w/o a change in performance.

Thought about taking apart and making sure everything was snug .. its a pain to take apart but guess thats where I'm at

any more thoughts?

thanks

[pjc0715]

ok .. seems that the battery or dc-dc board are the culprit for it cutting off with a slight bump or just randomly. Running it off of the ac adapter only w/o the battery pack in, it seems i can bump it all i want and it stays on fine. So.. is this a board problem or a battery problem?

[AlphaKilo470]

If it only responds negatively to bumps with the baqttey in, then it's definitly as you guessed, loose connection. If you do a search on IBMs site, oyu should be able to find the Hardware Maintenene Manual somewhere so you can figure out how to take the laptop apart and fix that problem on your own, that is if you feel ok taking the laptop apart.