ThinkPad "Disaster" Stories

[AlphaKilo470]

I thought it might be fun to share any good stories of bad luck and what not.

I'll start:
About two years back, I was on a bus and I had my computer out so I could finish a PowerPoint. At one point, the bus hit a sudden stop and the computer went flying out of my lap and onto the floor. When I picked the computer back up, the screen was blank, the keyboard popped out on the right side (this was a 760ED with the lift-up keyboard so this doesn't mean damage to the keyboard per-say) and the hard drive assembly had popped out of place. I shut off the computer, made sure there was no case damage, made sure the HD assemby was well intact, then I put back the hard disk, turned the computer back on and surprisingly enough, the computer worked. Office had also autosaved my document. Now I'm trying to decide if that was good luck or bad luck.

[thePCxp]

I have a ThinkPad horror story and this still haunts me.

This happened at school on February of this year. I was in my 3rd period class when it happened. I was going to my 3rd period class and we were waiting for our teacher to arrive but when the teacher arrived, a substitude teacher arrived instead. We were going in the classroom and we took our books out and started reading (because there is something in my school called Sillent Substained Reading) and when it was over, we started doing work that our teacher wanted us to do. We were actually trying to hurry because the sub is a teacher at the school and we were going to her classroom. When we finished, we went to her class and when we got there, we watched TV because we didn't have anything else to do. I decided to get my ThinkPad out so it can have some fresh air (and this is when the trouble starts) and I woke it up from being in standby mode. I looked around to see what I could do but I couldn't think of anything to so I put my ThinkPad in standby mode and left it on my lap (because I like having my ThinkPad out). Then I saw the sub take away a student's iPod (because no CD and MP3 players are allowed at my school and cell phones have to be turned off during school) and then it was taken to the office. Then, the most scary thing happened, the sub took my ThinkPad away! It was either to give it up or call security so I had no choice but to give it up because I didn't want to get into trouble (because I never get in trouble). I started crying as I watched my ThinkPad being taken away(because I can't satnd being away from my ThinkPad!) . (The good thing is that I gave my student number to the sub so that made it easy to get my ThinPad back). I sat at my seat, helpless, and very angry at the sub, as I was trying to wait for the bell to ring so I could get out of that class and as far away from that teacher! When the bell rang, I first went up that that teacher and told her that I was allowed to have a laptop at school. (I one time showed my ThinkPad to the principal, who I made friends with, and she had no problem with me bringing my ThinkPad to school). Then, I went to my 4th period class and when I got there, a few minutes later, a security guard came to the classroom and said that he was looking for me (and I kind of knew that he was looking for me) so I went with him to one of my school's assistant principal's office (and I made friends with him too). When I got there, there was my ThinkPad sitting in his desk. Then, he came into his office and asked me a few questions like if it was really my laptop and where I was when it was taken away and what happened when it was taken away. After claiming that it was mine, I was allowed to go back to class and when I got there, some classmates where also asking me what happened and was I okay.
But there is more to this, when I got to 5th period, I woke my ThinkPad up from standby mode and found out that all of my settings in the taskbar were not there! So at lunchtime, I went and told the assistant principal about my ThinkPad and told me to go see someone in the computer lab who was messing around with my ThinkPad and I also wanted to get to the bottom of this (because nobody messes with my ThinkPad!). So I went to the computer lab (and I got to miss half of 6th period) and when I got there, I told the person in the computer lab about my ThinkPad but told me to come back to the computer lab because she wasn't the one messing with my ThinkPad and that it was another guy in the computer lab who was. So I went to my 6th period class and then to my 7th period class. Then school was over so I went back to the computer lab and went to see the guy who was messing with my ThinkPad but the problem is that I still didn't understand what happened. I think that he pressed the power button to restart my ThinkPad and try to log in (but he can't because he needs a password). When all of that was settled, I also got to make friends with them and they gave me some tips like the next time when I have a sub to tell them that I am allowed to have a laptop. They also told me that they thought I stole it! Because in my school, we have ThinkPad's and I am also the only student in my school who brings a laptop. Then I went home and I was wondering if my parents knew about this and it turns out that they didn't know about this and I also didn't tell them about what happened.
I want to know why that sub took my ThinkPad away from me and I am also planing to tell the assistant principal (who I went to see) to ask that teacher (because I never want to go near that teacher again!) why she took my ThinkPad because I want to know!:x

[asiafish]

Mine was in a law school class, but wasn't with a ThinkPad. I was sitting in the front row, and the teacher had broken his foot and was walking with a cane. Well, he was a very exuberant lecturer, and when he made a point about how the search in some case or another was invalid, the tip of his cane hit the back panel on my PowerBook (Pismo, this was the year 2000 before anything in titanium or aluminum was available) hard enough to not only shatter the screen and crack the display backing, but to send the computer flying across the table into my neighbor's new T21 (is a TP story, just not my TP). Both computers then fell three feet from the table to the hard floor below.

After class the three of us had a very civil discussion, and the next day the professor wrote us checks for the cost of the new laptops we went out and bought.

[AlphaKilo470]

The 380ED I own is currently on loan to a friend of mine who uses it for Microsoft Office and winamp. He says he'll return the computer next week. About two months back, I worked on it after he had it for almost a month because it was giving him trouble and right as I started typing, I noticed a booger on the backslash key and one or two others in the keyboard. I also saw that a small piece of plastic had somehow been chipped off the LCD housing. The plastic missing was not much and was really insignificant but I just can't excuse the boogers, that's just gross. I never would have thought I'd have to worry about this thing with, well, anyone old enough to know how to use a ThinkPad.

[asiafish]

Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE has boogers.

[baraider]

what is boogers?

i don't have any

[asiafish]

Snot

[Torque]

Snot

yummy..

Just double checked my keyboard. No boogers

[AlphaKilo470]

Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE has boogers.

Yes, but when you are loaned a ThinkPad for an extended period of time to do whatever the hel you want with, you should at least have the common courtesy to not wipe your boogers all over the keyboard or at least wipe them off before returning the unit.

Think about it, would you want to be typing then suddenly find someones booger on the key you just pressed?

[JaneL]

OK, that's it. Anything further along this line needs to be taken offline.

[admsteiner]

I was kinda hoping you'd just delete the whole thread...or at least the last few replies.

--adam

[bhtooefr]

ThinkPad horror story (not mine, though - and, it's an older model. It didn't stop me from ordering an X21 on Thursday )

A friend of mine had a ThinkPad 760ED (with the XGA screen, too. My laptop was a Toshiba Satellite Pro 405CS, which had a VGA screen. I was envious...) He used it on the school bus often, and one day, his bus was going over railroad tracks while he was using it. Instantly, it shut off. I then tried to diagnose it's issue. The battery seemed to have a charge, but NOTHING responded. Later, he told me that he took it to another friend, and he said that it wasn't repairable, because it was "too dangerous to work on" where the problem was (I call BS now, especially considering it was a 760...) I'm now guessing that something simply got disconnected... Of course, now I know the other part of the story... This laptop was actually stolen... from the school.

I'll go ahead and introduce myself, here...

I'm a owner of a Dell Inspiron 1100 (P4 @ 2.2GHz, 384MB RAM, 30GB HDD, CD-ROM, 14.1" XGA - via my school, as I'm free advertising for them ), and I've been fed up with it. They want to keep all of their staff laptops as Dells. They need another staff laptop. I've been interested in ThinkPads (specifically, the X series) for a while now. So, they ordered a ThinkPad X21 (and a 256MB SODIMM - and I made sure it was the correct type), and I'm going to swap laptops. Yes, I know it's a slower processor and smaller HDD. However, it's also a LOT smaller laptop ("Uninspiron" is 8lbs w/o power adaptor), and (from what I've heard) has a little better battery life. So, next week, I'll be with you guys

[AlphaKilo470]

it wasn't repairable, because it was "too dangerous to work on" where the problem was (I call BS now, especially considering it was a 760...)

After experiences with repairing and modifying my own 760's, I have to agree that the "dangerous" claim is BS. Though you do need to be careful and make sure you remove the small LCD cable screws on the back. Most people don't notice it, rip the screen out and break the plastic piece. Once you are inside the computer, everythings modular. No real danger, just pull out what part is bad and replace it. Almost every component has it's own board.

I know this post may be slightly off topic but it is some good trivia. Did the kid with the stolen 760 ever get busted? And do you mean school bus as the one going to the same school he stole the computer from? Returning to the crime scene touting the evidence? That's just dumb.

[bhtooefr]

It was a bus that goes to that school...

He got busted two years later. Here's how the story goes...

Once that laptop died, he gave me the hard drive (no use for it if the laptop was dead), and I was going to install it in my Toshiba. Never got around to it.

Two years later, the school let him borrow an identical 760ED (they had bought it to replace the stolen one). Yes, the person that stole the first 760 got to borrow the replacement . Anyway, the hard drive died on it. So, I grabbed the hard drive from the previous 760, and popped it in. Booted up, and it showed files from the school. Hmm...

2 hours later, I get questioned by the school's staff. I'm completely innocent in all of this, FWIW - I knew I wasn't in trouble. I figure out 5 minutes in as to WHY they're questioning me - the first laptop must have been stolen...

Of course, because this was after two years, the only punishment was to take the second 760 back (the battery was screwed up anyway - couldn't go above 6% charge). FWIW, they also destroyed the 2.1GB HDD (the one that I had, and gave back to the friend), and returned the 3GB HDD... I could have used either one... (after all, it's just an ordinary 2.5" laptop HDD once you rip off all of the plastic and connectors)

As for the first 760, I don't really know what the problem was. I'm going to guess fried DC-DC board... I'm guessing that the person who was going to fix it was afraid of capacitors... (just don't touch the bottom of the board, and you'll be fine!)

Edit: Oh, and something I left off about dumb criminals. He actually brought it to the school, and had me work on it IN PLAIN SIGHT. AT THE SCHOOL that he stole it from.