Power problems IBM Thinkpad 600X
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:47 am
The backstory (if you just want to see what my question is go down below):
I've recently obtained (it was given to me) an old IBM ThinkPad 600X. I was told that it didn't turn on, but I thought it'd be an easy fix. At first glance, the power switch was broken. I fixed that, and tried turning it on. No go. I also searched Google and saw that there was a well known flaw in the 600 series battery. I decided to take out the battery, to see if it would fix it. It turned on, and I looked in the BIOS to see exactly what the systems specs were (Pentium III 650MHz/128MB RAM). I decided that I'd reinstall the OS later, and shut off the laptop. So, later that night, when I decided to install the OS, it wouldn't turn on.
I called Lenovo tech support and went through the usual "your system is out of warrenty", "unplug your laptop battery", "you can buy a new battery and AC adapter from us", and so on. They weren't exactly any help, so I decided to check the AC adapter it self. Unplugged it, plugged it back in. No go. Unplugged the laptop end of it, plug it back in. I see a spark. I jiggle on it for a few seconds and it turns on. Cool! So I install the OS, and then turn it off again. When I decide to use the system again and it won't work, I call up Lenovo again, and I find out that the AC power jack is "loose" and needs to be replaced/fixed.
Here's the question:
Can I fix/replace the AC power jack for free or for a low cost? I want to use it as a UNIX shell/test machine, and I hate throwing computers out.
I've recently obtained (it was given to me) an old IBM ThinkPad 600X. I was told that it didn't turn on, but I thought it'd be an easy fix. At first glance, the power switch was broken. I fixed that, and tried turning it on. No go. I also searched Google and saw that there was a well known flaw in the 600 series battery. I decided to take out the battery, to see if it would fix it. It turned on, and I looked in the BIOS to see exactly what the systems specs were (Pentium III 650MHz/128MB RAM). I decided that I'd reinstall the OS later, and shut off the laptop. So, later that night, when I decided to install the OS, it wouldn't turn on.
I called Lenovo tech support and went through the usual "your system is out of warrenty", "unplug your laptop battery", "you can buy a new battery and AC adapter from us", and so on. They weren't exactly any help, so I decided to check the AC adapter it self. Unplugged it, plugged it back in. No go. Unplugged the laptop end of it, plug it back in. I see a spark. I jiggle on it for a few seconds and it turns on. Cool! So I install the OS, and then turn it off again. When I decide to use the system again and it won't work, I call up Lenovo again, and I find out that the AC power jack is "loose" and needs to be replaced/fixed.
Here's the question:
Can I fix/replace the AC power jack for free or for a low cost? I want to use it as a UNIX shell/test machine, and I hate throwing computers out.