Thinkpads Forum

I have this relative's old system lying around for a few years and I was asked to get it working again. Upon powering it up, it beeps twice and brings up to error codes 173 and 163 which I don't know what it is but it then ask me to put in a date for the clock. Afterwards , it goes to the first Thinkpad screen and ran a memory test, afterwards it just stalls and it doesn't read the hard drive or can go to bios utility.

I powered it off with the power switch and go to bios but couldn't. It remain stuck in the same first screen. Normally, I should be able to go to bios regardless of any other component issue.

Any help would be appreciated, as to the problem and the fix. I don't plan on spending any money on it but would try a cheap replacement hard drive. It's an old system purchase from a corporate lot that once worked.

If the X600 has not been charged in two years...the bios battery is probably shot. Plug the laptop in and let it charge overnight. Then, start the ThinkPad and enter the bios to set the correct date and time. You might be able to then start the X600 without the errors...eventually unless you have other issues. You can buy a new bios backup battery on eBay for about $1.00. Or, if you are really on a budget, remove the old battery and solder a CR2025 battery to the leads covering the battery with tape is required. Personally I would use the eBay battery and do it correct. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... wik-3sr4pw

Errors 173 and 163 are typically due to a dead "backup" (aka, CMOS or RTC) battery. That's what's causing the system to prompt for the date and time. It will continue to do so until the backup battery is replaced. Tt can be found inside the memory bay and costs a few dollars off of eBay; search for 02K6502. Error codes and additional help is available from the Hardware Maintenance Manual:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... WIK-3SYPX2

Note: Soldering wires directly onto the CR2025 battery is NOT recommended; explosion or leakage can occur.

Thanks guys. I bought a brand new battery on Ebay and will let you know in about 7 days if that worked

I replaced the battery to the bios and the motherboard still won't boot. The computer no longer ask me to enter in the date and time though. I put my Windows XP Pro setup CD in the drive and it still won't go. Can't go to bios still.

So what is next?

Run the (hard drive) test in Easy-Setup for ThinkPad 600, 600E, 770, 770E/ED, 770X, and 770Z systems.

1. Press and hold the F1 key, then turn on the computer. Hold the F1 key until the Easy-Setup menu appears. If a password prompt appears, type the correct password.
2. Select Test.
3. Click the HDD-1 symbol to run the basic test. The results will be displayed as blue OK or red error codes.
4. Press the Ctrl-A keys to select the advanced tests.
5. Click Exit and then click Exit again.
6. Click HDD-1 again to start the advanced test.
Note: The exact procedure may vary slightly.